zlacker

>>danso+(OP)
When I was younger I lived in a fairly rural area. I was driving home late from work one day on a remote highway and came across one of the most horrific accidents I've ever seen. A driver was pulling onto the highway and was hit by a police cruiser at an almost impossibly high speed. The highway was marked at 55mph, and under normal conditions, the driver of the other car would have had plenty of time to pull out, speed up and join the road at speed. On this road, at this time of night, there were virtually no other cars on the road.

The cruiser was going at least 130mph, without lights or siren on, struck the car at the b pillar and literally sheared the car in half right behind the driver. It was unreal, the two pieces of the car looked like they had been cut in two by a giant table saw. The front end of the cruiser was smashed in pretty well.

Incredibly, when I pulled my car off the road to help, I found both drivers up, relatively unhurt, ambulatory and in a daze from shock. A few minutes later another cruiser pulled up, called a tow and drove the civilian driver home. It became a local news story as the police officer was not only not arrested, but not disciplined in any way. Insurance covered the cars and the officer was back on the beat in a new car within the week. His rush? He wanted to make it home in time to watch a college ball game after his shift was over.

>>bane+vu
I spent a lot of time in what's currently CHAZ/CHOP as a teen. The police in that precinct have/had a particularly visible habit of blowing red lights. When there are other cars nearby, they flick their lights on momentarily, as if ticking off a minor technicality (though still violating the letter of the law). I've seen cops do that pretty much anywhere I've lived, US or Canada, but it was especially prevalent on the stretch of road a few blocks from the precinct. I saw quite a few near-misses caused by this.

An "honest" cop would see this behavior and report the crime appropriately. But they simply don't hold eachother accountable.