Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-09-10
SHOULD NOT PESTER EN-
Milwaukee Journal Says
Speed Cop Should Assist
Motorist Rather Than Pes
ter.

The speed cops and the smiling,
bluecoat who helps the kiddies
across the street on their way to
school are brothers. They are
both arms of the law. The aver
age citizen has a warm feeling.
around the heart for the bluecoat
and entertains a cordial dislike
for that other chap-the speed
cop. Why? The major reason is
because the blue-coated policeman
goes out of his way to serve the
public and the speed cop does not.
Service is usually the last thing
motorist expects from motor
cycle officer. This can be attrib-
uted to the fact that the speed
cop has a perverted idea as to- why
he's riding the roads. He actually
thinks that ne is out there to
make arrests and that all motor
lists are his natural enemies.
Treating them as such he finds
himself hated, but cannot under
stand why,
Motorists and motorcycle off
GERS are both to blame-the speed
cop to the greater degree. His
idea in many cases is to poster and
offend. Seldom, if ever, do Wis
consin motorcycle police warn a
motorst that he is transgressing
the law, that he had better slow
down. Instead he drives along
side with the query, Whats your
hurry" and informs you of your
arrest. In 33 Of Wisconsin's larg-
est cities a survey shows that only
IN eight communities are motor
lists given a second chance before
arrest. Well bet that the records
OF these eight cities will not show
as many arrests or as many acct
dents as in the cities where the
speeder, local or out-of-town, is
peremptorily arrested.
Chippewa Falls, De Pere, Ken
osha, Madison, Marshfield, Merrill,
Portage and Stevens Point de
clare the motorist is treated fair
y while in those communities and
is warned at least once before he
is arrested for speeding.
In Amigo, Appleton, Baraboo,
Beaver Dam, Beloit, Eu Claire,
Fond du Lac, Green Bay, La
Crosse, Manitowoc, Marinette,
Menasha, Menominie, Milwaukee,
Neenah, Oshkosh, Racine, Sheboy-
gan, Superior, Two Rivers, Wau-
kesha, Waterfowl, Wausau and
Wisconsin Rapids the speeder is
usually greeted with arrest for his
first ofense. Oshkosh states that
exception is made if he is a tour
ist, then he is let off with a warn
ing. A Beaver Dam query states,
the motorist, If a nonresident, is
arrested peremptorily here. IF a
local man, he is warned" IF that
statement is true the Beaver
Dam officials have certainly a
misguided opinion as to fair play.
First offenders in any Wiscon-
sin city should escape with a
warning. A kind word sinks in
and does a greater good than a
harsh command to stop and "be
in court tomorrow morning at g."
We know a few motorcycle off
GERS, but they're a very few, who
are keen-minded men who are
bending every effort towards win
ming the good will of the motor
lists Of their own community and
Of the transients who pass thru.
They realize that they can get re-
suits in their particular territory
by giving the deserving motorist
a timely warning. Then, if that
warning is not needed, the next
violation calls for an arrest. The
average motorist knowing of a
speed cop who is trying to do
the right thing by the motoring
fraternity respects that mans ter
ritory and conducts himself as a
model driver when passing thru
the city, Milwaukee Journal.