I guess reading my post got you fired up but I said.

"The issue may not be with hurting your child but even at 5 mph you will roll over and kill any pedestrians and all it takes is a couple of seconds of distraction looking to keep your kid from doing something that would not have been an issue had they been restrained."

Notice the bold. Your 8000 pound truck will hardly notice the toddler that stepped out in the lane in the parking lot and if you are distracted by your child moving around. Then you end up with your child alive and not fussy and another one dead in the parking lot.

 

Valid point and I do agree in retrospect but the deputy was referring to a law that does not exist and didn't mention public safety. The big issue I have with that is where do parent’s rights end and law enforcements rights begin? Talk about a can of worms

I grew up on a Dairy Farm and looking back, I probably did many things that would be considered unsafe by today’s standards but at the time, it was a necessity. I was driving tractors and doing field work by age 9 and driving silo trucks by age 12. Was it ever safe? Heck no! (If you ever drove a silo truck you'd understand!) But again, it was accepted practice. I actually hate the fact that my daughters will not have a chance to experience some of the same things I did growing up. Yes they will be safer to an extent but the lack of life experience can be just as dangerous. Case in point, since I grew up driving tractors and silo trucks, I learned at an early age how to drive with a manual transmission and NO brakes. This taught me how to cope and drive using hat I had. People now days panic when an accelerator sticks a little in a Toyota! Sheesh, I'd like to see them driving what I did!

I'm sorry for going on and on but for Pete's sake, when is the dumbing down of society and our reliance on everyone else telling us how to raise our kids and such going to end?!

 

Hope your not worried about my feelings. If I post I am ready to be flamed if that is your desire. As for being worried about the OP all I can say is he needs to deal with it.

 

RC51, you and I grew up similarly. I worked on farms in Ohio from age 8 until I was 20 something and moved south. Farm children are an unusual group, they learn fast, they have to. I was fortunate that I was never seriously injured because I certainly could have been. As to the deputy's assertion of the law applying to the parking lot......... I don't know. I do know that whether or not the child restraint laws apply, others do. Here, we could use a criminal charge of reckless endangerment if the traffic codes didn't apply. That's a go-to-jail and make bond, no ticket. Bottom line, you got a warning, your children saw you set a good and respectful example and hopefully they came away from it with a positive life experience.

 

give you local county sheriffs office a call and tell him how disappointed you as a voter that 3 of his deputies have nothing better to do than hang out within city limits and harass people at target instead of letting the city cops cover that area.

A little different, but in a neighboring city, the city and state got into the jurisdiction arguement because the city was writing tickets for as little at 2 mph over on the interstate. The city isn't allowed to enforce laws on the freeway without state backup, the state must get city backup off the freeway.

 

About 7 years ago my sister was doing me a favor and taking my son to a Subway sandwich shop to apply for a job. It was located in a strip mall. While she was parked and waiting in her suburban with her two kids a local LEO pulled up behind her and sat there for about 2 minutes, he never exited his cruiser. Several minutes later my son comes out and they leave. Once she hit the street the LEO stopped her, ticketed and towed her for insurance lapsing, (error in the registry computer). Since there were a 3, 5, and 16 yo children with here the tow operator could not accommodate the car seating requirements. My sister asked the LEO how she was going to get her kids home? His statement was "it's not my problem". Obviously this kid 6 months out of the academy and just recently released into a patrol car by himself was not paying attention in class. It is illegal to leave an unattended female, let alone with children on the side of the road. I find out what happened as my sister called me at work in tears. So I leave my station and fly out there to pick them up, drop them off then proceed to the headquarters to possibly file a complaint against this moron.I talk in detail with his shift commander and explain that while I have absolutely no problem with his LEO's performing their duties, I had a huge problem with them fishing out violations on private property then staging on the street to make the stop. In my opinion, he could have gave her a warning that if she left the lot she would get a ticket and towed. But I can live with that, it was him leaving them on the side of the road that really angered me. After a lengthy discussion I decided to let it be handled in house on the word of his shift commander.

Let it be known that I have an enormous amount of respect for my LEO's, I know what they deal with in my city. This kid was just that, a new cop. I doubt he will do that again.

As far as them staging in the lot, well with a huge meth problem in your community lets just pretend that a strip mall would be a great place to sell and buy such products. maybe him stopping you was actually for something else, but then he realized you were just a regular Joe doing what you said you were doing.

JMO.

 

naw Andy, just avoiding all the flame stuff for just that reason. Hence the PM for what folks feel going directly to the OP, why make it public- but that's just me, got this FAIRNESS kick, no worries.

this is one of those situations where everyone is level headed until it happens to them. Could be store clerks, insurance, or utility counter persons or LEOs: bottom line is the way you are treated in the situation. Especially if one felt they were being singled out for their actions.

Average citizen will have only 2 lifetime interactions with the police. One being a victim. Remembering that from the academy days...

Seriously, if it still bugs you, write the letter/ have a communication on what is expected. got any EMT friends? they will be the first to tell you, if that vehicle is running- your kids are buckled in safely. No matter where you drive. yup, did a LOT of down right stupid things on the farm, growing up or in the city. But there are genuinely reckless people now that think nothing of the safety of others. defensive driving. as T rad said- Protection is why we pay the LEOs.
Hope this week is better for ya, hug the kids!

 

What she said with this added.
There are good LEOs and bad ones just like in every other profession. Some are in the profession for the power trip and some are in it because that is what they were called to do.
You never know he may have just worked an accident in which a small child was hurt or even killed then seen you and over reacted a little. After talking with you he realized his mistake.

 

And just because a guy isn't in his twenties doesn't mean he's not new to the job.

 

lot if and buts in this, whish they were candy and nuts then we could all have a merry christmas. he was just talking about what happened and now it blows up into a big deal

 

naww no big deal . He posted we replied he can sort it out and do as he sees best.

 

Well they should have just waited till you pulled on to the public road and given you every ticket they could give you if you didn't have your kids buckled up on time .

 

Off topic some...as usual from me.
Whats the law in regards to a toddler [47lbs] in a booster seat...can they sit in the front on the passenger side in a vehicle equipped with an air bag on that side? I know she can sit in the center seat...no air bag. When I look at how far back the seat is [right passenger]...and how small she is...it makes me wonder how the center seat in a truck is safe when it puts her so much closer to the dash.
Is it the damage the air bag 'could' do? or is it because of her weight or?

Just trying to figure out if its because the air bag could actually reach back that far when the seat is all the way back. And no I am not putting her in that seat...just asking off topic sort of. She prefers the seat with the steering wheel.

Scotty

 

That's it..... Airbags have some good punch........

 

from what i have been told an airbag can decapitate a small child when goin off. not sure but i wouldnt want to find out