I had the distinct honor of being able to talk to a great group of students last week in a class I was asked to come speak in. Even though for some crazy reason they have asked me to come back and talk with the class several times over the last few, I still have this huge fear of speaking in front of large groups. After 20 years of doing talks with various groups, I still feel the need to pack an extra pair of undies (yes, I know the flower goes in front) just in case.
I fret about it for weeks ahead of time, prep and re-prep a PowerPoint presentation with lots of clowns being arrested to distract from the nervous chatter I’m spewing, and what happens? Ten minutes in and the questions start. Before I know it, two hours have passed, and the instructor is throwing erasers at my head in an attempt to make me shut up.
The point I’m making is that we all have fears. Some are rational and some not so rational. My fear of falling into the sarlacc pit? Not rational. The fear of being called a dork for being afraid of falling into the sarlacc pit? Rational. But regardless of your fears, rational or irrational as they may be, sometimes it pays to ask if you are nervous about doing something for a reason. You might find that the consequences are pretty hefty.
Is it illegal to give your friend a prescription pill like Adderall?
Not always! I know many are shocked to hear that, but it’s true! Of course you need to first attend medical school for four years after getting your bachelor’s degree and then another three years of residency. Then, after a proper medical examination, you can prescribe the pill. See? Easy.
There is the little issue, however, if you skip any of the steps I’ve outlined above, which could result in your committing a felony for supplying drugs. Even if it seems like one Adderall pill is not dangerous, there is a reason doctors are required to go through all of that training before they begin doling out meds.
The same drug can affect people differently, and without knowing a person’s medical background, you don’t know if they could have a bad reaction to any one pill. And, in brief, if you give them a pill and for whatever reason they do not tolerate that drug, you are responsible. If they die from anything you gave them, you can also be charged with manslaughter. Not cool…
What’s the easiest way to get out of a ticket?
Umm, don’t speed? I am resisting the urge to say drive faster than the cop, but I think that would be considered bad advice and my chief would probably re-assign me to kitchen dumpster guard duty. However, if you do get pulled over, the best advice I can give you is simply to be honest. If you get pulled over, odds are you are going to get a ticket unless you whip out that silver tongue of yours and do a dance that convinces the cop otherwise.
Then again, if I pulled you over and you pulled out a silver-plated human tongue and jumped out of your car to start doing your own rendition of the famed Celtic Riverdance, I would likely forget about the ticket and haul you in for a psych eval. Sure, three days in a mental ward, but no ticket!
Again, the best advice I can give you is to be polite and truthful with the police. We pulled you over because we saw something that concerned us. If you argue with a cop or tell him/her that they left their dignity at Dunkin’ Donuts, you’re going to get the ticket. For me, if someone is honest, apologetic and able to recognize what they did as a violation, I am much more likely to give that person a break and not write a ticket. And really, do you not think I wouldn’t go back to find that box of donuts in the road you swerved across two lanes to avoid? As if.
If the speed limit is 65 mph how much faster can I go? (Without fear of being ticketed?)
On the freeway, the speed limit is posted at 65 MPH and per the vehicle code, going 66 MPH is a violation, and you could get stopped and cited. However, to be honest, when I was five, the dead frog my brother found in his bed was not put there by Bigfoot, but by me. Okay, nothing to do with speeding, but while we are being candid here, I wanted to get that off my chest.
Generally, if I am on the freeway, I wouldn’t consider pulling someone over unless they were going 75 MPH. But that’s me. Every cop has their own idea as to what they will pull someone over for. Some may pull you over at 70 MPH. Some may not pull you over unless you’re going 80. You just never know who’s behind you and what their thought process is. If you’re going 70, you’ll probably be fine. Then again, the cop behind you might be a big Riverdance fan.
It’s already May and the school year is quickly coming to a close. The pressure is on with finals happening soon, so good luck to you all. Take it easy, and if you run into any problems, please don’t hesitate to ask me for help. I am always happy to do what I can for you. Take care and stay safe!
Sgt. Signa is no stranger to kitchen dumpster guard duty. Someone has to keep Mr. Albino Raccoon in check.
Got caught by a cop? Your party popped by the Po-Po? Ticked by a ticket? If you have questions, don’t let it eat away at you, Question Authority! Email me anytime at QA@police.ucsb.edu or call UCSB PD at 893-3446.
Views expressed on the Opinion page do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Nexus or UCSB. Opinions are submitted primarily by students.
A version of this article appeared on page 8 of the May 6, 2013 print edition of the Nexus.
speeding tickets are a freaking joke. every time im in goleta or SB COPS speed NON-STOP. a cop on motorcycle was going 90+ on the street.
speeding tickets arent for public safety…just to fill the city coffers. when i see a cop camping on the freeway with a speed gun it makes me think all the real criminals are in jail.
after all, why would cops waste tax payers dollars stopping people going 10mph above the speed limit on the highway? lazy lazy lazy. a dog could do that.
I can completely understand your distaste for speeding tickets. I also can’t justify why you see so many cops drive so fast. For me and my squad, we drive pretty slow so we can see things. If we’re driving fast, we are probably trying to get to a call for some type of help or trying to catch up to someone we are going to stop. But of course there are some cops that do drive to fast to often. As a supervisor, I have no problem shutting them down. However, your opinion seems to be that us writing any… Read more »
Sorry. Mistyped. Meant to say:
“From my personal experience of seeing wrecked cars and mangled bodies from people going just a “little” to fast, speed limits play an important role for the safety of drivers, bicycles, and pedestrians.
“why would cops waste tax payers dollars stopping people going 10mph above the speed limit on the highway?”
This is the problem with your argument. Say whatever you want about BS traffic infractions – they’re a huge money maker for the state. How else are we going to pay Sgt. Signa’s pension without the king’s ransom taken in from speeding tickets, open containers, and other non-issues that the cops use as a form of fundraising?
that’s exactly what im saying.
while i have no doubt sgt. signa is sincere about speed limits, the fact is speed limits have proven to be 100% ineffective in controlling road behavior.
people getting tickets for going 10mph above the speed limit is idiotic. NO common sense. dont feed me BS about public safety.
whenever i drive downtown i never fail to see a cop camping on the side with his speed gun in one hand and donut in the other.
could be worse…could have speed cameras. now that’s some BS.
The problem with the argument you and Speeding are making is that you are blaming the cops enforcing speed limits for ineffective government spending and waste. You will never see me justifying how the government gets money from taxes and spends it. However, as a cop, the fine is not up to us. Our responsibility is to enforce the laws of our community. Whether the speed limit is 65 or 100 MPH, my responsibility to the community is to enforce that limit irregardless of the fine. My last speeding ticket cost me over $400. I can’t say I was too… Read more »
Oh please Signa. You yourself said, “…the way we enforce them is sometimes wrong and a justifiable reason to resent us. You’re the sergeant. Why aren’t you demanding that those who report to you enforce the law the way the public wants them to? And another thing- going 76 on tthe freeway is against the law and I’m fine with telling those people to slow down when traffic is heavy, but the citizenry as a whole really doesn’t care that much about that. That is to say, we’ll be just fine with you enforcing BS infactions once you take care… Read more »
Sure we all have out ideas of how law enforcement should be utilized to create safer communities. The problem I see with your argument is that you want us to “do what the public wants us to do.” Ask each citizen and they will have a specific idea of which laws should be enforced and how. My house just got broken into, so I think all of the police should be doing burglary patrol. My store has shoplifting problems, so cops should be walking through the businesses, etc. You mention how we should be stopping burglaries and stabbings instead of… Read more »
I’ll meet you halfway on the keggers, but I think if you took a straw poll of the populace you’d be hard pressed to find a majority that wants you hiding behind a blind curve with a radar gun.
OK. This thinning response is to thin…
My reply is in a new chain…
@Sgt. Signa no doubt you are enforcing the law. but do cops not have some latitude in deciding when and where to hand out tickets? i dont buy that cops are powerless in their assignments. if a law is unjust and the police truly cared about ethics behind the law they could advocate for more fair, sensible road laws. i dont see any response by the police unions in dealing with these unfair laws. and why should they. it is a huge moneymaker. unions represent the interests of the police, not the citizens who pay their salary. and im sure… Read more »
@Tom Collins: I agree that the majority of people don’t like the idea of cops hiding to catch them speeding. But is the argument about the law itself or the enforcement of it? I think most would say speed laws are reasonable, if not important. It seems that much of “Speedings” arguments towards speed tickets was more of how he saw cops behave or issue them. Poor behavior is not acceptable, but at the same time if there is a law, it has no value if it is never enforced. Albeit fairly. I, personally, would prefer the community come up… Read more »
By your logic cops should rigorously enforce all laws, which is impossible because I highly doubt anyone can even name each of the myriad of laws on the books, let alone the criteria that must be met for all of them to be violated. The problem people have is that that the laws we see the cops enforcing most vigorously tend to result in us (citizens) reaching into our wallets and handing over hundreds if not thousands of dollars over to you (the government – when you’re under the color of authority, you represent the government). This pisses us off,… Read more »