ELLSWORTH, Maine — An Ellsworth police cruiser had minor damage Saturday evening while an officer was attempting to make a traffic stop. There were no injuries in the fender bender.
Officer Troy Bires was stopped at the traffic light on Myrick Street near the entrance to Home Depot after 6 p.m. when he observed a traffic violation. The traffic signal apparently turned green while Bires was reaching to activate the lights on his cruiser. He then started to move forward but struck the rear end of the truck that was stopped in front of him, according to a police report.
The driver of the pickup truck said he did not move when the light turned green because he expected the cruiser to go around him, the report stated. Bires’ police cruiser — a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria — had an estimated $750 in damage but was still drivable, Lt. Harold Page said Monday.
There was no reportable damage to the pickup truck.
Green does not always mean give her ell.
Amazing sitting at green lights while they finish running the red ones and nothing is done about it. Too bad the money didn’t go to the town where the offense took place instead of Augusta. It pays for your officers and in the summer, much more. It is our police doing the work, the town should get the fine.
GREEN, GREEN,GREEN ! GIVE ER SOME !
Crap happens. Move on and be happy no one got hurt. Anything past that and it’s just whining and a temper tantrum.
Distracted driving…….He is going to have a hard time busting anyone for that after today.
His distraction was someone making a violation. Nothing like a Cop or Firmans story to bring the idiots out!
Ironic that you point out he was distracted then proceed to call people idiots when they point it out…..Apparently this is pertinent to the story.
“The traffic signal apparently turned green while Bires was reaching to activate the lights on his cruiser.”
To me this suggests he was distracted……Not a criticism of the officer just an observation.
My point is, it is not the same as texting and driving as a “distraction”. This is his job.. it really is not a “distraction”. He saw a violation, turned on his lights, they car in front of him didn’t move. I agree it is the officer’s fault, just don’t call it distracted driving. If this happens to an EMT of Fireman doing their job reaching for their lights/siren would everyone be making these comments. These guys and gals put themselves in harms way to make life safer for the rest of us and look how they get repaid…. jerks making jokes about them.
Driver of said pickup truck needs to revisit a driver’s education manual.
sounds like the cop needs to go back to driving school also you are supposed to watch traffic where you are driving.
i dunno i’ve seen cop cars do exactly what the guy was thinking the cop was going to do
If the article is correct the driver sat at a green light before the officer turned on his overheads.
The driver of the pickup should have proceeded forward and once the officer did turn on his overheads the pickup driver by law is supposed to move to the right and stop.
It doesn’t actually say he sat at the light, it just says the light turned green as he went for the lights. It is feasible that the light turned green as he flipped the switch and the driver seeing the cruiser’s lights going from a split second delay in reaction stopped and the officer seeing the light turn green as he looks back from the switch reacts and goes. Just saying it’s possible. That spot by home depot doesn’t have more than a foot to pull over if memory serves.
From the article: “””The driver of the pickup truck said he did not move when the light turned green”””
What is so hard to understand about that?
But that was under the expectation of the cop going around as they often do at a light when you can’t pull over. Do you not find it possible that the circumstances might of lined up just right so that the light and the cruisers lights went on in such a close proximity, that the driver saw the cruiser’s lights go off as the light changed and thus didn’t move upon the expectation that a cruiser would go around in a spot where there is little to no room to pull over. It is a very feasible situation, and in some instances a fender bender at a light happens in much the same way if the guy up front lingers at the light for a second and the guy behind him isn’t paying attention.
Enos! This is your superior officer RosCOOOOOOOOO P. Coltrane!
OOOOOOH! I’m in “Hot Pursuit!”
“when he observed a traffic violation…” ANd, what about the violator… Got Away Clean!!!
super trooper too many beers should have been looking before moving!
First off, the officer was an Ellsworth Officer not a trooper and do you really think an officer in uniform is drinking, your a real genius!
sure uniform officers drink have you ever seen the moive SUPER TROOPERS and thanks
I had an experience several years ago in which I was pulled over on a Friday night, on High Street near McDonalds, for no apparent reason. The young officer pulled up behind me and came over to my driver’s window, and was asking me for my id, when all of a sudden I felt a strong bump. His SUV was left in gear, and it rolled forward and bumped my rear bumper. He was very flustered. He had to call another officer to come and fill out the report. There was no damage. Wife was in her car, and had pulled over about 100 feet ahead of me, to wait, and saw the whole thing. We laughed about it later.