Canadian Police Pull Over Entire MINI Convoy

[Raza]

Where in this post are you trying to be civil?
And you have yet to provide any substance to your flat generalizations and accusations here.  On any level.  Oh- and what exactly should I do to avoid you getting pissed off your Majesty?

How was that post not civil?

[VTEC_Inside]

So someone please explain again how this being a charity/family event or that they notified LE in advance warrants special treatment?

One should ask that question of the OPP. They obviously thought it was special enough to arrange a net, and call in the TV cameras.

I don't believe I've heard anyone of the 4 drivers that got ticketed complain too loudly since they deserved the tickets.

They weren't expecting any leniency, but they weren't expecting to get raked over the coals either.

[bing_oh]

Getting notified of a charity cruise, then setting up a media event around a speedtrap implies the assumption of guilt before the convoy even formed.

No, it indicates proactive law enforcement direceted toward a potential problem. If guilt was automatically assumed, I'd guess that there'd be alot more than three citations written.

[SVT_Power]

It's too bad nobody crashed. It'd be interesting taking the Ontario Provincial Pigs to court on causing the accidents.

[Payman]

Actually a lot of those laws are not passed or even written by any elected officials but by appointed ones that have no public accountability. We vote for people in high office too, who don't represent the public but special interests. That's proven time and time again. The only choice is vote for someone you hate, vote for someone who won't represent you, or not vote at all. Either of the first two things and you're told to shut up because you voted for them, and the latter you're told to shut up because you didn't vote at all. Don't try to tell me this crap is pushed through because we all wanted it.  

Simply put, laws that turn the majority of your voting constituants into criminals are NOT out on the books by said voting constituents.

As for the story at hand, the officers had plenty of opportunity to give out citations before they got to that point. If safety was a concern, why let them speed while being shadowed all the way to the media point? if it's unsafe to speed, then it's unsafe to speed all the way there if you have it in your power to stop it. The police could have been more proactive keeping it safe than just going out to seek revenue and media headlines. Getting notified of a charity cruise, then setting up a media event around a speedtrap implies the assumption of guilt before the convoy even formed.

Only 4 of the drivers got citations, a couple for barely exceeding the limit (remember in kph, the total amount of speed is lower than the numbers suggest. The normal posted limit is 100kph which is 62mph and the ones ticketed were going just about 120kph which equals 75mph.). And then the OPP let the media run with actual lies, such as people being detained until child services could take their kids due to speeding.  

Sorry, the OPP has a history of shady crap, and this is merely the latest in the stunts they pull. As people from the area have said, this is the same OPP that pulled over and impounded one of their own unmarked cars a few months back. Fantino is like a little Mussolini in that agency. Much insanity has ensued since he took over.

But from another report:

.........................

The OPP has been involved with organized driving events for many, many years. In fact, when organizing a navigational rally, an organizing club must inform the local police which is usually the OPP. By law, route speeds must be calculated to within a certain percentage of the legal limit. On occasion, a driver who is behind schedule might exceed the limit somewhat. It has been 17 years since I?ve entered a navi, but even then the occasional speeding ticket was not unheard of. It was rare to have more than one in any event. The officers usually got bored sitting around an empty gravel road waiting for an errant driver and went on to better hunting grounds.

Now the not so fun stuff.

The organizers acted in good faith by attempting to co-operate with the OPP beforehand and during the cruise. They were rewarded by being used as a rather pathetic media stunt. The presence of media as the cars were herded in a line across what was for many years the longest street in the world, was nothing short of premeditated.

You can hear the phone call: ?Hello, A Channel? You guys need to get over here real quick. You?ll never believe what we?re about to do?.

Then, the television reports are carefully worded to sound like 11 MINIs were impounded and Children?s Aid have been called in to rid these MINI driving menaces to society of their offspring. The fact that none of the MINIs were impounded, nor were there any children in the cars that were ticketed, was not relayed to the television viewer. The report did not come out and say specifically that these acts were committed by the MINI drivers, but the inference was there.

I am aware that A Channel is a rural Ontario station that wants to believe they are major market, but do they need to resort to this sort of sensationalistic journalism? Surely a video of the actual people who were driving at 50 kmh over the legal limit with kids in the car would have been a more exciting story, as Julian Fantino himself wretched the poor child from his or her delinquent parent. No, probably not as exciting as a convoy of MINIs.

Following complaints from event organizers, A Channel has removed the offending video from their web site. As of this writing, they have not issued an apology to the participants of the MINI charity cruise.

Did I mention that this was a charity event? That?s correct, this was a charity event.

This cruise is also billed as a family event. The ironic thing is that organizers noted on the private message board that the OPP had been informed of the event. In large red letters. There were even instructions as to how to approach a mid drive lunch stop to prevent any accidents or inconvenience to other patrons. Organizers acted in a fully responsible manner. Anyone behaving outside the law had been full warned.

As for the 4 cars who were actually pulled over, 3 of them were ticketed and the drivers are accepting of their tickets if not of how they were ticketed. It would seem that all acknowledge that if you play, you run the risk of being caught. The issue is with the fact that they were set up with the purpose of making the OPP look good on TV.

The Ontario Provincial Police do a great job on our roads and their officers have always seemed to me to be a great bunch of guys and girls. When management decides to make an example of a very visible minority for the sake of media coverage, they have gone a bit too far.

Yes, a convoy of little shoe boxes being herded by a gaggle of black and whites makes for compelling TV. We get it. Just because it makes for good TV doesn?t mean it should be done. How many more real criminals could they have caught during the time it took them to mess about for the cameras?

For the record, the MINI folks are fully intending to continue their annual charity cruises, collecting donations for the OSPCA.

Excellent post, and you are 150% correct. 

[GoCougs]

One should ask that question of the OPP. They obviously thought it was special enough to arrange a net, and call in the TV cameras.

I don't believe I've heard anyone of the 4 drivers that got ticketed complain too loudly since they deserved the tickets.

They weren't expecting any leniency, but they weren't expecting to get raked over the coals either.

The irrationality of the "special treatment" argument serves only to further legitimize LE's over emphasis on traffic enforcement.

[TurboDan]

How does anyone believe the police acted improperly? A group CALLS the department and notifies them they are going to be in a certain area participating in a certain event. The police show up to oversee the event, and these idiots speed wantonly right in front of marked police vehicles.

The very fact that the PD thought to call the papers pretty much meant they knew this group would be trouble and would amount to a news story. Who cares that they called the newspaper? In fact, if they called the papers and nothing happened, OPP would look stupid. They seemed pretty sure that these clowns would act up, and they were right.

[rohan]

Actually a lot of those laws are not passed or even written by any elected officials but by appointed ones that have no public accountability. We vote for people in high office too, who don't represent the public but special interests. That's proven time and time again. The only choice is vote for someone you hate, vote for someone who won't represent you, or not vote at all. Either of the first two things and you're told to shut up because you voted for them, and the latter you're told to shut up because you didn't vote at all. Don't try to tell me this crap is pushed through because we all wanted it.  

1) State legislatures/senates are voted in by the people of that state and usually only appointed when someone quits midterm or dies.    2) State law makers set speed limits within their states.   3) They far less represent special interests.  Do they sometimes?  Sure.  But the occasion to do so is much less prevelant.  4) I never said anything even remotely close to "this "crap" is pushed through because we all wanted it."  Nice attempt to put words in my mouth tho.  

[rohan]

How was that post not civil?

It has a hostile and patronizing tone.  And I'm still waiting............

[SVT_Power]

It has a hostile and patronizing tone.  And I'm still waiting............

So am I still waiting
For this world to stop hating
Can't find a good reason
Can't find hope to believe in

?

[Raza]

It has a hostile and patronizing tone.  And I'm still waiting............

I could say good morning to you and you'd take it as hostile and patronizing.

[dazzleman]

I could say good morning to you and you'd take it as hostile and patronizing.

I saw a great old man fight up in Boston 2 weeks ago.

Old Man #1:  Why don't you leave those people alone?
Old Man #2:  I have a right to make a complaint.
Old Man #1:  Oh, why don't you just go back where you came from?
Old Man #2:  I grew up in this fucking city.
Old Man #1:  Really?  Where did you grow up?
Old Man #2:  In Southie (South Boston).
Old Man #1:  Then go back to Southie.
Old Man #2:  You go to hell.

The two of you remind me of the two I saw in Boston. 

[ChrisV]

No, it indicates proactive law enforcement direceted toward a potential problem. If guilt was automatically assumed, I'd guess that there'd be alot more than three citations written.

If guilt WASN'T automatically assumed, then it wouldn't be any more than the three cars actually pulled over AND they woudl have been pulled over when the infractions happened in front of the oficer, instead of waiting until the cameras were rolling.

"Proactive" law enforcement would not have had people following the cars around and in parking lots and waiting to pull the entire group over in front of the cameras. It would have pulled over the couple of offenders when it happened right in front of the officer following. ESPECIALLY if it was about safety, and not making a media circus out of it.

If it's about safety, then it needs to be dealt with right then and there. If it can wait until it's on camera, then it must not have been unsafe for anyone in the length of roadway BEFORE the cameras.

[dsred]

Julian Fantino is a fascist nutjob. Period.

[hotrodalex]

If guilt WASN'T automatically assumed, then it wouldn't be any more than the three cars actually pulled over AND they woudl have been pulled over when the infractions happened in front of the oficer, instead of waiting until the cameras were rolling.

"Proactive" law enforcement would not have had people following the cars around and in parking lots and waiting to pull the entire group over in front of the cameras. It would have pulled over the couple of offenders when it happened right in front of the officer following. ESPECIALLY if it was about safety, and not making a media circus out of it.

If it's about safety, then it needs to be dealt with right then and there. If it can wait until it's on camera, then it must not have been unsafe for anyone in the length of roadway BEFORE the cameras.

Like said before, 150% correct.

[SVT_Power]

I saw a great old man fight up in Boston 2 weeks ago.

Old Man #1:  Why don't you leave those people alone?
Old Man #2:  I have a right to make a complaint.
Old Man #1:  Oh, why don't you just go back where you came from?
Old Man #2:  I grew up in this fucking city.
Old Man #1:  Really?  Where did you grow up?
Old Man #2:  In Southie (South Boston).
Old Man #1:  Then go back to Southie.
Old Man #2:  You go to hell.

The two of you remind me of the two I saw in Boston. 

And you and Ron remind me of the said old men.

[dazzleman]

Ron and I just kid around.  Those old geezers were serious.  I got the sense that they had known - and disliked - each other for decades.

[TurboDan]

I saw a great old man fight up in Boston 2 weeks ago.

Old Man #1:  Why don't you leave those people alone?
Old Man #2:  I have a right to make a complaint.
Old Man #1:  Oh, why don't you just go back where you came from?
Old Man #2:  I grew up in this fucking city.
Old Man #1:  Really?  Where did you grow up?
Old Man #2:  In Southie (South Boston).
Old Man #1:  Then go back to Southie.
Old Man #2:  You go to hell.

The two of you remind me of the two I saw in Boston. 

Hahaha. Reminds me of a fist fight between two old dudes in a Home Depot parking lot that I saw. My Dad and I were walking out and they were slugging it out. They looked so ridiculous we both burst out laughing. Wasn't even worth notifying LE. I'm sure they were both winded within 2 minutes anyway.

[TBR]

How does anyone believe the police acted improperly? A group CALLS the department and notifies them they are going to be in a certain area participating in a certain event. The police show up to oversee the event, and these idiots speed wantonly right in front of marked police vehicles.

The very fact that the PD thought to call the papers pretty much meant they knew this group would be trouble and would amount to a news story. Who cares that they called the newspaper? In fact, if they called the papers and nothing happened, OPP would look stupid. They seemed pretty sure that these clowns would act up, and they were right.

I agree with the first paragraph. You lose me with the second one though. I don't see any reason for the OP to call the media. It isn't their job to make news stories.

[SVT_Power]

Hahaha. Reminds me of a fist fight between two old dudes in a Home Depot parking lot that I saw. My Dad and I were walking out and they were slugging it out. They looked so ridiculous we both burst out laughing. Wasn't even worth notifying LE. I'm sure they were both winded within 2 minutes anyway.

Going at full tilt for a full 2 minutes is pretty damn impressive... 

[TurboDan]

I agree with the first paragraph. You lose me with the second one though. I don't see any reason for the OP to call the media. It isn't their job to make news stories.

Actually, assuming the department employs a public affairs officer, it is his job to alert the media to potential stories. 

[TBR]

Actually, assuming the department employs a public affairs officer, it is his job to alert the media to potential stories. 

Then they shouldn't employee such a person.

[hotrodalex]

There is no need to call the news before a convoy of cars get busted for a regular traffic stop. Public affairs should only be to alert the public of danger and make sure any problems with the public are taken care of.