Speeding cop KIA

The cop wasn't killed by speeding, he was killed by the sudden stop without a seatbelt.

Report: Officer Killed In Crash Was Speeding

BALTIMORE (AP) — An investigative report concludes that a Baltimore police officer who died when his cruiser crashed into the back of a fire truck was speeding.
The report also say Officer Thomas Portz Jr., 32, was probably distracted by a film crew on the opposite side of a highway when he crashed in October.

The report was obtained by The Baltimore Sun under the Public Information Act. It also says Portz was not wearing his seat belt.

According to the report, Portz had been speeding at 71 mph. The speed limit is 50 mph on that portion U.S. 40. Portz was not responding to an emergency call.



Comments

I feel bad for his family but when does a cop not speed?

Agree completely, the police fly up and down the street in front of my house (30mph or more above limit) and when I call to “complain” and ask that they be careful. The police post a car out front for a few days ticketing civilians for doing 10 mph over.

I say “good”, one less distracted driver and speeder off the road. Lucikily he didn’t take others with him, as is so often the case.

I AGREE!!!! The Police Speed alll the time just because they can!! They text and talk on their cell phens while driving !! Better him than my child !!!!

Sorry the young man lost his life, but these young men and women are given far more credit than they deserve, and authority than they can handle, they truly need more seasoned supervision from older staff. Life is not what you see on TV, stop trying to be TV cops. Just do your job.

When was the last time an officer was written up for driving without a seatbelt, talking on a cell phone, or speeding. Yes they do it and sometimes they need to speed to respond to a true emergency. But sometimes they just do it because they can get away with it. It is terrible that the man died. If he would have been wearing his seatbelt he would probably still be alive, even though he was speeding. If he was not speeding but not wearing his seatbelt he probably would have been alive.

Why did WJZ have to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get information on an accident? Portz was not responding to a call as has been written here. Unfortunately, the police cover-up anything involving one of their own. It is unfortunate that this officer was killed, but I’ll bet there were many others killed on the day this officer was killed. There is an industry that has built up on the police cult and they have a vested interested in keeping the this myth of hero. I have a great deal of sympathy to his family and friends, but it doesn’t justify creating a myth around his death. It does no one any good. Does anyone know the name of the sedan driver killed the same day that Chesley was killed in the same type of robbery? Why was the off-duty Chesley a hero and not the sedan driver?

First and foremost, I support the police department. However, when I used to live in Essex, police would fly up and down the backroads of the townhomes there. One evening my neighbors son was almost struck by one of their cars as he went to retrieve a ball for a younger child that had made its way into the road. After seeing this, I asked the cop if he would slow down on the roads. His response, demanding to see my liscence and then hastling me for 10 minutes or so until he gave me my identification back. Ridiculous. I understand there need for speeding when in imminent situations, but it’s the norm with Police Officers. Oh and my father is a retired officer, he would speed each and every time we were in a car. On the occasion he was pulled over, he’d flash his old badge, wink and nod, and the cop would let him go. That is until on one occasion we were in VA and he tried to do the same thing there, the cop there laughed at him and said, speeding is speeding regardless of your badge or title and then handed my father a ticket. Sweet justice, wish there were more Officers like that VA trooper.