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Law enforcement officers tend to frown on citizens interfering with their revenue generation. This has led to a number of First Amendment lawsuits from people arrested for warning others about [check notes] the existence of police officers in the vicinity.
One citizen was told as much when he was arrested for holding up a sign reading "Cops Ahead." One cop kept on script, referring to the man's actions as "interfering with an investigation." It wasn't an investigation. It was a distracted driving sting. The cop actually hauling him to the station was more to the point, telling the man he was arresting him for "interfering with our livelihood." First Amendment violation or felony interference with a business model? Why not both?
A lawsuit was filed in 2018 seeking a declaration that honking a car's horn is protected expression. And, all the way back in 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed over citations and arrests for flashing headlights to warn drivers of unseen officers.
A federal judge has decided -- albeit not very firmly -- that at least one of these actions is protected by the First Amendment. Wisconsin Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker says flashing your headlights to warn drivers of speed traps is expressive speech -- something cops would be better off not trying to punish. (via Volokh Conspiracy)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sshelton76 on Tuesday May 07 2019, @09:46PM (9 children)
Meanwhile, Google maps has managed to warn be about 7 speed traps this past week, literally calling them exactly what they are.
https://9to5google.com/2019/03/13/google-maps-speed-trap-accident-report/ [9to5google.com]
Not that it matters, it's spring and the state flower is in full bloom everywhere!
http://media.mlive.com/grpress/news_impact/photo/road-construction-file-300jpg-ef09d5ad1b15bf0b_large.jpg [mlive.com]
(Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday May 07 2019, @09:57PM (8 children)
For those coming to visit Italy: most speed traps are fake (because we do unspeakable things to them in retaliation for tickets), a law says they must be preceded by a sign but probably does not specify how earlier it must be placed so wait a lot before speeding up again, unmarked cars signal drivers who go too fast so that marked cars drive them to the side of the road and ticket them so your waze and mapped speed traps are not going to save you. In some bigger city the guy delivering tickets to parked cars is escorted, because the classic italian 15 minutes mew mew to get the ticket reduced or invalid has been superseded by barbarian violence. Sad.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 5, Touché) by sshelton76 on Tuesday May 07 2019, @10:08PM (6 children)
I want to understand this. I think I understand it. Can you post it in the original language?
(Score: 5, Funny) by edIII on Wednesday May 08 2019, @12:00AM (1 child)
No. All we get out of Bot is core dumps and the progressively stranger outputs of some kind of cascade failure from the look of it...
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Bot on Wednesday May 08 2019, @10:56AM
Note to self, meatbags need commas and sh!t.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Wednesday May 08 2019, @02:48AM
Mew mew, possibly is pussy. Makes sense that it would be pussy, right?
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday May 08 2019, @10:59AM (2 children)
Occhio che l'autovelox è tarocco e ti inchiappettano con la civetta.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday May 08 2019, @04:21PM (1 child)
Google Translate doesn't make friendly with that phrase or it's just as cryptic as the previous post. "Watch out that the speed camera is a tarot and they will catch you with the owl."
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday May 08 2019, @06:26PM
Tarot slang for fake, auto civetta slang for police unmarked car.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday May 08 2019, @06:37PM
(most speed traps are fake (because we do unspeakable things to them (in retaliation for tickets)))
(a law says (they must be preceded by a sign) but probably does not specify (min nor Max distance from the speed trap) so wait a lot before speeding up again (after you see a sign announcing it))
(unmarked police cars stealthily pick up the plate of fast cars)
(marked cars stop them)
(Mapping them is therefore impossible)
(Once upon a time the policemen did not need to be escorted now they often do)
Account abandoned.