I am employed in a designated critical industry so I am working my full-time job during this pandemic. One of the more noticeable results of the so-called lock-down has been the obvious reduction of street traffic, particularly on a state highway that I travel for most of my commute back and forth to work.
The huge reduction in traffic meant my ride was quicker. I wasn’t catching as many red lights because I could time them without interference from the regular flow of traffic ( I travel through three municipalities and 23 lights). It also meant less braking, less stop-and-go, and generally much less aggravation on my way to work mid-afternoon.
One night, early on after the lockdown, as I was returning home as usual around 10:30pm, I traveled quite a stretch of road, maybe a couple of miles, without seeing another vehicle in either direction. It was strange and kind of eerie.
Pre-pandemic, as my return trip entered my town and about four miles from home, I would usually watch traffic in the rearview mirror looking for headlights closing in on me faster than the usual traffic flow. That would most certainly be a cop heading back to the station, which happens to be less than 300 yards from where I live.
Yep…there he goes by me, those distinctive Dodge cruiser taillights getting smaller and smaller as he disappears ahead of me on his way to the back access road to the station that I will pass just before arriving home. I check my speed…right on the speed limit. I gauge he was going at least 10mph faster. At least. (Speed limit? What speed limit? Rules for thee but not for me!) This was so common I could make a game out of how far back in the pack of headlights in the rearview I could look and figure out which was one or more cops headed back to the barn.
One could probably easily push the speed limit a bit more than usual in rainy weather. No cop wants to conduct a traffic stop standing outside your driver window in the rain. Or in extremely cold weather or in hot and muggy weather. Leave the heated/air-conditioned cruiser? Are you kidding? The usual speed traps would be unmanned in these conditions.
It looks like the same applies to pandemics. It is certainly understandable that there is a desire to reduce risk to officers coming into close contact with the public and handling licenses and registrations. According to PoliceOne, “with our nation dealing with COVID-19, law enforcement organizations have recommended limited enforcement of traffic laws.”
Traffic violations generally fall under some guise of revised limited police response policies, including in my township, and so ticket quotas (that they endlessly, laughably, insist do not exist) seem to have been suspended. Another reason for that is likely due to the municipal courts being closed. The court in my town is—at least to sessions conducted at the municipal complex—but according to the web site, is conducting sessions “by video and phone.” Payments can be taken online. How convenient!
Payments for what? Traffic tickets? I haven’t seen a traffic stop in weeks. Nor since this lockdown started, can I recall being passed on the way home from work by a speeding cop returning to the station.
And therein lies the problem.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered police response to all types of police activity. Traffic violations may now generally be seen as low-priority or non-essential policing activity. Some jurisdictions claim they are reducing traffic stops but increasing visibility, but that’s not what I see in my central NJ travels. They may not be actively conducting traffic stops during this pandemic, but I don’t even see them simply patrolling to be “seen,” or being visible at the usual speed trap locations as a means of behavior control. It sure seems that if the policy is you don’t make stops and don’t write tickets, then why bother even showing a presence as a preventative measure if there will be no enforcement and subsequent financial liability component (i.e, that benefits municipal coffers and alleged personal enhancement of the police)?
And this has not gone unnoticed by the public.
[addendum added 2/3/23: This morning, I read this piece. I will add that this situation continues and has become more dangerous since traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels.]
As noted in the opening paragraphs, when the state shutdown started, the traffic situation was rather pleasant. Not so much now, especially as traffic is beginning to increase as people tire of being told to stay home (also not enforced).
[click play for added apropos ambiance as you continue reading.]
The ride to work in the afternoon has become a modern version of Wild Wild West. On any given day, I can observe: High speed weaving through traffic; deliberate, calculated, running through red lights; illegal left turns and U-turns; high-speed passing on the right…the list goes on. Oh, and just plain outrageous speeding.
A stretch of road similar to a substantial part of my work commute. Photo by Josh Redd.
On numerous occasions as I am driving home from work at night, a quick look in the rearview shows not a headlight in sight. A minute later, a quick glance shows a car bearing down fast. It goes whizzing by and disappears ahead of me just as fast as it appeared out of nowhere. It wasn’t a cop.
One day last week, after turning onto what, pre-pandemic, was usually a busy street with a 35mph speed limit and three closely spaced lights, I was passed by three vehicles easily doing 55–60. I hadn’t gone even 300 yards from home and had another 12.4 miles to go. I was, and remain, furious about all the incidents observed just in that one particular trip. It was at that moment that this post was born.
And as a side note, this occurred in the area immediately around the entrance to the back access road to the police station, an area that under normal circumstances any local would know is likely to have regular police vehicle traffic coming and going from the station.
As I am not seeing “creative” or increased visibility in policing, I have to ask: Where are all the cops? As in, I almost never even see a cop or cruiser. Anywhere.
There is no end in sight for this pandemic situation. Present policing practices, as well as symbiotic court procedures, are unlikely to change anytime soon. Until the situation changes, toilet paper will likely remain easier to find than a cop.
[For those of you who remember the TV show (not the Will Smith movie) and would like to hear the extended full orchestral version of the theme, go here. Scroll down to the player and disregard the second page that pops up. The theme will play after a second or two.]
