I see it all the time! They are supposed to be directing traffic getting big bucks doing it and they are yapping on the cell paying no attention to their detail!!! You drive up to the road work wondering "Should I stop"? "Should I go"? Waiting for a frickin' wave, hand signal or something!!!!!:af: Someone will wind up getting hurt!!!! Should they be on the cell phone at this time??? Should cops even be carrying cell phones???

UT OH....:eyes: :hihi:

Larry, officers have family and financial problems and emergencies as well as the next person. If we can't leave our assigned spot doing the tough waving thing, how are our loved ones supposed to reach us? Also Larry police have to be available to our departments, supervisors and courts 24 hours a day. But I'm extra talented I guess. Cause I can wave my arm AND talk on my phone at the same time. Isn't that why we have two arms?

I'll probably regret questioning it but; Why do we need officers for traffic detail anyways? I have more of a problem with that than the cell phone issue.:smash:

Uncle Matt....you might be one of the officers I speak of!:rolleyes: I am talking about the safety of the people approaching these work areas and the safety of the workers in those areas....not to mention the officers own safety! The people around those areas depend on the officers good judgement and work to avoid injury or death. I also have a problem with bus drivers talking on the cell phone with a bus full of school kids!!!:huh:

Uncle Matt - if one hand is waving traffic on and the other is on the phone .... who's giving the stop signal?
This state should use flagmen and let the police stick to police work.

the reason police are utilized on traffic detail,....or road repairs, is because the town/company doing the work...needs a trained observer there ........in case of an accident.

recently BigFish........... people operating motor vehicles while using a cell phone
were found
to have more impaired driving ability than people who were D.U.I..

so yeah ,,,the bus driver shouldn't be on a cell phone unless stopped.

on a side note....and i found this quite irritating,,,

Yesterday i got a phone call ok....and the woman on the phone says.... "FRANK? ...i said nope you have the wrong number... then she says ...well maybe you could help me then...she then tries to solicit a donation For the fraternal order of Police.... something i genuinely believe in donating to... But after paying for brakes all around...a tune up, and a new battery for the wife's car...way ahead of when the snow flies... we are just to broke (tight budget) to donate ....

but the thing that bothered me was that the conversation was being recorded... which was announced just before she started her worn out speech...so, i simply said Sorry! not today and hung up.

Uncle Matt - if one hand is waving traffic on and the other is on the phone .... who's giving the stop signal?
This state should use flagmen and let the police stick to police work.
:claps:
and eliminate the 40 (plus or minus) dollar an hour, 4 hour minimum "detail"...
union deal, be tough to break.. we can thank the Dukakis admin. for that deal.
Uncle Matt.. If you are on a traffic stop, domestic call, burglary call.. etc., are you allowed to take cell calls then?.... would you answer your cell in front of your supervisor, or the cheif.. while on duty, and not on a break?

Larry I have to agree with you. I have seen my coworkers, one in particular place the ear phone on and stand in the middle of the busiest intersection in town and look like a flaming idiot. Being animated, waving his arms in relation to whom he was talking with on the phone, in other words showing off, and not doing what he is supposed to do, which is keep the traffic away from the equipment and the men in the road. If its an emergency the station can let the officer know about it.

Thats all I am saying Frank! Not a shot at officers in general and I know we all have families and lives.....but they are there for public safety reasons!:wavey:

Remember when we used to get along without cell phones?

By the way....Angie just took the boys out to buy them each a phone....believe me I was not all for it but they wore me down over the last month. They have merits but not many for kids! Changing times I guess!

I'm the last person who is going to complain about people on cell phones, especially while driving a car/truck !!!
They keep me busy by them crashing !!!
But no matter where you go or do, someone is on a cell, restraunts, school, cars, ect.......
I'm on my way to a baby christening with my wife & kids in a few hrs and I would not be suprised to see the priest stop the baptism to take a call !!!! :hihi:

but now you can establish rules about answering them

so you know exactly where they are at all times.:devil2:

Already laid down the rules...they are OFF when they are in my truck!!!:bl2:

Already laid down the rules...they are OFF when they are in my truck!!!:bl2:


So are you !!!

Yesterday i got a phone call ok....and the woman on the phone says.... "FRANK? ...i said nope you have the wrong number... then she says ...well maybe you could help me then...she then tries to solicit a donation For the fraternal order of Police.... something i genuinely believe in donating to... But after paying for brakes all around...a tune up, and a new battery for the wife's car...way ahead of when the snow flies... we are just to broke (tight budget) to donate ....

but the thing that bothered me was that the conversation was being recorded... which was announced just before she started her worn out speech...so, i simply said Sorry! not today and hung up.[/QUOTE]

Rav, be careful of solicitaion by police organizations over the phone. This has been a scam for several years now and it is always best to say you give to your local police dept. It's the only sure way to know your money goes to the right people.

the reason police are utilized on traffic detail,....or road repairs, is because the town/company doing the work...needs a trained observer there ........in case of an accident.
That's not the reason why. If that were true, they would do that in all 50 states.:rollem:

Thier is a group trying to solicit funds under several different banners all having to do with police work. It is a scam scam scam. One lady called me this morning and someone has called her home asking for donations to ????? three different police organizations in the last week.

That's not the reason why. If that were true, they would do that in all 50 states.:rollem:

Massachusetts is one of the few states that uses police details for road work. The majority of states use laborers (flaggers) who are given a course in traffic management. This saves the states a bunch of money as the flaggers are usually paid less than half of what a police detail costs. The arguement can be made about it coming out of the contractors pocket but ultimately it comes out of the tax payers pockets.

Exactly! Therein lies my rant!:realmad:

Massachusetts is one of the few states that uses police details for road work. The majority of states use laborers (flaggers) who are given a course in traffic management. This saves the states a bunch of money as the flaggers are usually paid less than half of what a police detail costs. The arguement can be made about it coming out of the contractors pocket but ultimately it comes out of the tax payers pockets.

Then RI is really screwed up...we have both cops and contractor flag wavers on all road details.

The police and laborer unions and politicians all holding hands,how lovely.Everybody wins except the taxpayers who aren't cops,laborers or politicians.Only in RI.

Btw Matt we all have personal lives cop or not and unless its an emergency if I were caught talking on my cell during work hours its a warning the 1st time and %$%$%$%$canned the second time.No excuse for a cop to be on the cell while performing traffic detail.None.

$40 and hour to yack on your phone, sign me up, better yet ,wash your windshield as you dirve by :bl:

I am pretty sure that is what voicemail is for :shocked:

:hs: Drove by one my way to work today...cop on the cell phone - traffic detail...
(all smiles..obviously/probably wasnt important or an emergency)
must be nice :wiggle:

Yeah...Basswipe..I love the flaggers/slow sign holders...
they make my day :rolleyes:

(always :sleeps: or :call:)


Oh...is it me or does it seem like everytime you drive by one of these construction zones...NO ONE IS EVER F$%$%$%$ WORKING!!?!??!?

ALL JUST SMOKIN' & JOKIN' (ON BREAK) DO THEY EVER WORK? NO WONDER IT TAKES FOREVER FOR S$%$%$ to get done around here

R.I. :rocketem:

I can't wiat till I get in an accident right there while the guy is on the phone not paying attention, JACKPOT, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ NEW BOAT $$$$$$$$$$$$$ lol :rtfm:

Women on cell phones on the expressway doing 40 drifting from lane - lane .

The new thing, people with that thing on thier ear ..They start talking and your listening thinking there talking to you, while there really talking thru the phone in thier pocket ..

Women on cell phones on the expressway doing 40 drifting from lane - lane .

The new thing, people with that thing on thier ear ..They start talking and your listening thinking there talking to you, while there really talking thru the phone in thier pocket ..

Oh man Tagger.. U hit it right with them new mini earphone/mini micro phone things.. been caught twice by folksyakking on them.. they ask a generic type qustion, I start answering then realize.. :poke:

Had my coworker in stitches today.. I am waiting on a Ute (youth with hat on sideways, pants hanging off his ankles).. he is yakking on cell.. young lady behind him doing same.. I ask for ID.. she hand me her liscense ?.. I go not yours, his.. she hand it to him.. he is yapping and lookingat me like WTF.. I grab her liscense, hand it to him.. look him in the eye and say loudly.. YOURS... he nods, fumbles it out.. I check it ring it up and say "thats nine thousand dollars"...
all he had was a six pack , but I was tired of him ignoring me.. he doen't have a clue, hands me his money.. I count back the change out loud.. "sixteen, threeeightyfive.. twenty bucks, thanks and scram!".. he don't blink, still yappin and nods and leaves...
now.. the lady behind him..she is still yapping on hers.. I ring up her stuff. state the total........

.......
clear my throat, speak a little louder... "That is $26.95... PLEASE"...
she looks up, does not miss a beat.. with her call.. and starts to look for her credit card....
I finish the sale, bag her up , and off she goes.. never stopped on the phone...

I looked over at my coworker.. he was laughing at what I told the kid..but we both could not believe how things have gotten with
"da phone generation"

Remember when we used to get along without cell phones?

By the way....Angie just took the boys out to buy them each a phone....believe me I was not all for it but they wore me down over the last month. They have merits but not many for kids! Changing times I guess!


Oh Boy --- Larry you are in deep stuff and don't know it yet. I bet they have text messaging and photos too. The text messaging will probably cost you a months pay alone, not even talking about the picture feature. I think you should get them to give you an equal time allotment in the shop. I think they will have to turn out a hundred plugs each to pay for the phone bill. :jump:

My gripe is I can't see their little gloved hands waving like I can see those big stop/slow signs, especially in sun to shade sittuations, etc. And they always wave like I am not going fast enough! I thought I was supposed to be going slow and cautious?

Bunch of work going on in the center of town where I live. Gone by man times haven't seen anyone taking on the phone but I have seen then with the back to the traffic watching the machine work or yaping with the guys on the road crew. ThomT