Richmond police will now wake you up at night if you leave valuables in your car [w/poll]

Zach Bowman — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Videos

We don't envy local law enforcement, especially in a city like Richmond, Virginia. Charged with keeping the public safe from a variety of ill forces, the job is about as thankless as they come. Recently, the RPD has adopted a new initiative in an attempt to curb vehicle break-ins. Officers on the night shift now check vehicles for valuables left in plain sight, and when they find them, the police stop by the vehicle's owner's home for a little chat. All of these "wake up calls" are most likely to occur between midnight and 4:00 a.m. in order to teach car owners a lesson about protecting themselves from crime.

While removing or stashing high-dollar electronics before leaving your car parked overnight may seem like simple common sense, critics of the plan suggest that punishing those who refuse or forget to do so with a late-night wake-up call is beyond the scope of law enforcement - particularly as it applies to vehicles parked on private property. Watch the WBBC 12 NBC local news report on the initiative by scrolling below, then voice your opinion in our poll and in Comments.

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Richmond police will now wake you up at night if you leave valuables in your car [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tennessee cracking down on Tail of the Dragon

John Neff — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

For those who don't know, the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap in Tennessee is one of, if not the greatest, driving roads in the world. Containing 318 curves in an 11-mile stretch, the Tail is visited by both car enthusiasts and motor cyclists from all over the globe. While it brings a healthy amount of tourist dollars to the region, the curvy two-lane road that runs on US-129 has effectively been shut down by an overbearing Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Apparently the governor of Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, has instituted a program to reduce traffic deaths and accidents on US 129, and so the 11-mile stretch known as the Tail of the Dragon has been saturated with Tennessee Highway Patrol officers writing tickets at a hand-cramping rate. The situation has gotten so bad, US 129 is now being called Tennessee's newest toll road. The Tail of the Dragon website is keeping a running list of tickets that have been issued and why, and the reasons are rather ridiculous. Cars and motorcycles are being ticketed for literally just touching the double yellow line that indicates no passing allowed. Tickets for going 5 mph above the posted 30 mph limit are also supposedly common. And then there are reports of blatant harrassment, with THP officers caught tailgating drivers for miles and threatening arrest for minor violations.

Enthusiasts and those invested in the health of the region are trying to fight the crackdown, even keeping an ongoing photo archive of THP cruisers breaking the law themselves. Alas, authorities have not relented and will reportedly be watching the Dragon like a hawk for at least the next month.

[Source: Tail of the Dragon]

Tennessee cracking down on Tail of the Dragon originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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