As I drive around on Sunday there are Fairfax County Police stopping traffic on a state highway to let people out of their churches. Are these officers on duty, are they paid additional, are they using FFX county property (vehicles) to make money? Additionally, is it legal to stop traffic on a state highway unless there is an emergency? Which should take precedence; traffic on the road with the right way or vehicle leaving a private parking lot?

Covered a long time ago...food for thought...

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/22910/22910.html#msg-22910

Are you kidding me!!??

Get a freakin life and stop worring about the police working traffic control and who is paying.

How about you tell us how much you make and what you do for work! How many hours of overtime do you get? Do you speed in your car on the interstate?

I am going to guess your dumb ass was out on the road and you got stopped while traffic was being let out. THis is the only reason you are bitching.

I bet you bitch when two people have a wreck and the police are stopped on the roadway to work it and wait for a tow truck.

Get a life you loser!!

Companies, churches, etc can hire a police officer through the county to work security or traffic control for special events. They pay the county for these officers and for the use of any county equipment, not your tax dollars.

It may add a couple of minutes to your commute to wait for the traffic to let out of the church, but it is in the interest of public safety. If all those vehicles exiting the church didn't have assistance from police to exit their church, there would most likely be a bigger traffic tie up, not to mention quite a few accidents simply because of the volume of cars.

As for legality, you can read the code of Virginia, but a police officer can stop traffic on a public highway, so long as they've got a good reason. This sure seems like a good reason to me.

Thanks for the answer Me I must have hit a sore spot with the others who claim to be morally superior.

The officer in question did not appear to be concerned with safety but holding traffic in the right away until all the cars exited the parking lot. Its not about empting parking lots but safety ON THE ROAD.

I don't bash the police, I respect them and give them kudos, but when you wear your badge as a crown thats when I question you. Where I grew up, Atlanta, officers worked jobs off hours in uniform, didn't get take home cars, but were not allowed to impede traffic by state law.

BTW E4/Petty Officer in the USCG.

COASTIE Wrote:
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> BTW E4/Petty Officer in the USCG.

So the Coast Guard NEVER NEVER EVER has any contact with any kind of vessel that doesn't have a direct relation to the Guard's mission statement? Why would a member of the Coast Guard even make a post like this? The police are doing it for public safety reasons. When someone leaves the church and gets broadsides making the left they'll be called out there anyway, might as well do it with no incident management needed.


Here, I'll re-write your question for you and maybe you'll then see how rediculous it was.

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As I navigated around on Sunday there are Coast Guard vessels running interference on the Potomac River to accommodate GWU's (a PRIVATE school) crew team practice. Are these Coasties on duty, are they paid additional, are they using DHS property (boats) to make money? Additionally, is it legal to stop traffic on a public waterway unless there is an emergency?
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Hey Coastie-consider that if the officers were being paid by the county to work churches on Sundays, well wouldn't that be violating Constitutional safeguards regarding a separation of church and state??? They can't be paid with state funds to work churches. They get paid by the church, and they have both the authority and the obligation to stop traffic to ensure that it operates smoothly and safely.

It really isn't a dumb question.

Off duty police officers and county sheriffs wearing their uniforms and doing private work would not only create a liability to their respective departments (agency of implied authority, worker's comp for injuries) but could dilute the perception of authority necessary for the enforcement of community prerogatives, as well as blur the lines of objectivity and reasonableness used during intent inquiries in criminal prosecutions.

Not to mention the questions regarding possible missapropriations of taxpayer funds.

But if the churches hire the officers through the county/department, and there is a non-discriminatory policy in place and the goal is public safety, then there shouldn't be a challengable issue. Think: parades, marches, rallies, large events or funeral processions.

Of course, when the buzz-cutted cop hops in front of your car and gives you the stink-eye, forcing you to slam on your brakes to avoid nailing him,just remember that at least he's not doing it on your dime this time (unless you run over his foot).

Screw those churches. If they have traffic issues let them petition the state for a traffic signal, otherwise wait their turn in traffic like the rest of us. Yeah I know get a life, well I have a life and it doesnt include waiting on Keene Mill Rd while churchies take their sweet ass time pulling onto the road while the cops hold the rest of us up.

Suppose I ran a private business. At the end of the work day my employees hate to wait through a traffic signal. Would you be ok with it if I hired a cop to stop all traffic so my employees dont have to wait?

The congregation pays for those officers.

agree with coastie Wrote:
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> Screw those churches. If they have traffic issues
> let them petition the state for a traffic signal,
> otherwise wait their turn in traffic like the rest
> of us. Yeah I know get a life, well I have a life
> and it doesnt include waiting on Keene Mill Rd
> while churchies take their sweet ass time pulling
> onto the road while the cops hold the rest of us
> up.
>
> Suppose I ran a private business. At the end of
> the work day my employees hate to wait through a
> traffic signal. Would you be ok with it if I hired
> a cop to stop all traffic so my employees dont
> have to wait?

They have traffic from services for a couple brief times on Sundays - not exactly daily rushhour. You'd rather the county pay money for a traffic light, which besides the expense, would be a nuisance to you the other 166 hours of the week?

The issue at churches is also the safety. Often massive crowds leaving a parking at one time cause accidents.

Yes, anyone can hire police to direct traffic at an event.

I remember when I was a kid in about 85 or so the big Church on Old keene Mill Road before there was allways has a cop out front had a bad accident where three ladies were T-boned and killed right in front.......Now cop allways there to prevent that.....SO COASTIE go lie down on I-66 please fag

I drive by a church that has a traffic light & a cop sits there &changes it red on the main road even when no cars are exiting the church parking lot.

CERT does not do traffic control yet, but will. Car akident sadden me.

Again screw the churches. Let them sit and pray while they wait for a light to change. The wwy it is now the cop benefits by getting paid, the church gets special treatment in exchange for $$$ and the rest of us sit and wait.

BTW if the churchies cannot pull onto a street without getting help what do they do the other six days of the week?

CERTenly444 Wrote:
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> CERT does not do traffic control yet, but will.
> Car akident sadden me.

You guys at CERT can't even cross the road without getting it. Do you know why? Because your 100% retarded Melwood!

^^^ I know two things, 1- I can cross the road without getting "hit", which I believe is what you were trying to say. and 2- I do know you should have used "you're" rather than "your", so I guess I am not as retarded as you.

Anyone who's ever been on Rt.7 on a Sunday knows you need traffic control to let out McLean Bible Church. I have to believe the church pays for the expense of having officers work there, plus it's a cop's job to keep traffic moving as much as possible. It's no different from when they have the Bolivian elections at one church in the entire area. If you have 15,000-20,000 cars trying to congregate on one location, you better have cops to keep traffic moving otherwise it would be a disaster. I would actually hope the county would require groups to pay for that expense rather than create a massive traffic jam and expect cops to just deal with it. There's already enough road rage around here to go around.

Not a sermon, just a thought.

bobblehead Wrote:
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> BTW if the churchies cannot pull onto a street
> without getting help what do they do the other six
> days of the week?

Is that a serious question? You do realize that they only have traffic issues and need the help for just a couple hours on one day a week?

As I asked above would you rather they install a traffic light which would tick you off the other 166 hours in the week?

Unbelievable.

Yes on the traffic light. Let em wait. Rub their beads or mumble some hocus pocus to pass the time.

Why should a church get special treatment entering a side road entering a FM Road at a police officers assistance stopping traffic so a church can proceed, they are no different than any other driver like me, wait their turn. They seem to have GOD on their side why the special treatment.

To add to my above quote all the cars or trucks that has to stop so a church can enter a FM road doesn't pay nearly as much as me and my fellow drivers pay in inspection and tag fees to drive on a road that is stopped for a church to let out. The road I speak of is flashing light yellow on the man road, flahing red on the side road which is where the CHURCH is exiting.I am a traffic tech. and flashing red means stop and yeild.The cop seems to be breaking the law by doing what he is doing.A church can pay to break the law. I guess GOD has his perks.

Ever seen churches without the cops with a mass traffic exiting. It's a cluster fuck. The "church people" just pull out into the road with NO respect for other cars.

The churches PAY $$$$$$ for those cops. The county and the officer make great money for parking a police car and directing motorist for about 10 minutes of each hour.

The cops all also there to deter any crazies.

Hey if the county can make money off the churches I'm all for it!

First off my you're an idiot, second pgens you're an idiot third $$$$$$$ you're an idiot. We are talkink about a (church) leaving a public side street or a parking lot do either of you need assistance pulling out in to traffic, if so ya'll Im from Texas you don't need to be behind a steering wheel.

How about you just go fuck off. Nobody cares what you think.

But let this whole thing bug you some more. Let it fester and help you to leading a happy life.