German Police Stop Man With Mobile Office In Car

PolygamousRanchKid writes "Forget texting while driving. German police say they nabbed a driver who had wired his Ford station wagon with an entire mobile office. Saarland state police said Friday the 35-year-old man was pulled over for doing 130 kph (80 mph) in a 100 kph zone while passing a truck Monday. Built on a wooden frame on his passenger seat they found a laptop on a docking station tilted for easy driver access, a printer, router, wireless internet stick, WLAN antenna, and an inverter to power it all." I've driven some long trips with a similar passenger-seat setup (minus the printer), but of course for use only while stopped. Since the police in this case had no evidence that the rig was being used while driving, the driver was ticketed only for speeding and for having unsecured items. Really, it seems like something that Skymall should offer in neater form; now I regret not picking up a surplus police cruiser computer when they were in stock at the local Goodwill.

Comments

Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

"Car with mobile office found" would have caused lot less clicks on the story. Now we had to stuff "police" to the headline and mention that the mobile office was not related to the police stopping.

Re:Marketing strategy

[durrr]

Well, at least it wasn't "Man with mobile office in phone, stopped by police"

Re:Marketing strategy

[icebike]

The funny thing is this "Mobile Office" resembles a lot of US Police squad cars, especially those in larger cities.

Built in computers with direct access to multiple databases, GPS tracking of the car as well as nearby police cars.
automated license plate readers, more radios than you can count, video cameras, and printers for your citation.

The sad part is the cops drive while reading from and typing on these computers.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but cops get special training to do so in a safe and (&$&$/&)(/" Carrier Lost

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

The sad part is the cops drive while reading from and typing on these computers.

Perhaps it's different where you live, but where I live there always seem to be two cops in a police car, one of them driving and the other operating the extra stuff.

Re:Marketing strategy

[K. S. Kyosuke]

The sad part is the cops drive while reading from and typing on these computers.

They work in pairs, don't they? They probably aren't driving both at the same time.

Re:Marketing strategy

[CAIMLAS]

I don't know about you, but I've rarely seen a pair of officers in most cars unless we're talking about somewhere like Oakland, CA.

In the Dodge Charger squad cars, there simply isn't enough room for the electronics and a passenger - not unless the passenger is under 6' and 150lb at least. Not only do the newer cars afford barely any space, but the equipment takes up a lot. (This was much less a problem in a Vic.)

Re:Marketing strategy

[icebike]

You watch too much TV. Its hard to have dialog in the show unless there are partners.

Seriously, the only places you see two officer cars are in areas where crime is so rampant that cops are afraid
to go alone.

Even cities that are known for two officer cars don't use that model all the time (NYC for example typically use one officer cars in the burbs). San Diego actually found it safer and more efficient to have only one officer per car.

The FBI collected information for a period from January 1960 to September 1962 and found that in American cities deploying both types of vehicles, 65% of the officers killed while on duty killed were in two-officer vehicles while only 35% were in one-officer vehicles. This statistic seems to indicate that the presence of a second officer does not guarantee personal safety. From Here

Every time a single officer is killed it becomes a big emotional issue but most departments run single officer cars in most areas for most of the time, with some exceptions for high crime cities.

Re:Marketing strategy

[cyclohazard]

The FBI collected information for a period from January 1960 to September 1962 and found that in American cities deploying both types of vehicles, 65% of the officers killed while on duty killed were in two-officer vehicles while only 35% were in one-officer vehicles.

That seems like a rather natural correlation: Presumably when there is a potential for a dangerous situation to arise, a two-officer vehicle would be dispatched. Concluding anything about the safety of one-officer vehicles vs. two-officer vehicles from this statistic would be on rather shaky ground.

Re:Marketing strategy

[icebike]

Then I suggest you trace it to the source and read the whole study. Bear in mind that this isn't the only such study to arrive at the same conclusion.

Departments don't often deploy both in the same area. And they don't route two officer cars across town when one or more single officer cars are closer. They simply send more than one car.

Multiple cars with single officers are more efficient and safer than single cars with dual officers.

Re:Marketing strategy

[FairAndHateful]

The FBI collected information for a period from January 1960 to September 1962 and found that in American cities deploying both types of vehicles, 65% of the officers killed while on duty killed were in two-officer vehicles while only 35% were in one-officer vehicles. This statistic seems to indicate that the presence of a second officer does not guarantee personal safety. From Here

Without knowing the percentages of one and two officer cars and the specifics of their deployment, this statistic indicates nothing. There's simply not enough information. Assuming 1/2 of the cars have a single officer, and 1/2 of the cars have 2 officers, and they are evenly deployed, one could conclude that each officer in a 2 officer car is .833% safer than the officer in a one officer car. That's not the only problem here. Why are we citing a study from 1960 to 1962? Hasn't the nature of crime and the style of officer deployment changed at least a little in the last 50 years?

Re:Marketing strategy

[peragrin]

My mother has that setup for her reality job.

Car insurance people who travel alot have that setup.

Minus the printer maybe but my mother users her laptop with a gps device for navigating.

of course both of those people use professional metal install kits.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

My mother has that setup for her reality job.

Really? What does she have for her fantasy job?

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

I have lived in GA, SC, MO, NE, CO, AK and have never two cops share a car except for AK. Id often see the staties on the highway from Fairbanks to Anchorage, and they usually had two per car. I am guessing it was more because of the extreme circumstances of living in Alaska, particularly in the winter.

I also worked as a mechanic in GA for a few years back in the early 00's. Working at a Ford dealership means you see a lot of the cop cars. The cars were set up for one person in almost all police cars. The sheriff cars usually were not.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Lumpy]

That just tells me that being around cops is dangerous.... So avoid police that are in numbers.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Sponge Bath]

...areas where crime is so rampant that cops are afraid to go alone.

It's called Detroit.

Re:Marketing strategy

[DarwinSurvivor]

Seeing as the 2-officer cars have twice as many officers, I would assume that there would be a higher percentage of deaths in a 2-officer setup. Usually 1 car gets dispatched to a location, if something goes horribly wrong and there's only 1 officer, then only 1 officer can be killed. If there are 2 officers, then you can potentially have 2 officers killed. Another way to look at it is in percentages (which you seem to like). If you have 60 officers and 40 cars, then you have half your cars with 1 officer and half with 2. Now if you were to randomly kill 20 officers, chances are about 2/3 (close to 65%) of them would have been in 2-officer situations while 1/3 (close to 35%) would have been in 1-officer situations.

Re:Marketing strategy

[lxs]

Paladin armour.

Re:Marketing strategy

[wisnoskij]

Also twice as many officers are killed, or you have twice the chance for at least one kill, when a two officer car has a serious crash.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I really the only one that considered the possibility that there's fewer deaths cause single officers are more likely to act more carefully?

Re:Marketing strategy

[icebike]

Am I really the only one that considered the possibility that there's fewer deaths cause single officers are more likely to act more carefully?

In fact that is exactly what happened, contrary to what all those who refuse to read the linked articles but feel compelled to pontificate think.
They also are much more aware while on patrol because they are not always talking with their partners.

I don't even know why the discussion is still raging, because all you have to do is look out your windows at the next cop car you see and take a head count. The vast majority of you will see single officer cars. If we eliminated NYC and Detroit and a few other tough neighborhood cities you will probably find that single officer cars are the norm everywhere in the U.S. On a recent cross country trip I was amazed to find two officer police cars, till I realized I was in Boston.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Cajun Hell]

I've never seen that, but if it were to ever happen around here, then the car would need a second computer. The nice thing is that whatever games the cops are playing, they'd have really short ping times when they played with each other.

Re:Marketing strategy

[gnasher719]

On the other hand, if someone is willing to kill to get away, there's a chance that with one officer approaching they would do it, but with two officers they'd think that their chances are too low.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Hognoxious]

s/act more carefully/run away/

Re:Marketing strategy

[Hatta]

Being around cops is dangerous, no matter how many of them there are.

Re:Marketing strategy

[number11]

You watch too much TV. Its hard to have dialog in the show unless there are partners.

Seriously, the only places you see two officer cars are in areas where crime is so rampant that cops are afraid to go alone.car.

Around here, it's because cops prefer to cruise with a buddy (wouldn't you?), and have a union that's strong enough to call the shots. And, of course, because we have a chief and city council who are too spineless to press the issue (you just know the union's PR response would be "they're needlessly endangering our brave boys in blue").

The FBI collected information for a period from January 1960 to September 1962 and found that in American cities deploying both types of vehicles, 65% of the officers killed while on duty killed were in two-officer vehicles while only 35% were in one-officer vehicles. This statistic seems to indicate that the presence of a second officer does not guarantee personal safety.

No. And they are less likely to kill innocent bystanders or other people who aren't actually a serious threat, too. Maybe when they're alone, they're less likely to be asshats, and not be playing to their buddies. Maybe it's "mob psychology" that affects the cops. (And of course, maybe it's that if they're alone, they won't go anywhere that might be dangerous until backup arrives.)

And it's not as if cop is that dangerous a job. Being a garbage man, farmer, or truck driver is far more dangerous (top 10 US dangerous occupations: fisherman, logger, pilot, garbage collector, roofer, structural iron worker, farmer, truck driver, powerline worker, taxi driver). But we don't have any TV series about garbage collectors.

Re:Marketing strategy

[VoidCrow]

Meh, give me Saronite.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, being a police officer is one of the safest jobs. A factory worked takes on more risk every day.

Re:Marketing strategy

[Anonymous Coward]

that hour long class does make a huge difference

Re:Marketing strategy

[excelsior_gr]

Indeed. Plus, an officer on his own I guess is much more likely to wait for backup and choose not to take any unnecessary risks. It is probable that the "my partner's got my back" feeling causes recklessness.

Non story

[Anonymous Coward]

Are the editors deliberately trying to drive Slashdot into the brink of nothingness? The amount of non stories, flame/click-bait and one sided "articles" is staggering. I wish there was an alternative site with the quality of comments Slashdot do have at times, to at least keep editors on their toes.

Re:Non story

[wooferhound]

You can vote for the stories that you you want on the front page
http://slashdot.org/recent
Or you can submit your own awesome stories . . .

Re:Non story

[Seeteufel]

You are free to use slashcode and set up an realslash alternative site.

Speed Limit?

[Anonymous Coward]

I would think there were no speed limits in the autobahn highway.

Re:Speed Limit?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, you would think that.

Re:Speed Limit?

[x0d]

He was driving on a Bundesstraße or Landstraße, where a speed limit applies (in this case, 100km/h).

Re:Speed Limit?

[Arancaytar]

He was driving on the Autobahn 8, but on a segment limited to 100km/h.

Re:Speed Limit?

[Golden_Rider]

Of course there are speed limits on the German autobahn, contrary to what many non-Germans think. As far as I know, there are even more autobahn-kilometers with a speed limit than without (both fixed speed limits and variable ones depending on traffic/weather/...).

There is some news here...

[93 Escort Wagon]

I didn't realize Germany had speed limits on its highways.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

I didn't realize Germany had speed limits on its highways.

Mostly to reduce noise in densely populated areas, around especially dangerous spots, construction sites or during rain at locations known for aquaplaning.

Re:There is some news here...

[dutchwhizzman]

Parts of German *freeways* have speed limits. Large parts of German freeways have no set speed limits, but you will be fined for irresponsible driving and insurance claims will be hard(er) to get paid. German highways are speed limited. By the way, there is no mention that this happened on a highway or freeway in the article. This may have happened on either of them.

Re:There is some news here...

[bemymonkey]

Some are unrestricted, but many are limited to 120kph for certain stretches. Also, the speed limits change (they're put up on big LED displays hanging over the highway) depending on traffic and weather conditions...

Re:There is some news here...

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Perhaps you should be using German names here. I'm really not versed in the road systems of world's countries, but I'm probably not the only one who - on the basis of having a third (neither American nor German) entirely different system in my country - fails to see the exact difference between a "freeway" and a "highway", not to mention the fact that whatever the difference between the two is in the US is probably different from the difference between the two in Germany.

Re:There is some news here...

[drkim]

...German highways are speed limited. By the way, there is no mention that this happened on a highway or freeway in the article. This may have happened on either of them.

"...Saarland State police stopped on the autobahn..."

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

As he said, the autobahn is not free-speed everywhere.

Re:There is some news here...

[hutsell]

Perhaps you should be using German names here. I'm really not versed in the road systems of world's countries, but I'm probably not the only one who - on the basis of having a third (neither American nor German) entirely different system in my country - fails to see the exact difference between a "freeway" and a "highway", not to mention the fact that whatever the difference between the two is in the US is probably different from the difference between the two in Germany

Fwiw, in America, there is a formal framework for naming conventions, (the ideal not being implemented is another issue). The conventions are based upon interruptions from cross traffic and the number of lanes (in each direction) both additionally affecting the limitations on speed. I don't know anything about the German system, other than the legendary limitlessness of the Autobahn.

Freeways (65 mph || 109 kph) are "free" of cross traffic (having nothing to do with tolls). Probably the same as the Turnpikes on the East Coast. (ymmv.)
Highways (55 mph || 92 kph) can have cross traffic, but the intersection always gives the highway the right of way -- cars crossing are required to stop first before proceeding. (ymmv.)
Expressways (45 mph || 75 kph) have traffic control lights at each intersection. (ymmv.)
Access to all three are fixed by design and prevents anyone from stopping for any reason other than an emergency. (ymmv.)
The exception is the Interstate (Federal) freeway's planned rest stops that can be accessed only to and from the freeway. (ymmv.)

"Roads" outside municipalities (you know them as towns or cities) are an extension of a street leaving or entering the city limits and can have any type of intersection or any type of restriction for stopping to access roadside commerce -- basically a combination of a highway and a expressway, becoming more informal as it becomes more rural. (There's further naming rules within the municipality for Avenues, Boulevards, Streets, Lanes, Courts, how many lanes allowed each way and how all of this affects speeds -- unrelated to this post.)

Some Interstate freeways have recently increased speed limits and can be at 70, 75 or in some cases, such as in Texas, 80 (mph || 134 kph); if it's posted as such. Otherwise, the speed limits mentioned are in affect.

If it's posted with the higher speed, it will probably say "Maximum Speed" instead of "Speed Limit". There's a difference. It's important, especially if you want to avoid a speeding ticket. For example: If you're going with the flow of traffic at 72 mph in a 65 mph "Speed Limit" zone, it's supposedly okay. If you're going 76 mph in a 75 mph "Maximum Speed" zone, it supposedly doesn't matter what the speed of the traffic flow is doing. Ymmv.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

Had it been an originally German article, I would have taken that at face value. Seeing as it is not, I'm inclined to think something might have been lost in translation.
Generally, when there is a speed limit an the Autobahn, it is 120 km/h. Granted, 100 km/h does occur. However, it incidentally also is the speed limit on extra-municipal roads when not otherwise stated.

Long story short, I would take that statement with a grain of salt.

Re:There is some news here...

[FairAndHateful]

Some Interstate freeways have recently increased speed limits and can be at 70, 75 or in some cases, such as in Texas, 80 (mph || 134 kph

Texas has recently opened a section of road with a speed limit of 85 (mph || 137kph). Minor correction to the quoted section above. For any nations using metric (I'm looking at you, entire world), 80mph is approximately 129kph, not 134kph.

Re:There is some news here...

[Lumpy]

Access to all three are fixed by design and prevents anyone from stopping for any reason other than an emergency or outright stupidity...

In america, most emergency stops happen on the very wide shoulders. Everything else happens because of the complete morons that have ZERO drivers training in the middle of the freaking road. Like the morons with the giant pickup trucks that are in the fast lane and STOP in the fast lane to use the service road turnaround because they are too lazy or stupid to go to the next exit and do it safely. For some reason it's always an idiot in a pickup truck or SUV. I have never seen a small sports car do it.

The fun part is these idiots cause risk to others by stopping in the speed lane and then turn into the other sides speed lane at very slow speeds, typically forcing people to slam on the brakes to avoid plowing into the morons.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

Texas has recently opened a section of road with a speed limit of 85 (mph || 137kph). Minor correction to the quoted section above. For any nations using metric (I'm looking at you, entire world), 80mph is approximately 129kph, not 134kph.

An additional tweak from teh calculatorz: (80/3)*5=133.3333333333333333.... Approximately 133kph, according to accepted convention; making the134kph approximation a bit closer than the 129kph. Texas' newly opened 41 mile toll road is the only place that allows 85mph. The other places allowing 80mph are in only in Texas and Utah.

Re:There is some news here...

[drinkypoo]

I got a ticket for speeding up to pass someone who sped up while I was passing him (isn't _that_ illegal? but no one ever seems to get ticketed for THAT shit) in a max speed zone. The officer also wrote me for even faster than I was doing, what a fucking piece of shit. This is a mild example of why people hate cops. (People who live in the inner city and have had a friend or family member murdered by one in cold blood, who then got away with it, have much better reasons.)

All over the US the rules for freeways and highways are shat upon, speed limits drop for no reason, come around a corner and suddenly there's a town. I got a ticket for THAT in Johnson City, TX. Come around a corner and halfway hidden by a tree there's an unwarned speed limit change from 55 to 35. WOOP WOOP GIVE US MONEY. Pieces of warmed-over shit.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

Older cities, where the first "freeways" were built, still call them expressways.

Chicago: Eisenhower Expressway, Kennedy Expressway
NYC: Cross Bronx Expressway, Major Deegan Expressway, Long Island Expressway
Philly: Schuylkill Expressway

And so on and so on.

Re:There is some news here...

[dfm3]

If it's posted with the higher speed, it will probably say "Maximum Speed" instead of "Speed Limit". There's a difference.

I'm curious where you get this and what exactly the distinction is, because I've driven all over North America (50 states, 8 provinces, and Mexico) and have never seen this in the US. In the States, the only signs I've ever noticed are ones that state "speed limit n", while similar signs in Canada use the word "maximum". I've always assumed this was simply a difference in word choice. I've seen cities such as Atlanta which set a "minimum" speed limit on certain roads, so I wonder if posting a maximum speed (separate from a "speed limit") is something done within a specific region? Or perhaps you are referring to the black-on-yellow advisory signs... the ones usually posted on ramps or near curves which list a speed lower than the legal limit at which most vehicles should be able to safely negotiate the curve? I've never heard of someone getting ticketed for driving between the advisory speed (yellow sign) and the speed limit (white sign), but I have heard of people being cited for "driving too fast for conditions" when involved in single vehicle accidents while driving below the speed limit in rain or fog.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

And yet the California Traffic Code knows of no other road but "highway."

Re:There is some news here...

[hutsell]

And yet the California Traffic Code knows of no other road but "highway."

Actually, the California Vehicle Code does know of other roads besides "highway". Inside the General Provisions and Divisions Section is a section for Words and Phrases basically describing Freeway, Highway and Expressway.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

As you can see from your links, a freeway, expressway and street are special cases of highways.

Re:There is some news here...

[Anonymous Coward]

If it's posted with the higher speed, it will probably say "Maximum Speed" instead of "Speed Limit". There's a difference.

I'm curious where you get this and what exactly the distinction is, because I've driven all over North America (50 states, 8 provinces, and Mexico) and have never seen this in the US. In the States, the only signs I've ever noticed are ones that state "speed limit n", while similar signs in Canada use the word "maximum". I've always assumed this was simply a difference in word choice. [ ... ]

The information was from personal experiences and observations from years ago (one of them, legal confirmation) that still apply to the present. My road trips aren't as extensive as yours, but I have driven in Canada, the northeast States (around the Tri State area) and all of the States west of the Mississippi River. Most of my driving at present is between Northern California, West Texas and Colorado.

The only "Maximum" (or "Max") signs that I've seen on several freeways in different States that I can specifically recall visually as I write this, is Interstate 5 -- probably because it's not something I normally force myself to remember for later use. Since Interstates are under federal jurisdiction and the Interstate system connects all 48** States, it should be ubiquitous. If there is regionalisation, then it's something I'm unaware of probably involving States having policy issues with the Department of Transportation.

However, I suspect you might start noticing the difference. :)

**(Fwiw, Alaska and Hawaii have Interstate highways -- something to do with "standards". Alaska's Interstate connects to the lower 48 by using the [Pan American] Highway going through Canada. Hawaii -- yes, it actually has an Interstate Highway ... including Puerto Rico.)**

Re:There is some news here...

[hutsell]

Just in case it wasn't obvious to someone interested, the other reply to the parent was also my reply that was mistakenly posted as AC (#42020027).

Non-story

[Alwin Henseler]

I'm sure people get stopped regularly with 50" flatscreen TV's on the passenger seat, as part of regular traffic checks, speeding etc. But as the article states:

Since there was no evidence he used the office while moving, (..)

.. police did the only possible correct thing, and gave him a ticket for driving 130 kph in a 100 kph zone.

/Me wonders where this guy parks his car - seems like a setup like that is just screaming: "Hey car thief! Please break my window & grab laptop + other office gear!". :-)

Re:Non-story

[Stephan Schulz]

/Me wonders where this guy parks his car - seems like a setup like that is just screaming: "Hey car thief! Please break my window & grab laptop + other office gear!". :-)

We don't have crime in Germany. It went out of style 35 years ago as old-fashioned.

Re:Non-story

[Lumpy]

Except the Skinhead territory in South East berlin...

Re:Non-story

[timeOday]

What do skinheads actually do all day? I would imagine this type of thing reduces employment opportunities for counter work at McDonald's. So... web-surfing message boards for the most part?

Not surprising and not news.

[FPhlyer]

There are numerous options for dash-mounting or floorboard-mounting tablets and laptops available on Ebay and other internet sites and there are plenty of legitimate reasons for doing so. Many auto-insurance adjusters operate "mobile claims" vehicles that are equiped with the ability to print and prccess claims right at the spot of the accident. Their are many jobs such as home health care providers where employees spend more time in a vehicle or away from an actual office space. The ability to scan and send medical documents instead of hand delivering them could be a huge time saver. Maybe even a life saver.
Is this really so uncommon in Germany that it warrants a news story?

Re:Not surprising and not news.

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Is this really so uncommon in Germany that it warrants a news story?

In Germany, when you are driving a car, you are supposed to be . . . well, driving. And not texting, adjusting your make-up, fixing paper jams or spilling your hot coffee on yourself so that you can sue McDonald's. A driver may only use a cell phone if the car has a Freisprecheinrichtung (speaker phone) installed.

In the picture, the laptop on the dashboard suspiciously looks like it was installed to be used while driving. So the guy could check his email or use video chat while moving. If the setup had looked like it was only meant to be used while parked, the cops wouldn't have had any problem with it. But since there isn't any law prohibiting such a setup, the cops couldn't charge him. However, it looked like the laptop on the dashboard would obstruct his view. For that, they might have been able to ticket him.

So I would just say that his setup raises a few eyebrows. I suspect that the guy was some sort of traveling salesman who was on the road all day, and it was very convenient for him to have a full car office. But to use it while driving? Well, the cops probably gave him a harsh warning about that.

Re:Not surprising and not news.

[Stephan Schulz]

In Germany, when you are driving a car, you are supposed to be . . . well, driving. And not texting, adjusting your make-up, fixing paper jams or spilling your hot coffee on yourself so that you can sue McDonald's.

Having driven both in Germany and in the US for quite extended distances, there often is a significant difference. Germany has a much higher population density, and that translates to a much higher traffic density. Moreover, the fact that there are different speed limits for different classes of vehicles (80km/h for trucks and most trailers, 100km/h for many buses and some trailers, unlimited or 120km/h for normal cars) leads to frequent lane changes and other manoeuvring. On the US50, I can just put a brick on the accelerometer, tie the wheel, and go to sleep (or email) for half an hour. Driving on the German Autobahn is often (though not always) more like driving in, say, inner-city Boston. If you are not reasonably alert, there is a high chance of an accident.

Re:Not surprising and not news.

[julesh]

In the picture, the laptop on the dashboard suspiciously looks like it was installed to be used while driving.

What difference in placement would you use between installing it for use while driving, and installing it for use during brief stops without needing the time to adjust position? I'm pretty sure using it while stopped at a red light wouldn't be an offence.

Re:Not surprising and not news.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm pretty sure using it while stopped at a red light wouldn't be an offence.

and you'd be wrong, you're still 'in control of the vehicle' and expected to be such. Stopping at a red light doesn't mean that you can ignore the cars coming towards you, the car coming up too fast behind you or even, lets be outlandish here, the light changing to green so that you can move off in a timely manner rather than been hooted at and then moving off quickly without paying attention to what's around you.

Re:Not surprising and not news.

[Anonymous Coward]

This story was not about using the setup while driving. Some people walk and text but usually the phone is in pocket. Basically anything drawing attention away from driving, even some commercial from radio. Speech, radio, kids, wifes, bad day, etc. At least I hope they don't text with both hands while driving...
Some taxi drivers (at least here where I live) have almost similar setups (with touch interfaces) but they a "little bit better" than the average driver.

Re:Serious comment

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Perhaps "one less slashdotter polluting the roads"?

I'd better watch out...

[Gordonjcp]

You'll see "Police Stop Man With Mobile Workshop in Van", although I tend not to actually leave stuff I'm working on sitting on the front seats.

Fiddling with this stuff while driving sounds a bit dangerous, but who here hasn't used Google Maps on their laptop to work out where they are?

Re:I'd better watch out...

[Anonymous Coward]

Laptop? No. But I do have 3 Android phones- one from work, one personal and an old Nexus 1 I ROMmed and use as a GPS.

At least he wasn't using this while driving.

[BrookHarty]

At least he wasn't using this while driving.

double standard

[CAIMLAS]

Because it's not like this is even a fractional amount of the setup most police squad cars have (at least here in the US):

* Multiple radios, usually 2-3 from what I've seen (emergency, local police dispatch, national or state frequencies, etc.)
* A laptop on a mount
* A printer
* A shotgun
* A radar gun
* spot lights
* fancy data uplinks

What exactly would the problem be with anyone having these things in their car?

Keep in mind that "all of the above", plus what the guy in Germany had, is common fare for many US truckers (well, except the shotgun, which I believe is now illegal for a trucker to have in his cab).

Re:double standard

[Anonymous Coward]

What exactly would the problem be with anyone having these things in their car?

Having these things is no problem, using them while driving would be a problem. Remember that in Germany even using your mobile phone hand-held while driving is illegal (you have to connect it to the car's speaker system so both of your hands are free and you can focus on the road), checking your email on a laptop placed on the passenger seat while driving would definitely be verboten.

In this case the issue is that whiel teh setup seems to be designed to be used while driving the cops did not catch the driver red-handed and as such had to let him go with a fine for exceeding the speed limit.

Re:double standard

[houghi]

What exactly would the problem be with anyone having these things in their car?

From the top of my head, the country he was in.
In Germany there will almost always 2 police officers in a car. So one will be driving while the other will be doing the handling.

And further, this is a non-story. The person was speeding and got a ticket for that. The items where not-secured and THAT also was a ticket.

If it was not a printer that was unsecured, but a case of beer (which would be legal to have in the car in Germany) the same might have happened.

It feels as if the story was written by a patent-troll. Just because it said 'on a computer' does not mean it is anything new.

Re:double standard

[Ogive17]

What exactly would the problem be with anyone having these things in their car?

Training. Law enforcement go through much more rigorous training behind the wheel.

Re:double standard

[trinity93]

its perfectly legal to have a shotgun in your truck in most states

Re:double standard

[drinkypoo]

its perfectly legal to have a shotgun in your truck in most states

It's perfectly legal to have a shotgun in your truck in most states, but in almost no states is it legal to travel around with it in a useful condition, i.e. fully loaded and close at hand.

In many states, it is legal to carry a concealable loaded firearm while driving, but only with a permit, which may cost hundreds of dollars and require a test where you properly handle the weapon and put some rounds into a target zone, or may cost a few bucks and be available over the internet. Some states' concealed weapons permits are honored by some other states, but not all of them as supposedly required by the constitution. (States are required to follow the constitution, which allegedly prohibits the right to keep _and bear_ arms, but every state infringes on this in at least some circumstances today, and states are required to observe the laws of other states.)

Re:double standard

[JustNiz]

Driving distracted is going to result in a greatly increased risk of accidents no amount of training can fix that.

Here in Phoenix I see cops using their dash- mounted laptops while driving all the time. They're ususally not giving enough attention to driving. I've even seen them miss some criminal activity going on right infront of them, because they're focussed on looking at their screens.

Re:double standard

[Anonymous Coward]

i think what most people are missing here is that cops are explicitly excluded from traffic laws. They can do anything they want while driving without violating laws: speeding, talking on cell phones, ignoring traffic signs, whatever..
The only thing that really restricts them is their "code of conduct", which is usually very loosely written, focusing on the the officer's "intent", rather than actions, and provides for no real penalties besides internal discipline.

Re:double standard

[Anonymous Coward]

"concealable" usually has nothing to do with the actual laws.

I don't think "prohibits" is the word you are looking for.

captcha: disarm

Re:double standard

[swillden]

in almost no states is it legal to travel around with it in a useful condition, i.e. fully loaded and close at hand.

According to the map compiled by opencarry.org, ~35 states allow unlicensed vehicle carry, though some have some restrictions (must be visible, must be concealed, must be in glove box, may be restricted by local law, etc.).

Re:double standard

[drinkypoo]

"concealable" usually has nothing to do with the actual laws.

Actually, I was using "concealable" in the legal sense, which doesn't involve long guns.

As far as I know you're permitted to carry a shotgun in your truck in every state, but the requirements for storage vary. In some it has to be behind the seat or otherwise stashed where you can't get at it, and the ammunition not attached to or placed within the weapon. (Even in California, a weapon is not considered loaded if the ammunition is in the same container, but to minimize potential legal harassment, it's still wisest to transport weapon and ammo in separate containers.) And there are restrictions on where you're allowed to take them, for example in California you're prohibited from carrying firearms (even with a concealment permit) in state parks. Yes, the second amendment is officially suspended any time you're within a California state park, which is land supposedly held in the interest of the people. You can however still have your firearm within a truck camper or a camp trailer, because that is considered a residence. It then is subject to the usual storage restrictions; it must be in a container and trigger-locked, or locked into the container. The container can be useless for preventing theft, it only has to produce revenues.

You are 100% correct that "prohibits" was not the word I was looking for. Luckily, the meaning I wanted was pretty obvious, even if I looked like a total boob.

km/h please!

[andreasmor]

kph is no measuring unit, km/h is. Please also stop with mph, stones , feet and other ancient units used in three countries only. Bye Andreas

Re:km/h please!

[MrBeau]

kph is an abbreviation of the unit "kilometer per hour" and the one recommended by most news publishers, e.g. Reuters. km/h is the unit symbol of the unit kph. The symbol would probably have been more appropriate though and I definitely agree that everyone should get rid of non-SI units.

Re:km/h please!

[richlv]

nobody ever uses that silliness "kph". please, let's stay with km/h on slashdot.

Re:km/h please!

[Anonymous Coward]

You may wish to include jury trials with that. We all know that Code Napoleon is by far superior to the Common Law legal system used in the Anglosphere.

The German Traffic Cops

[Anonymous Coward]

German traffic cops would red tag half the cars in America as unsafe I once got pulled over driving me POS car in college which was hot wired, cops thought it was funny.

I have a friend from Austria/Germany. First visit to the US is standing in front of his friends house when a car drives by with no hood. He says to his friend did you see that! And his friend is see what? The car with no hood! Isn't that illegal? No of course not. ... ... ... America greatest country!

Maxwell Smart

[cpghost]

Looks like a German version of Maxwell Smart, driving his desk.

I'm trying to figure out what the story is.

[jtownatpunk.net]

I have a laptop mount in my vehicle that I use to hold a laptop running GPS software while driving. It gets live traffic updates from my phone's WiFi hotspot.

Re:I'm trying to figure out what the story is.

[JustNiz]

Sounds like you might get in trouble if stopped.
It wouldn't be hard for the cop to (imagine) he saw you using it as a PC. In that you'd have to _prove_ you werent typing or whatever. Your word against a traffic cop always loses.

The Simpsons

[the11thplague]

There was an episode where Homer was cooking in its car while driving. When he was about to have an accident, instead of breaking, he sent an S.O.S fax. Reality beats imagination again.

Re:The Simpsons

[flyingfsck]

Yeah, I guess many things broke due to the crash, but braking may have reduced the damage.

Simpsons already did it...

[lewko]

Needs a donut fryer.

Re:Serious comment

[mwvdlee]

How about "Please kill yourself before you kill somebody else".

Hi my name is Joe Wechter

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a U.S. Citizen and I would like to work here:

http://www.bundesbank.de/Redaktion/EN/Downloads/Press/Picture%20archive/bundesbank_gebaeude_jpg.jpg?__blob=publicationFile

illegal pass

[WhackAttack]

I read somewhere else that he made an illegal pass on the right.

Re:Serious comment

[flyneye]

Yeah, I know. Wouldn't it have actually been a story if it had been instead; "Police Stop Man with Mobile Car, in Office",...?

Re:Serious comment

[mrclisdue]

I just read the headline and figured some nutjob had a copy of MS's new Mobile Office(TM) for Win8/RT/Surface or whatever else they've been blathering about lately....

So, ya...that wudda been strange.

cheers,

I've seen this elsewhere, too.

[MickLinux]

I went to a weather-watcher's class, and another person there actually had set up their vehicle for storm chasing. He had a whole office in his car. I suspect that those who get videos of things like tornados probably can market them pretty well.

At least for fame, maybe for money.

Anyhow... these things and more have been standard issue for news vans for some time now. I don't see what the big deal is, as long as he isn't using it while driving.

Also, being set up for use while in the driver's seat does not mean that it's set up for use while driving.

Re:Serious comment

[Lumpy]

Why? The COPS have that exact same setup and they screw around with the laptop while driving. And I can guarentee that cops are not "expert" drivers that can do that safely.

How about we demand the police stop doing the exact same thing.

so?

[StormyWeather]

ummm.. my ford escape has had all this and more for over 4 years. I have had one accident not caused by me, and the cops were impressed by my setup, not busting me for it lol.

Re:so?

[Mal-2]

They didn't bust him for it either, they busted him for driving infractions they observed before they were aware of the equipment in the car.

Once they became aware of the equipment in the car, they still realized they had no proof (though some suspicion) that the equipment may have had something to do with the erratic driving. It looks like they cited him only for what he did, while pointing out the potential consequences if he was using the equipment while driving. In other words, the system actually worked properly.

If it weren't for his car being moderately interesting to the general public (though frankly I don't really see that it is), this would just be another ticket-and-release traffic stop and you'd never have heard of it -- just like if you had been cited for speeding, and a cop chose to remark on your in-car setup while officially ignoring it.

Goodwill

[Anonymous Coward]

"regret not picking up a surplus police cruiser computer when they were in stock at the local Goodwill."

In Chicago land (Naperville store) they do not sell whole computers anymore, some lady got violated, she left data from bank accounts an whatnot on machine...
Don't police cars use panisonic tufbooks? Lest they did around here, car manufactures should offer some intergraded computer or heads up display option.
This driver on autobahn if he has an accident, all that stuff flying around hope he has the pass air bag turned off, sounds like a hazard to me...

kcim

(Napervillian)

Re:Goodwill

[Joe_Dragon]

In Naperville you can go over to the tigerdirect / compusa store and get all kinds of stuff from there warehouse.

Summary?

[DarwinSurvivor]

That's not a summary, that's a 1:1 copy of the entire article!

Standard Insurance Agent Setup

[Anonymous Coward]

Most US insurance companies have this setup. They even sell a plastic mount that 'sits' in the passenger seat so that they are secured properly.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Usually in the UK there are 2 cops in the car. The driver isn't screwing around.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

One less slashdotter period...better statement.

SI units?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear people who write things-ph,
please note that when we use SI units, most of the time we mean it: we write km/h and not kph (kilowhat?). Please, please do the same!

In the us you do have the split car / truck limits

[Joe_Dragon]

In the us you do have the split car / truck limits as well.

Re:Serious comment

[digitallife]

I have 3 times actually seen a cop driving in a car talking on their cell phone, despite a law here banning using a cell while driving. I even managed to get a video of it one of the times. I think the reason respect for cops has decreased so much over the last couple decades is that people are realizing they are hypocritical, power drunk assholes, and not just a few 'bad apples, but the majority of them.

When asked...

[DaveAtFraud]

When asked what he was doing, did he respond, "Impersonating an office sir."

You can all groan now.

Cheers,
Dave

Re:When asked...

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn it! Where are my mod points where I need 'em. Thanks for the chuckle :)

Re:Serious comment

[Runaway1956]

That's supposed to be a jab at the female members, or what?

Re:Serious comment

[Runaway1956]

We seldom see two cops in the same car here in the states. And, as GP states, you can and will see the cops dicking around on the computer while they drive.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, because nothing says "power drunk" like talking on a cell phone.

"Unsecured Items"

[epp_b]

So, can they charge people for having a Kleenex box that's not buckled in?

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, they also run stop signs with impunity.

But give it up. The union political action committees have bought the politicians and judges so nothing will ever get done about it.

People complain about the rich getting away with this and that. Well, you ain't seen nothing till you look at politicians, judges, union officials, and cops.

Re:Serious comment

[Calydor]

It is simply an image of how the line of thought for police officers has become, "Oh hey, I am the law!"

Power drunk for talking on a cell phone while driving, no. Doesn't change the fact that it shows a blatant disregard for the very same rules he'd pull someone else over for violating.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

I once saw a cop war driving, While he was running me in, on a drunk and disorderly charge,

Re:Serious comment

[Myopic]

Respect for cops has not decreased over the last couple decades. My guess is that you are about thirty or thirty five years old, so you only have a couple decades of memory [me too, by the way; I'm 33]. Cops have always been disrespected for being hypocritical power-hungry douchebags simply because they in fact always have been hypocritical power-hungry douchebags -- cf. Javert from Les Mis.

Buying a used cop car

[spaceyhackerlady]

A few years ago I was in the market for a car, and I considered a used police car.

The car makers usually have a police option group, including heavy duty front suspension and a heavy duty electrical system. Just what I need for driving up mountains with radios and telescopes.

Not to mention the intimidation factor. Around here, the cops like Ford Crown Victorias. And only cops drive them. Ford haven't sold them to private individuals for a long time, and they were never a big seller anyway.

...laura

Re:Buying a used cop car

[Mal-2]

Problem with a used cop car is that the transmission is probably shot to hell. That's usually why they retire them.

Re:Buying a used cop car

[Anonymous Coward]

In many states, police vehicles are not to be sold to the general public. This policy usually parallels the "shall-issue"/"may-issue" handgun carry permit distinction. This means you're SOL in the Northeast from Maryland to Maine, Illinois and California.

Some explanations

[Hans Adler]

Yes, German autobahns have speed limits, though obviously not everywhere. We have them because they are absolutely necessary. Germany has more than twice the population of California on significantly less area. The traffic often is accordingly.

For the same reason, it is absolutely forbidden to overpass another car on the right except under very specific circumstances (stop and go traffic, or direction lines at a crossing). This is the other thing which this driver has done. In contrast to the costly but socially accepted offence of being 30 km/h (20 mph) too fast on a motorway, this is considered absolutely reckless behaviour by almost everybody and raises eyebrows whenever someone does it. Here is an example for what often happens when idiots do it anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AGwQuT0-Lk

In general, driving on German motorways, with or without a speed limit, requires significantly more concentration than driving on Austrian ones (resulting in a significant change of my stress level each time I cross the border), which in turn requires a lot more concentration than driving on a British motorway (in spite of the left-hand side traffic), which in turn is not even comparable to the child's play on American motorways. (At the other end of the spectrum you can continue this with Italy, then probably countries like India.)

The stuff installed in this car makes no sense if the driver didn't (intend to) use it while driving. Germans don't live in their cars, they use them to quickly get from A to B. That's one reason we have smaller cars. If he used this setup, then he risked lives in much the same way as "Turbo Rolf" did in 2003: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1454812/Turbo-Rolf-jailed-for-tailgate-deaths-of-mother-and-girl.html

So what?

[Anonymous Coward]

I, and half the people on this thread have their cars / trucks the same way.

And I've had lots of cops stick their head in and check it all out -- always with positive or, "cool" comments.

I have front-mounted laptop mount which pivots to or away from driver -- with velcro so it's easy in and out.
Small printer mounted between front seats. (Truck).
Two 110 outlets mounted in rear of console and two more behind second row of seats.
Two fold-down desk tops mounted into the back of the front seats for passengers to use.
Power inverter mounted in rear (where they could fit it) to power it all.
Toggle switch on dash (with LED) to turn it on and off so I don't accidentally kill battery.
And I mobile hotspot in the console. Most cellular modems have a tab you can pull back and plug an antenna into. So I had this added and run through the body of the truck, to an arial on the roof.
If we ever stop somewhere with no wifi, we just park the truck out front and it acts as our hot spot (for no more than an hour at a time :-)

This is my second truck I've done up like this so I've learned a good bit of what to do and not. The electronics is the hard part in a modern car. There is no way for you to just plug in and steal it from the dash wiring so it's a total hack with it's own fuses and a box mounted under the hood. Prob did this 4x before we got it right for weather / accessibility / reliability.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

In most jurisdictions, cops are explicitly excluded from all traffics laws. Like it or hate it, the laws say they can do no wrong as far as driving is concerned.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Citation needed.

I'll give you that they are implicitly exempted at all times, but I will lay good money that the only explicit exemption has something about "in the line of duty" attached to it.

Re:Serious comment

[xclr8r]

This is a non-story. A bunch of insurance claim agents and cops have this setup.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know about where you live, but where I live the law gives very specific exemptions that allows police to speed, drive through stop signs and red lights, and stop his car anywhere. That's pretty much it.

Exemption for emergency vehicles
122 (1) Despite anything in this Part, but subject to subsections (2) and (4), a driver of an emergency vehicle may do the following:
(a) exceed the speed limit;
(b) proceed past a red traffic control signal or stop sign without stopping;
(c) disregard rules and traffic control devices governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions;
(d) stop or stand.
(2) The driver of an emergency vehicle must not exercise the privileges granted by subsection (1) except in accordance with the regulations.
(3) [Repealed 1997-30-2.]
(4) The driver of an emergency vehicle exercising a privilege granted by subsection (1) must drive with due regard for safety, having regard to all the circumstances of the case, including the following:
(a) the nature, condition and use of the highway;
(b) the amount of traffic that is on, or might reasonably be expected to be on, the highway;
(c) the nature of the use being made of the emergency vehicle at the time.

Sounds like a good homeless setup.

[Seor Jojoba]

I don't know the guy's deal, but I wouldn't be surprised if he lived in that car. Hmm. Sometimes, it doesn't sound like a horrible idea to save up six grand and live in my car for a year. I'd have all the time I wanted to work on my own projects instead of working a 60-hour IT job.

Re:Serious comment

[swalve]

A lot of the cell phones ban laws exempt "first responders".

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Why? The COPS have that exact same setup and they screw around with the laptop while driving. And I can guarentee that cops are not "expert" drivers that can do that safely.

How about we demand the police stop doing the exact same thing.

The laptops in our squad cars are screwed to a pivot table. The idea was to prevent the laptop from flying around as a projectile if there was a sudden deceleration. The actual reason though, was to prevent the laptop from being stolen.
It did not work though. Thieves stole the car from the parking lot behind the station and when it was found, there were no tires, no laptop and hardly anything left that could not be sold for cash.

Re:Serious comment

[lsatenstein]

I have 3 times actually seen a cop driving in a car talking on their cell phone, despite a law here banning using a cell while driving. I even managed to get a video of it one of the times. I think the reason respect for cops has decreased so much over the last couple decades is that people are realizing they are hypocritical, power drunk assholes, and not just a few 'bad apples, but the majority of them.

In my city, the cops have junior college deplomas in criminology. The more recent graduates have bachelor degrees in criminology and cyberfraud. They train with "incase" and other software tools, they learn law, as required. The driving of the beat is a step forward to forensics, or other crime investigation careers. A few of our policewomen and policemen have mba and/or law degrees. Read where I am from.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

I've heard people complain the police are never around when they're needed when stuff like this happens. Now we know better. It turns out, when they are, it doesn't matter anyway. Or, this is an exception where "someone" made a mistake.

Re:Serious comment

[Lumpy]

Yup. Grandma grew up in the 20's and she would always spit at a police officer. Usually on the ground but in the cops direction in disrespect. Cities like Chicago and NYC are Legendary in their history of all the cops being dirty corrupt or just plain old scumbags.

Your local Police department is no different than your local Street Gang.. Except the street gang is more honest, they let you know they are out to get you, the Police use the lie of "we are here to help"....

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

"Thieves stole the car from the parking lot behind the dunken doughnuts and when it was found, there were no tires, no laptop and hardly anything left that could not be sold for cash."

FTFY

Re:Serious comment

[nobodie]

They got nothin' on New Orleans, those were some bad, bad cops. Mean MothaFuggahs, personal experience, ....nuf sed

Re:Serious comment

[beerdragoon]

Where I live the law specifically exempts on-duty policy officers from the talking on the cell phone while driving restriction. There is no language in there saying that the phone call has to be business related either. This caused a bit of an uproar when the law was introduced...but of course it went through anyway.

Why is this a story?

[ourlovecanlastforeve]

I don't understand what part of this constitutes stuff that matters.

Lots of people have mobile offices in their cars. You can even buy caddies and laptop mounts that strap right to the seat in your car, or bolt to the floor.

Before tablets and smartphones became popular I used to have a laptop stand in my car so I could use Microsoft Maps for directions, and I knew of several other people who had similar setups.

These days this kind of thing is pretty commonplace.

I don't know what's up with news stories on Slashdot these days.

Re:Serious comment

[Anonymous Coward]

Thieves stole the car from the parking lot behind the station and when it was found, there were no tires, no laptop and hardly anything left that could not be sold for cash.

Kind of obligated to call it cop lobby bs. Where did this take place? Mayberry?

Well

[MakersDirector]

Maybe the man was remotely controlled by the computer.

Smart computers, passing the buck like that! It works both ways, you know ;-)