Illinois State Trooper Writes Open Letter To Scott’s Law Violators
After two more Illinois State Troopers were injured while conducting a routine traffic stop this weekend, another State Trooper wrote an open letter to Scott's Law violators and those the think the law isn't important.
The officer wrote the open letter as the wife of a trooper and as a mother, not a fellow state trooper.
I’d like to write to you as Tracy. Just Tracy. Not Trooper Tracy, not Mama Bear, just Tracy. I’m going to write this as a wife of a police officer. It’s part of who I am.
She explains the pain and the loss of words after learning two more Illinois State Troopers were struck while conducting a routine traffic stop on the side of a roadway.
I just can’t wrap my head around it. I’m almost at a loss for words and that doesn’t happen often.
She continues by expressing how easy it is to follow Scott's Law; keep your eyes in front of you. It's a subject she was educated people on a regular basis, but not everyone cares. In fact, some people are ignorant of the importance of moving over for emergency vehicles and flashing lights.
... to read comments like “You shouldn’t write tickets then on the side of the road.” and “Stop generating revenue and you wouldn’t be in this position.” and “Find a better spot to stop.” and “Don’t sit on the shoulder then.”
State troopers and other police municipalities don't just write tickets, they are serving.
We handle crashes. We stop to help motorists. We write tickets. We alert drivers of a closed interstate up ahead. We change tires. We provide first aid. We give directions. We wait with drivers that run out of fuel. We don’t sit out there and have lunch and play cards. We don’t hang out on the shoulder for fun. We don’t do it on purpose. We can’t just drive on by. We can’t just say to dispatch, ‘oh, that’s too bad, we can’t help cause it’s a bad spot. Looks like a bad crash. Hope they can scoot to the next exit.’ We are the police. We go. We do. We help.
Officer Tracy then finds the perfect example of personal connection, reminding us who could be receiving assistance on the side of the road.
Move over because that person you’re moving over for may be your sister that’s out of gas. It may be your uncle that has a flat tire. It may be your neighbor that was in a crash. It may be your son that hit a deer. The law includes EVERYONE that is on the shoulder with their hazards on or emergency lights on. It’s ALL of us. It’s all of YOU.
Perhaps one of the more emotional paragraphs from Officer Tracy is when she opens up about her and her husband both being hit while on duty.
Will we keep going to work? Yes. Will we keep writing tickets? Yes. Will we keep responding to crashes? Yes. Will we keep changing tires for motorists if we can? Yes. Will we stop with the people that are broke down and provide emergency lights behind them so they don’t get hit when they are waiting for a tow truck? Yes.
And then, she wraps up the letter reminding drivers where their offices are, almost always on the road.
My message has always been the same, the shoulder of the road is our office. It’s his office. It’s my office. It’s my fellow police officer’s office. It’s where we do our work. Move over, slow down, and proceed with caution when you see a stopped vehicle on the side of the road. Please. I’m begging you.
If this doesn't make you reconsider your driving habits then you may want to give up your right to drive.
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