Do cops really respond when you call in drunk drivers?

[Kodos]

Over the years, I have called in probably half a dozen drunk drivers, but I've never witnessed one of those people getting pulled over. Does anyone know if police tend to respond to calls about drunk drivers?

[stevew]

I've never seen it happen when I called. But this one fuck called me in for some reason, then tailed me for 8 miles(I am paranoid cause I carry around pharmacy drugs). I kept trying to get him to pass me so I was undoubtedly driving way erratic as hell by that point. Finally a cop flies out, tails me for a mile or two and then drives off. I guess it does happen, even if you're stone cold sober.

I almost called in the other driver cause they were acting so weird. I could no get the car to pass me, and at one point was probably going half of the speed limit. It stopped 15-20 car lengths behind me at a light too.

[SirFozzie]

They responded to when we called the drunk driver a few years ago.

Unfortunately, she had already hit our car by that time :P

[molson]

Absolutely. They don't always get to there area in time, depending on where it is in the country and what kind of coverage they have there. Kind of like in stevew's situation though, a call alone usually isn't going to be enough reasonable suspicion to pull someone over, but the cops will tail them for a while and look for something. When I prosecuted, a good chunk of DUI's started with 911 calls - maybe 10%. Most cops like to pursue drunk drivers if they can, it's a pretty standardized, efficient process to get them off the road and arrest them, so you really feel like you're doing something practical and immediate to help the public.

[EagleFan]

I called one person in once. Followed him for a while. The a-hole kept slowing down so I slowed down. Then at a lights I made sure that I stayed about 20 car lengths back. You never know what someone may do.

I followed him for about 8 miles to make sure he didn't hit anyone. Then the cop shows up, follows him for a mile or so and pulls away.

Pissed me off I tell ya...

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I called one person in once. Followed him for a while. The a-hole kept slowing down so I slowed down. Then at a lights I made sure that I stayed about 20 car lengths back. You never know what someone may do.

I followed him for about 8 miles to make sure he didn't hit anyone. Then the cop shows up, follows him for a mile or so and pulls away.

Pissed me off I tell ya...

Well Played

[Mustang]

Probably depends on the city/region, time of night and if they have someone in the area.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I called one person in once. Followed him for a while. The a-hole kept slowing down so I slowed down. Then at a lights I made sure that I stayed about 20 car lengths back. You never know what someone may do.

I followed him for about 8 miles to make sure he didn't hit anyone. Then the cop shows up, follows him for a mile or so and pulls away.

Pissed me off I tell ya...

Bravo sir.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I called one person in once. Followed him for a while. The a-hole kept slowing down so I slowed down. Then at a lights I made sure that I stayed about 20 car lengths back. You never know what someone may do.

I followed him for about 8 miles to make sure he didn't hit anyone. Then the cop shows up, follows him for a mile or so and pulls away.

Pissed me off I tell ya...

Cheers to you, sir.

[illinifan999]

Here's what happens when someone calls in a drunk in my city.

Dispatch puts out a tone, lets us know it's a RAID (Report All Intoxicated Drivers) BOL (Be on lookout) followed by a description of the vehicle, description of the driver if they have it, direction of travel, and any miscellaneous information they get from the caller (why the person thinks they're drunk). In some cases, they'll dispatch a unit if there's one free. If the vehicle is found, then the officer has to witness something in order to pull them over. I'd say around 50% of the time, the caller is right, the other half the person is lost, talking on a cellphone, or just a plain bad driver.

Edit: And we rarely have units free because we're so undermanned which is a problem at a lot of departments across the country.

[spleen1015]

The one time my wife called someone in, they were pulled over.

[Joe]

Fucking snitches.

[fantom1979]

I have never called in a drunk driver. I have just always assumed that the police probably cannot respond in time. Not a knock against the police, its just that most cities around here are at most 6 miles across. If the drunk is driving straight across the city, the cop probably has less than 15 minutes to locate and observe the driver.

[Uncle Briggs]

If you're serious about it, and the dispatch center will let you, stay on the phone for as long as you can see the car. Even if you give a perfect description, if you then just hang up, the area that car could be in will be huge, even with a response time of just a couple of minutes. Finding it will be mostly luck. If you can stay on the phone and give current information the chances of stopping the car are greatly increased.

If you really want to go all the way, be willing to give a written statement about how you saw the guy drive. It's hard for a judge to disregard the word of some concerned citizen.

[Kodos]

We were on the highway, so we gave him the cars location, direction of travel, and license plate. Hopefully they caught him.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Joe

Fucking snitches.

I believe the term you are looking for is "responsible citizens".

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I called in one Described why & the direction. A few min later I see a cop turn the corner to the direction he's going & haul ass.

Why did I call? I worked at a gas station. This guy comes in with blood all over his shirt. Says "They kicked my ass. (his ass had been kicked. it was quite apparent.) He was so drunk he couldn't put the pump into the car. Was spilling gas all over the trunk & ground. I had to run out of the station to stop him when I saw him then try and light a cigarette while standing in a puddle of gas. As he left I was on the phone.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

Was spilling gas all over the trunk & ground. I had to run out of the station to stop him when I saw him then try and light a cigarette while standing in a puddle of gas. As he left I was on the phone.

I would have been tempted to take cover and just let it happen.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Uncle Briggs

If you're serious about it, and the dispatch center will let you, stay on the phone for as long as you can see the car. Even if you give a perfect description, if you then just hang up, the area that car could be in will be huge, even with a response time of just a couple of minutes. Finding it will be mostly luck. If you can stay on the phone and give current information the chances of stopping the car are greatly increased.

If you really want to go all the way, be willing to give a written statement about how you saw the guy drive. It's hard for a judge to disregard the word of some concerned citizen.

In my mind I see this scenario happening. A cop car closes in from the distance. The person on the phone starts to pull aside to let the cop through to the drunk driver. The cop instead pulls over the guy on the phone for talking on his cell phone while driving.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

I called one person in once. Followed him for a while. The a-hole kept slowing down so I slowed down. Then at a lights I made sure that I stayed about 20 car lengths back. You never know what someone may do.

I followed him for about 8 miles to make sure he didn't hit anyone. Then the cop shows up, follows him for a mile or so and pulls away.

Pissed me off I tell ya...

You should have just shot him and claimed self defense. Works in Florida.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

You should have just shot him and claimed self defense. Works in Florida.

You know, that is probably true. Isnt that the way the law is written? You feel like you are in mortal danger and needed to stop the person. Drive by and shoot him. But do it somewhere desolate, so they dont hit anything. Then wait for the toxocolgy report. Problem solved.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by tarcone

You know, that is probably true. Isnt that the way the law is written? You feel like you are in mortal danger and needed to stop the person. Drive by and shoot him. But do it somewhere desolate, so they dont hit anything. Then wait for the toxocolgy report. Problem solved.

Sweet! I am so moving to Florida!!!! Lock and load!

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

You should have just shot him and claimed self defense. Works in Florida.

But what if I decided to stand my ground first.

[Noop]

Florida has become such a joke. I am proud that I am from Miami and Florida but damn it is hard to be the butt of some many jokes (rightfully deserved).

[Rizon]

I worked with a girl once that got pulled over because someone called the Highway Patrol to report her smoking marijuana in her car. She was actually smoking a cigarette.