The Irony of Policing

This is hardly original thought, but it occurred to me this morning that there is irony in policemen pulling people over for speeding. In order for the officer to catch up to the offender, he must exceed the speed limit himself. In fact, the immutable laws of speed and acceleration tell us the officer must, in fact, drive faster than the person he’s trying to catch.
Does the law allow this? It must. Certainly no officer would knowingly violate the law he is sworn to uphold. The city police are determined these days to crack down on inpatient scofflaws on the north-south interstate highway in our city. They’re out there in sedans and on motorcycles pointing their little radar guns at everyone who drives by. Frankly, I’m happy about it. This is I-49, not the Autobahn. Since my son drives that road every day, I see the guys in the mirror sunglasses keeping him honest and safe. He’s noticed them out there, and so he’s driving more slowly, I can only presume.
This brings us to his recent brush with the law. He was on the same highway, except about an hour south, when he was caught speeding. The officer wrote him a ticket for driving 88 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone. I wonder how fast the guy had to drive to catch up to him, 95, 100? Again, there’s the irony.
The justice system has a way of lulling you into a false sense of security. Just when we thought he might have fallen through the cracks, a summons arrived in the mail. He and his Great 88 escapade have to go to juvenile court.
Frankly, I’m hoping the judge makes him work or take a class or something. Any fine doesn’t punish the kid, it punishes the parents. We’ll pay the fine and the increased insurance premiums. He doesn’t have any money. He doesn’t have a job.
I am confident that His Honor has done this before. The summons says a parent has to appear. Maybe we will get a chance to speak. We’re both going, and I’m thinking of dragging two or three grandparents and maybe a parish priest along for good measure. I’m not trying to demonstrate that we’re praying for him (we are, but that’s beside the point), I’d just like everyone to know the kid is being held accountable by several levels of Higher Order.
Upon reflection, though, that seems like overkill. We’ll stand before the judge and accept whatever fate jurisprudence hands us.
As long as we’re contemplating irony, I feel compelled to point out that on the same weekend he got the ticket he got in significant trouble at church camp. He was, in fact, driving home from a diocesan youth event. This is a kid who is seriously contemplating the priesthood as a lifetime commitment, so much so that’s he has met with the bishop about what direction to take. The bishop caught wind of his “lost weekend” and sat him down in a closed-door meeting last week to let him know what he thought about it all.
I know my son was worried about that meeting, but it was a warm, fuzzy positive thing. I’m not so sure that’s how it will go with the juvy judge.

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