On 10/18/2014 2:23 AM, Ashton Crusher wrote:

Colors vary from state to state. AFAIK the only emergency equipment
that seems to have any standardization in light colors is fire
equipment. In AZ it's illegal to have a blue light visible from any
direction, yet I've seen a couple states where they allow volunteer
firemen to drive around with blue lights on the roof. I haven't seen
anything with a green light on it for over 30 years and the one time I
did it was the Indian Police.

You need a red and blue light in AZ
http://www.911signalusa.com/states/arizona.php

In most states the volunteer firemen have a permit for the blue
light. Drivers are not mandated to give them right of way, but they do.
Could be your house burning.

Back about 1960, we had a blue Chevy Impala hardtop. We did the usual
nose/deck thing, put in a bar grill, very popular at the time. To dress
it up, my brother put blue lights behind the grille. The second time he
drove it a policeman explained the lighting laws to him.

On 10/18/2014 8:15 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:



I'm pleased they some what standardized traffic
lights. Would be rough to have to remember in
AZ to stop on blue, and go on orange.


Honey, show me the lavender and I'll stop and the pink will get me going!

On Sat, 18 Oct 2014 09:30:59 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 10/18/2014 2:23 AM, Ashton Crusher wrote:

Colors vary from state to state. AFAIK the only emergency equipment
that seems to have any standardization in light colors is fire
equipment. In AZ it's illegal to have a blue light visible from any
direction, yet I've seen a couple states where they allow volunteer
firemen to drive around with blue lights on the roof. I haven't seen
anything with a green light on it for over 30 years and the one time I
did it was the Indian Police.

You need a red and blue light in AZ
http://www.911signalusa.com/states/arizona.php

In most states the volunteer firemen have a permit for the blue
light. Drivers are not mandated to give them right of way, but they do.
Could be your house burning.

Back about 1960, we had a blue Chevy Impala hardtop. We did the usual
nose/deck thing, put in a bar grill, very popular at the time. To dress
it up, my brother put blue lights behind the grille. The second time he
drove it a policeman explained the lighting laws to him.
Here in Ontario, and most of canada, showing a red light or
reflector to the front is illegal except for emergency vehicles.
Volunteer fire fighters use a green light, service vehicles use amber,
and snow removal use blue. Red and blue together is POLICE ONLY. Red
and white is fire or ambulance, Blue and yellow is highway salter.
sander, or plough..

When we were night rallying, we had a red maplight to protect our
night vision - got pulled over by the cops because they could see red
light from the front. We got off with a warning and a full citation of
the applicable laws - that was 34 years ago so I do not have the
"chapter and verse" We went to a dark amber lens from then on.

On 10/18/2014 9:33 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I'm pleased they some what standardized traffic
lights. Would be rough to have to remember in
AZ to stop on blue, and go on orange.


Honey, show me the lavender and I'll stop and the pink will get me going!


You know, this thread could be a lot of fun.

"red light district" in San Fransicko could be
what, purple for diversity?

New meaning to "he blue the light".

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/18/2014 9:15 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/18/2014 2:08 AM, micky wrote:


And I'm not obsessed.
The only question was whether to tell the police where it was,

The owner is probably dead and rotting in his condo because you did not
report it to the police and maybe have a wellness check done for the owner.


Now, that's a spooky thought. Right in time
for haloween. Hey, that's a neat outfit for
treater, walk around with a tire pump?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/18/2014 9:17 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 10/18/2014 5:12 AM, J Burns wrote:
On 10/18/14, 5:05 AM, J Burns wrote:
A piece of stationary

Uh oh... I meant "stationery." Faulty keyboard.

A piece of paper that does not move?

AM or FM radio station-airy?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/18/2014 9:30 AM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
You need a red and blue light in AZ
http://www.911signalusa.com/states/arizona.php

In most states the volunteer firemen have a permit for the blue
light. Drivers are not mandated to give them right of way, but they do.
Could be your house burning.


I always pull over for blue. Same as you
say, but it also makes the FF feel good.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Sat, 18 Oct 2014 09:33:37 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 10/18/2014 8:15 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:



I'm pleased they some what standardized traffic
lights. Would be rough to have to remember in
AZ to stop on blue, and go on orange.


Honey, show me the lavender and I'll stop and the pink will get me going!

Which is the mauve light? And what does it mean?

On 10/18/2014 10:50 AM, micky wrote:


Honey, show me the lavender and I'll stop and the pink will get me going!

Which is the mauve light? And what does it mean?

Means to vote Democrat in the next election.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

micky wrote:

" It's that my inaction would have a negaitve impact on me. "

Let's explore those feelings a little, shall we?

"micky" wrote in message

stuff snipped

The only crime it might have been was auto theft, and I didn't
contanimate anything. I didn't touch anything but the right rear tire
valve.

Cars are routinely stolen to rob banks, kidnap people, transport drugs, etc.
As a former police reporter I can think of a dozen nefarious reasons why
that car is sitting there. I realize your heart's in the right place and
your experiences with HOAs are guiding your actions but some of us believe
that you are postulating all sorts of *good* things about why the car is
apparently abandoned and ignoring all sorts of *bad* reasons it might be.

There are so MANY reasons to let the cops do

But none that are good.

That's definitely debatable.

their job and so FEW to pump up the tire

I only claim there is one, but it's a very good one. They were going
to tow the car away if I didn't pump up the tire.

Are you sure? Perhaps they would run the plate and knock on the door of the
owner to make sure he/she wasn't lying there with a broken leg, praying that
someone would come and check on them. I know you believe you're doing the
owner a service, but there just aren't enough facts to be sure. It's just
impossible for you or anyone else to tell from what little we know *why*
that car is sitting there with a flat tire.

I suspect what you're doing reflects how *you* would want to be treated if
you had gone on vacation and left the car there, but what if you had fallen
and had been lying on the floor for days? That recently happened to my
ex-boss, FWIW, and that event had very serious consequences for him - he had
to move out of his house to an assisted care facility because he suffered a
series of mini-strokes lying on the floor for four days.

So it's quite natural for our differing experiences to shape our ideas of
what may have happened or might happen. I have recurring nightmares of my
car going missing because of years spent in NYC living with alternate side
of the street parking. If you forgot to wake up before 5AM to move your
car, it got towed. Back then it was expensive and inconvenient and my
friends tell me now it's incredibly expensive and unbelievably inconvenient.
So I get why you acted in the way you did. If you can prevent that from
happening to someone, it's a mitzvah, to be sure. But there are some
gotchas here.

That means possible
damage during the hookup or tow, that the car won't be there when the
owner gets home, that he'll have to pay for the tow and, as of now,
about 4 weeks of storage. That's hundreds of dolllars. Plus a taxi
or a favor from a friend to get to the two lot, which is about 10 mile
from here and would take 3 buses to get there on public transportation.

That certainly could be one scenario, and I'll agree it's likely, especially
since you've been able to determine (unless the cops were shining you on!)
that it was not stolen and that it was already "red tagged." (Maryland cop
speak for a notice of abandonment.)

My problem is that as professional catastrophist, I can postulate a scenario
where having pumped up a tire that's leaking could be a very bad thing.
Maybe it has a nail in it. With you pumping it up (but not actually
inspecting or repairing the tire) the driver may not realize he could be in
danger. If he drives off and hits highway speeds that nail could pop out
and cause a blowout causing him to lose control. How much would your good
deed be worth to him in that case? So get out your jack and tire repair
kit, Micky or plaster a huge note on the car that couldn't be missed, even
at night by someone in a hurry, explaining you've been pumping up the tire.

In my experience, no one would reasonably suspect a good Samaritan would be
pumping up his flat tire. Therefore he would not suspect there was a defect
that needed correcting.

Do you leave you house and car for long periods of time without having a
neighbor or friend collect mail and check on the property? This person
apparently didn't have anyone checking on his car and IMHO, that's stupid if
there are no extenuating circumstances.

Having the car towed (if indeed that even happens from an interaction with
the police) might serve as a valuable lesson not to leave next time without
arranging for someone to check things out while he/she is away.

Ironically, I am sure had this person asked you to check on his vehicle
periodically, you would have because you're willing to pump up his/her tire
so we know you're quite willing to help out your neighbors. The error here
is the car's owner not making those arrangements - if this is a case of
someone traveling and not anything more sinister.

That if he's gone too long, because he's unconscious in a hospital
perhaps, they will eventually sell his car.

There's a legal process for dealing with abandoned vehicles that's designed
to avoid such a problem. It's nice that you're concerned but the best thing
to do would be to contact the police and follow-up on what happens.
Especially if you phrase it as you have done with us. "I think this is a
neighbor that might have taken ill suddenly or had to leave the area without
arranging for a neighbor to monitor his house/car - can you help me?"

The police insisted that they wouldn't do anything unless the car was
stolen, if they came out here. Now you're suggesting they would check
the owner's home address, ring the doorbell, knock on the door, and
break in if he didn't answer.

One person you talked to said that. I can't help but think, like the IRS,
ask a different person and you'll get a different answer. Ask not for whom
the bell tolls, Micky, it tolls for thee. In other words why not undertake
your own investigation and knock on your neighbor's doors indicating your
concern for the owner and asking if anyone knows who owns the car? In for a
penny, in for a pound. I realize that could trigger the very towing process
you're seeking to avoid, but if there's an illness, injury or some other
foul play afoot, it seems like it's the only way to be sure you're actually
helping.

As you've pointed out, there's a lot of variability in police response and
they're highly unlikely to break in (especially on private property) but if
you expressed your concern for his welfare they might knock on his door or
inquire with a neighbor. I know the police have been getting a bad rap
lately, but they're not monsters and a lot of them do see their job as to
"protect and serve."

Even I don't think t hey woudl do that.
Were that their plan, and he was out of town, that's all the more
reason I don't want the police involved.

Police do "welfare checks" all the time. It sounds like you've convinced
yourself they are almost always odious *******s who can't wait to swoop down
and tow a car without lifting a finger to determine if there might be a
reason the car was left with a flat tire and unchecked for days or weeks. I
don't share that opinion and if you expressed that you thought it might be
an elderly neighbor in duress to them, I think they would respond
appropriately, knocking on his door - since they can run his plate and get
his address (and if no answer, a neighbor's) to ascertain his whereabouts
and welfare.

FWIW, by asking to run the plate but refusing to say
where it was you've now placed yourself among the people cops think are
suspicious.

That's why I wanted to stay anonymous.

I hope that you see by wanting to stay anonymous, you've actually made
yourself suspicious. I wouldn't have any concerns about giving my name and
number to the local police when reporting something unusual and have done it
many times. They get "pranked" all the time and are much more likely to
investigate/cooperate/act positively if they have the citizen's information.
And they are much less likely to believe you're a stalker that wants the
driver's information for nefarious reasons. They get that number run by
them all the time which makes them extra cautious - sometimes to the point
of making them seem unconcerned or indifferent.

I'll bet they have your caller ID and have already started
looking around. For you. (-:

I doubt it. My other interactions with the police convince me that they
rarely go to so much trouble.

If your interactions have been like mine, they are incredibly variable
depending on who you talked to, what their workload is for the time your
called, etc. I've had them respond to a suspicious person call in under two
minutes (and make an arrest) whereas other times, they arrived after the
suspect was long gone (hours afterward). It's hard to come up with a
legitimate evaluation of police services based on the interactions of just
one person (yourself, in this case). It's also possible you've gotten onto
their "crank list" and therefore all bets are off. (-:

It's not like TV. Neither number I
called was 911 or an 800 number. They still might have caller id,

You can rest assured that they do. I believe in Baltimore all calls to any
police telephone number for public access are not only caller ID'ed but
recorded.

even in the face of *67, but I'm not worried. If I had yelled at them,
"I'm
not giving you the address so you can screw over the owner," then they
might have pursued me, because they're annoyed, but I'm polite and don't
make accusations.

Perhaps not overt accusations but sometimes even a blind pig finds a
truffle. They might have figured out from your desire to remain anonymous
that you think encounters with them end badly and they will respond
indifferently or worse.

Even though you are polite I think they've pegged you as just a little weird
as in why on earth would you NOT want to give your name, especially, as if
you've theorized, you're doing a good deed for this citizen. By wanting to
remain anonymous, I think it's clear that you believe the interaction will
be negative, not positive, and I strongly believe that's not something you
want to indicate, especially if you want their help in IDing the owner of
the car *without* towing it.

I just hope all your positive suppositions are correct and our negative ones
are wrong. The problem is that the positive interpretations mean perhaps a
costly and annoying tow but the negative ones mean someone may have died
because no one checked on their welfare. You talked about living with
yourself if the guy got towed. Could you live with yourself if you actions
turned out to delay live-saving help from arriving? I'd judge the latter to
be a far less "livable with" situation.

I'd say your next step is to canvas door-to-door like a cop and get the real
story behind this car. I had some moron ride up pretty far onto my property
and put his bike behind my van in my driveway this weekend, then pound on my
door. I was lounging around in my BVDs, and didn't know him so I ignored
him (he was clearly a low-life). So I watched it all on the CCTV and when
he started going into the backyard and walking all around the house I
finally put my pants on and came outside with my taser in my jacket pocket.

I assure you I was pretty ****ed off because he was spending a lot of time
fiddling with something right behind my van that I couldn't quite see from
the angle of the CCTV camera (ordered a new one to get a better view!) I
got especially torqued when he wouldn't leave immediately when I said to
leave my property after saying he was looking for Randy, the name of the
drug-dealing neighbor that lived across the street in Section 8 housing
until the DEA came for him early one morning. Then I *knew* he was a
low-life SOB. It wasn't until I pulled out the cell phone and dialed 911
that he even began to make motions towards leaving. He wanted to know where
Randy went.

I can only imagine how I would feel if I came outside and found him effing
with my tire! Actions like that are very easy to misinterpret even if the
intentions are innocent.

So now it's time to canvas your neighbors who I believe will be helpful and
understand you're trying to be helpful too. I think they'll appreciate that
you'd do them same for them and would be worried about their cars being
damaged if they were towed, especially if the car ended up sitting idle
because of some sort of emergency.

I think you might recall when we had a similar situation in my neighborhood
and the a-hole Iranian living across the street took offense to the next
door neighbor parking his work truck in front of MY house overnight. He
called the parking authority and the city inspectors came along and wrote
everyone on the street up for every infraction they could find. I got
tagged for not having enough pea stone in my unpaved driveway. I mention
that just by way of cautioning your neighbors if they invite the "tow
monster" into their neighborhood, he might do more harm than good.

Just make sure to check for the smell of death as you canvas the
neighborhood looking for the car's owner or someone who knows who owns it.
(-: FWIW, I believe the man suspected of killing Virginia resident Heather
Graham was caught because an astute observer called in his license plate
somewhere in Texas as "not being where he belonged." So even though his car
was not stolen, the plate was flagged as being wanted in connection with an
investigation and certainly could end up being the key to solving one if not
several murders of young women.

--
Bobby G.

On 10/18/14, 10:03 AM, wrote:
Here in Ontario, and most of canada, showing a red light or
reflector to the front is illegal except for emergency vehicles.
Volunteer fire fighters use a green light, service vehicles use amber,
and snow removal use blue. Red and blue together is POLICE ONLY. Red
and white is fire or ambulance, Blue and yellow is highway salter.
sander, or plough..

When we were night rallying, we had a red maplight to protect our
night vision - got pulled over by the cops because they could see red
light from the front. We got off with a warning and a full citation of
the applicable laws - that was 34 years ago so I do not have the
"chapter and verse" We went to a dark amber lens from then on.
Found it... I think...

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90h08_e.htm#BK120

Section 6 (62)
Red light in front
"(15) In addition to the lighting requirements in this Part, a vehicle
described in subsection (15.1) may carry lamps that cast a red light
only or such other colour of light that may, with the approval of the
ministry, be designated by a by-law of the municipality in which the
vehicle is operated, but no other motor vehicle shall carry any lamp
that casts a red light to the front. 1998, c. 35, s. 103."


(Outre les exigences en matière d’éclairage prévues par la présente
partie, un véhicule visé au paragraphe (15.1) peut être muni de feux
émettant une lumière rouge seulement ou une autre couleur qui peut, avec
l’approbation du ministère, être désignée par un règlement municipal
adopté par la municipalité dans laquelle le véhicule est utilisé.
Toutefois, nul autre véhicule automobile ne doit être muni d’un feu
émettant une lumière rouge à l’avant. 1998, chap. 35, art. 103.)

Where is Inspector Clousseau when I need him to translate! I'm
surprised the police officer could see the map light from in front of
the vehicle. I haven't found any restrictions on reflectors.
(Naturally, I would have removed my red tape if I thought it presented a
confusing appearance.)

"micky" wrote in message

Thanks for all the advice. It was interesting to see your views on
this.

So, what's the final outcome of this saga? Did the car's owner ever return?
Was it towed? Are you still pumping up the tire? Whatsup?

--
Bobby G.