Reloading of Agressive Chasing Era Begins

[Paul Lemery]

There is none, your prize is either a destroyed vehicle, serious injury, or death. Obviously some newer people nowadays have no problem with any of these outcomes (which I guess is okay because it is your life, but kinda crappy thing to put your family and friends through).

It honestly wouldn't surprise me in the coming years if LEO started just pulling more people over for being chasers. I've heard of this happening in Kansas, them writing tickets for less than 5 mph over for being a chaser. No cop will tell you this, but storm chasers are not very well liked in Kansas. I don't think any official law will be handed down ever because it is impossible to enforce. However I could see it to a point where if folks try to go around cops or resist, they get arrested and taken to jail during a chase. I know someone on the DDC day who got a $550 ticket for going around a cop. It's pretty much already going on in a lot of places.

I'm thankful here in IL/IA, storm chasers are still treated like a staple and most cops don't seem to have issue. In fact during the March 28, 2020 MDT risk event, I had a county cop help us get through a muddy road by escorting us and ended up asking questions about the warnings and where the storms were headed.

I've been chasing since the 80's, live in Kansas and my son is a cop. I can tell you that I have never heard of any incidents of a Kansas police officer making an example of any chaser for a minor or no infraction. Mostly, if you are not a jerk to them or doing something seriously illegal, they will just ask you what you think will happen weather-wise, tip their hat and say, "have a nice day".

I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but obeying traffic laws and being respectful is pretty much all they ask for.

 

[Jason N]

So far in the time that I have chased out west (primarily west of I-35 and East of I-25), I haven't experienced any issues with state patrols or small-town cops. Granted I think this is because my style of chasing revolves around not falling behind, taking calculated risks on storms that may or may not produce by advanced positioning and just letting things pan out as they will, and knowing that I am there to enjoy the entirety of what I am there to do.

I think the lion share of traffic offenders are not chasers with actual meteorological backgrounds, (it's presumptuous, with no facts), but more likely the like and subscribe crowd chasers looking for that shot that gets paid for by bigger networks or supports their algorithm and monetary benefit, which means fighting for the MOST intense shots, increasing the pressure of chasers to speed up, pushing people out of the way and upping the risks, but in SOME of those moments, I have personally witnessed cops rolling with some chasers head long into some dangerous situations knowing full well that multiple traffic laws get pushed aside. I think if they see its "helping" notify, they allow it. but if it's not imminently helping the community then yeah, I could see cops going after people, especially during the "transit" portion of the chase. But I agree with the above comment for the most part about cops asking questions and generally being appreciative from what I have experienced.

 

[Ethan Schisler]

I've been chasing since the 80's, live in Kansas and my son is a cop. I can tell you that I have never heard of any incidents of a Kansas police officer making an example of any chaser for a minor or no infraction. Mostly, if you are not a jerk to them or doing something seriously illegal, they will just ask you what you think will happen weather-wise, tip their hat and say, "have a nice day".

I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but obeying traffic laws and being respectful is pretty much all they ask for.

I won't list them here, but I know of a few people who have been given tickets for just having chase equipment in their car. In 2012 I got pulled over in Iowa for doing 71 in a 70 mph zone (I was passing a semi who was kicking rocks at me) and got a $175 ticket because "my vehicle had a laptop in it and looks suspicious". The cop cited the fact that he "does not like storm chasers coming through his county
and he was writing me a ticket for having a laptop in my car but wrote down I was speeding (wtf). This is a prime example of why I don't trust the police system at all.

To me that is enough to warrant the whole "against chasers" type of thing as I've seen/heard about it happening before. I've heard several other accounts from other people as well getting stung for very very petty offenses and I reckon if they were not chasers, they probably would have been let off.

I'm not a person who speeds either or really breaks any laws while driving, the most I'll go over is 5 mph over the limit. I had an awful accident back in 2015, so I generally don't push the envelope (someone was texting and driving and hit me at 75 mph while I was parked). Again this is all speculation, really a police officer can give you a ticket or pull you over and its their word against yours at the end of the day...not much you can do about it...

Yes I have had encounters of police just wanting to see what the weather was doing, helped me several times, even allowed me into hurricane areas that I probably shouldn't have been. However it is these few negative interactions against those on power trips that have completely soured it for me.

 

[Jason N]

Maybe we should make a Waze Layer for counties with dodgy county cops, because I could see that happening in some locations even though I have yet to experience it for myself, and I would rather not have that encounter, if at all possible, thank you! lol

 

[Brian R.]

I have dealt with cops who likely shouldn't be the police, who instantly want to search the vehicle and think they have the right to ask all kinds of stupid questions, like why do you have a laptop mounted in the vehicle, why do you have so many emergency lights, and radio equipment, and why must you make your vehicle look like an official emergency vehicle, and being former police.... I'll let them play their game until they ask permission to search the vehicle, then out comes "better have a warrant" and start showing them my retired police star, and start showing certificates such as the ham radio and gmrs license, basic and advanced Skywarn certificates, the FEMA ICS 100,200,700,800 certificates, my local ARES/RACES member ID, My CERT ID card, and they usually lose the attitude disfunction and start asking how bad it is going to get and where it may be, and like the belvedere Illinois tornado last spring end up asking me to assist with blocking roads and helping with SAR if need be, and usually end up apologizing for their earlier attitude disfunction.

 

[Jason N]

I have dealt with cops who likely shouldn't be the police, who instantly want to search the vehicle and think they have the right to ask all kinds of stupid questions, like why do you have a laptop mounted in the vehicle, why do you have so many emergency lights, and radio equipment, and why must you make your vehicle look like an official emergency vehicle, and being former police.... I'll let them play their game until they ask permission to search the vehicle, then out comes "better have a warrant" and start showing them my retired police star, and start showing certificates such as the ham radio and gmrs license, basic and advanced Skywarn certificates, the FEMA ICS 100,200,700,800 certificates, my local ARES/RACES member ID, My CERT ID card, and they usually lose the attitude disfunction and start asking how bad it is going to get and where it may be, and like the belvedere Illinois tornado last spring end up asking me to assist with blocking roads and helping with SAR if need be, and usually end up apologizing for their earlier attitude disfunction.

Yikes, when and where have you experienced that and was it county, city or state?. I don't carry any of my licenses usually since I don't bring all that gear when I fly into town to chase. I don't have/need a lot as it is.

 

[Brian R.]

It was a county deputy who was probably only on the job a few months on his own, I keep copies of my certs in my truck just because I believe in stopping and assisting if I come across destroyed structures or houses and in some cases it prevents conflicts with authorities for being in severely damaged areas especially if it is not in my own immediate area.

 

[Jason N]

I keep the Medical, Combat life saver stuff handy just in case of that situation, no radio stuff. These days, as much as many of us have a desire to stop and help, communicating is just as important to location, time, a 9 Line if you will, to get help to a location is the best many can do. actually, assisting in trauma circumstance is a somewhat tough moral dilemma at times, under certain situations and locations. Liability lawsuits happen. I have learned when and when not to treat and it's a fine line at times, cause you hate to see anyone suffer. Generally, Good Samaritan has some protections, but not always. in the moment, people don't always consider it, just help, which is testament to the human condition.

 

[Brian R.]

That is something I need to think about doing, take an updated refresher first aid/cpr course. However the Good Samaritan laws are still protection in Illinois, however wonder for how long since our lovely governor passed the safe-t-act, which most of us say should be called the unsafe-t-act, as crime such as robberies, car jackings, and especially in the city of Chicago shootings have jumped majorly since most offenses are not detainable any more including aggravated assault and even arson.