News List| Police Use of Emergency Lights | |
| Add:admin AddTime:2010-4-24 15:32:12 Read:0 Times | |
If you are driving on the interstate and see a police car trailing you with its emergency lights flashing, you immediately know to pull over to the side of the road. Police, however, do not use their emergency lights only to signal drivers to pull off the road. The lights are used in a variety of situations. Assist Other City Departments Proper protocol for police use of emergency lights varies from state to state. However, certain situations call for police officers to use their emergency lights and are expected and accepted in most states. The police use their emergency lights to assist other city departments. A police officer will turn on his emergency lights when he is leading a fire engine to a fire. An officer will also turn them on when he helps an ambulance weave through rush hour traffic. He will park his car and use the emergency lights for the sewer and water division when an emergency arises, and the crew needs some extra protection around a work site in a high traffic area. Travel to a Call The most traditional use of police emergency lights is during a police call. The officer will turn the emergency lights on so that he can weave through traffic and arrive at his destination sooner. He will turn the lights on when he is chasing a suspect and trying to persuade him to pull over. He will also use the lights to signal a driver who is disobeying traffic laws to pull over to the side of the road. Assist Citizens A police officer will use emergency lights to assist a citizen in an emergency situation. He might pull a couple over for speeding and realize the woman is in labor and is only a few miles from the hospital. It is more expedient for him to turn on his emergency lights and lead the couple to the emergency room than to wait for an ambulance. An officer will also use his emergency lights to keep traffic away from a citizen who is changing a flat tire on the side of the road. He will use the lights to lead a funeral procession from the funeral home to the gravesite. He will use the lights as he parks his car in an intersection to allow a parade to pass, and sometimes he will turn the emergency lights on when he is driving in a parade. When a stoplight is not working, an officer will park his car in the middle of the intersection, turn on | |
| Print || Close |
