Most drivers look down at their speedometers when they see a police cruiser, quickly asking themselves, “Am I speeding? Am I going to get ticketed?” What we don’t realize, is that the very same county constables we are trusting to keep speed limits intact, are actually speeding.
A new internal audit has revealed disturbing news about the speeding habits of county constables both on and off duty. It turns out that deputies, just like so many Texans, find themselves speeding during their daily work commute.
PHOTO WFAA – We saw firsthand last month the damage speeding cops can do when a police cruiser crashed in a residential neighborhood while going almost 100 mph.
Just how bad is it? In the month of March, more than half of the county cars raced at speeds faster than 75 mph on many occasions. The off-duty data showed that more than 76 employees from various precincts all over the county have been speeding. The results for Precinct 1 were particularly disturbing. One employee was recorded using GPS technology as going 109 mph while four others drove 90 mph or faster.
We all get caught up in the daily frustrations, and sometimes, in a moment of panic go faster than we realize. Whether hoping to be at work on time or in a frustrated hurry to get home after hours, breaking limits on the road during commuting hours has become common place.
But what does it say about Dallas drivers that speeding is so rampant that instead of going 5 or 10 miles above the speed limit, drivers are hurtling down highways at 109 mph? A system in which even officers of the law are breaking limits left and right. Shouldn’t constables be held to a higher standard and not a lower one?
The real question is how will county policies change now that this information has come to light? Hopefully, the department will make expectations clear and provide more accountability for officers when it comes to road safety.
