At Least The Cops Didn’t Have To Drive Far To Take A Statement

Driving in the Philadelphia area can be a very interesting experience, particularly if you’re actually driving in Philly proper. I’ve had my share of “interesting” run-ins with Philly drivers but none bring me up short like those with Philadelphia cops.
One would think that, as duly appointed and comissioned officers of the law, Philly cops would, you know, obey said law. A badge is a deep and abiding responsibility. Philly cops seem to regard their badges as free passes for driving in what amounts to a highly illegal fashion. Philly drivers jump red lights consistently, particularly if they’re turning left across oncoming traffic. Philly drivers change lanes quickly and neglect to inform others of their intentions by means of the turn signals car manufacturers have helpfully installed in all cars. Philly drivers will wait to merge until the very last second, often pantomiming an automobile version of “Despite the presence of at least three signs warning me of this impending merge, two of which were flashing brightly, I didn’t realize that my lane ended! Sorry, I’ve got to cut in front of you in a highly erratic and obnoxious fashion!” Philly drivers will use clearly-marked right-turn lanes to pass a line of cars stopped at a light. If Philly drivers are known for these offenses, Philly cops are known to be even worse, often pulling off the above offenses (among others) only at a greater speed. They will often run red lights, sometimes with lights flashing, but often simply skip that step.
Today I witnessed a bit of “carmic” justice visited upon two members of Philly’s Finest. These two boys in blue were apparently on their way to a call when they decided to run-n-gun the light at Route 1 (Roosevelt Blvd.) and Red Lion Road. The thing is, they were running their lights but not their sirens at rush hour on a bright and sunny day, meaning that it was very difficult for anyone to see them coming. Had they been running their sirens, I’m sure that the green mid-90’s Japanese sedan that accelerated rapidly through the intersection when the light turned green would have stayed put instead of broadsiding the police cruiser. Fortunately, I was in the center set of three southbound lanes (the sedan was in the outer three) and thus the cruiser sped by me just as the light turned green, meaning there was little chance of me hitting them. The cops’ cruiser was spun around so that it faced north and the sedan’s front end was smashed up fairly well, but both cars appeared drivable. I didn’t get to stick around for long, but it looked as if everoyone involved was okay, thank goodness.
Please don’t interpret my statements as ragging on the Philly PD. I know that they’re a hard working bunch who are dealing with a city gov’t. that more often than not will undercut real police efforts while trying to look good for T.V. and I respect the job that they do. They have nothing to do with Mayor Streets idiocies.
But man do they take liberties behind the wheel.
UPDATE: I drove the same route this morning and noticed that I had the location of the accident wrong: it was actually the intersection of Roosevelt Blvd. and Welsh Road.