Another Trooper Killed?
Why are people driving into ISP troopers? This is like the fifteenth incident of troopers or their cars getting clipped on the highways just this year and the second trooper losing their life:
- Ever since an Illinois state trooper was hit by a car and killed in January near Northbrook — followed by a spate of other crashes into stopped squad cars — officials have been on a campaign to get drivers to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.
Those pleas were repeated again Thursday when, despite recent public awareness efforts by law enforcement, another state trooper died when she was hit by a truck while conducting a traffic stop west of Rockford.
“None of this had to happen,” Illinois State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly said Thursday while announcing the death of Trooper Brooke Jones-Story. “These troopers are just doing their job trying to protect everyone. How many times does this have to happen? How many more have to be hurt or killed?”
Jones-Story, 34, was outside her car about 12:20 p.m. when she was fatally struck in Freeport on U.S. Highway 20 near Illinois Route 75, state police said.
Deepest sympathies to Trooper Jones-Story's family, friends and co-workers.
Labels: officer down
posted by SCC at 12:07 AM
76 Comments:
Folks have places to go, and things to do, and they are in a hurry. Simple as that.
Another sad day for law enforcement. God bless you and your family family. RIP
IL State Police short handed from cuts,...relative working chicago area ready to give up job and join suburban dept ..too many speeders ,not enough troopers on duty
This is insane!
Stop hitting troopers!!
RIP Trooper, God Bless your family and fellow Brothers and Sisters on the ISP and all in law enforcement!
These are dark days to be the police, St Michael the ArchAngel watch over us, guide us and protect us!
Pretty simple answer Il Folks
Don't follow the rules of the road
they lazy boy it in the left lane
also doing 40 plus over the speed limit even faster in construction zones
always have their phones in their hands
Have no regard for moving over a lane when a cop or anyone for that matter is on the shoulder
and in simple terms they are assholes on the road to arrogant to give a shit outside of themselves
I worked FD for 28 years. The reason is DOT's demand for too many lumens required on emergency vehicles. It's mandatory to blind incoming traffic. Same as sirens that bounce off all solid objects. An airhorn will tell you exactly where incoming is.....
Start throwing all these assholes that can’t figure out how to maneuver their vehicles, in prison. Everyone that is negligent that hits and kills a trooper goes to prison. I don’t care how bad you feel, how many tears your family sheds, get in the cell jerkoff. Sorry, daddy isn’t coming home for 10 years, daddy was too fucking dumb to not run over a state trooper with his big giant lights flashing. Learn how to fucking drive it’s not that hard, ridiculous we have to keep seeing this happen because these jag offs. Maybe you start sticking these dickheads in prison for 10+ years, a few of them will start to get it through the heads.
Heart goes out to family. Freeport is home. Was a very nice turn out from law enforcement from all around the area.
Condolences to her family and friends.
We have had too many similar accidents and near fatal accidents here in Minnesota too.
Go back to the high profile, bubble gum lights, they rotated slow and steady and were highly visible!
I honestly believe the low profile light bars blind oncoming traffic and create a hazzard!
Fuck closing roads 4 hours 2 find 2 spent jackets, start writing tickets 4 speeding and all the other bull shit driverr's r doin, very easy, heavy finds 4 all!
Drunk people focus on following tailights
Is there a training issue? It seems too pat to simply say people drive worse
Let’s get that ET list posted and. Congratulate all the news ETs
Folks have places to go, and things to do, and they are in a hurry. Simple as that.
That's a pretty ignorant, insensitive answer under the circumstances my friend
Prayers for the family and the ISP.
RIH TROOPER!
Three simple letters——D.U.I.
I guess texting and other distractions are also factors.
RIP Troop.
Condolences to ISP.
A very bad year already.
That law that says you must not be in the right lane whenever emergency lights are on the shoulder is rarely enforced.
This is sad, and the reason the Troopers are getting killed and injured, the Toopers are short handed and the morons on the highways REFUSE to slow down. ♠️
"" Anonymous Anonymous said...
I worked FD for 28 years. The reason is DOT's demand for too many lumens required on emergency vehicles. It's mandatory to blind incoming traffic. Same as sirens that bounce off all solid objects. An airhorn will tell you exactly where incoming is.....
3/29/2019 01:15:00 AM""
I think its more assholes that just have to get a peak at what the Police are doing. Yaknow? Like on TV? It has nothing to do with "Lumens" or "airhorns". Why else do you think these selfish assholes will congest traffic for miles over a Trooper handing over a ticket?
Not only don't I give them plenty of room but I have no interest in what happened or what they are doing.
Deepest sympathy to the family and prayers for the Trooper. RIP and thanks for your service.
One explanation is that high-speed tailgaters in construction zones is dangerous and no one is enforcing the law against that.
Have to wonder if the state is selling licenses again? But, than again, you don’t need a license, insurance or up to date plates to operate a two ton rocket on any street, expressway or anywhere in Illinois! They refuse to punish anyone for no license, suspended, revoked license or any vehicle offense for that matter. Gee, do they really think that that’s a good thing? No consequences for your actions! Pay a small fine and be on your way, sorry to bother you.... bullshit!
I had a 40 year career on highway construction projects. Several of our workers were hit by errant vehiicles. I believe that in some drivers’ subconscious minds there is a desire to drive into the parked official vehicle which acts like a large magnet. There have been incidents where the highway was completely empty except for the parked vehicle and some unaware driver would drive directly, without braking, into the parked vehicle. Add in the distracted drivers on their cell phones and you have a real problem. I tell my family and friends that may be stopped on the road for some reason to stay in their car or walk very far away, preferably walk far away.
It is a combination of things. There is a general lack of accountability for people actions in society today so drivers feel they can do whatever they want and as someone mentioned above, too many lumens on emergency lights blinds drivers as they are approaching. Even slowing down doesn't always help and many times there is no other lane for drivers to move into.
My condolences to her family and fellow officers.
At 12:42 - exactly right.
I pull over and slow down for vehicles in the breakdown lane. What do cars behind me do? They move into the lane I just left open and pass me in that lane.
Truckers among the worst. Taking up all 4 lanes on the tollway, phones in hands, no use of turn signals. Half can't read traffic signs and are probably still driving on CDLs they paid George Ryan for.
I would love to see some serious enforcement.
On way home from work at 3AM on a 2 lane road cutting through the woods to RT83 I could see police lights ahead,I slowed down and the closer I got to the police the less I could see ,the flashing lights were blinding.At 20 yards I had to crawl past trying to shield my eyes.Is it possible modern emergency lights are too bright?
everybody's texting
Agree. I was driving 55-60 mph on i55 and i90 yesterday. People drive like a f**king video game. Morons passing you to the right and left 20-25 miles over the speed limit! All in a big rush. All in a big hurry. High end cars, junk cars.. plus, human phone—bots. People constantly on the phone while driving 80mph. Selfish , brainless drivers.
It seems like combat duty in the Stan or Iraq is safer by comparison. Crazy.
Some fucking idiot talking head suggested that their emergency lights are too bright. Once again, it's the fucking cops fault
She had stopped a westbound semi truck and was outside of her car. Second westbound truck hit her, her car, the stopped truck, and continued off the road into a field where it caught fire, burned a couple acres of ground. Appeared she was dragged into the field also. Looked like both trucks burned. Massive clouds of black smoke. It's not a busy section of hiway. Inattentive driver?
Sad, but Hellinois Tollways, Expressways, and Highways are full of traffic Law Violators, and ISP rarely does its job stopping and citing these motorists. It is ridiculous that I have to drive 15-20 moh over the Speed Limit, just to keep from being tailgated and cut off by drivers going well over posted speed Limits, not to risk Road Rage by Hotheads who are everywhere. Maybe if ISP would do their jobs more efficiently like this deceasedTrooper was trying to do, the word would get out and things would get back under control on Hellinois Roads. Has anyone seen how many unsafe vehicles are cruising our Highways? They are everywhere, and endanger us all, and seldom if ever are stopped and ticketed. And how many vehicles in our Sanctuary City/State are being driven by Illegal Aliens, who can’t legally drive and can’t drive worth a fuck anyways? You see, what has been going around for years is now coming around. RIP Trooper. Thanks for actually doing the job you were paid to do.
01:15am I believe you are right. These light bars are too blinding. Like moths to a flame.
Other states have laws regarding the safe approach of emergency vehicles on our highways.
Missouri is one state that I know of that rigorously enforces laws that mandate that a vehicle must move to the far lane while approaching ANY emergency vehicle.
You can get ticketed and fined for not accommodating other vehicles during the required lane shift as well.
The ISP ought to move swiftly and aggressively on this.
I strongly believe the new blinding lights are the problem. Bet if you all go back to the less blinding lights the accident rate goes down. Worse in wet highway conditions when there is double light from reflections and for older people with night vision problems and or cataracts. Know this comment flies in the face of logic but it comes from someone who drives about 70,000 miles per year. These comments also pertain to the halogen light bars on a lot of the newer pickups, on a narrow two land you are absolutely driving blind when passing an oncoming car or truck with those type of lights. Thought there were Federal rules on how bright lights can be.
Emergency vehicles have been allowed to have to bright of rear lighting. Moth to a flame scenario. How many of the accidents are at night and involve older drivers or impaired drivers. The stats might tell the story. Tone down the rear lighting and accidents will go down dramatically very quickly.
Object fixation. Some people will focus on those bright lights and drift into them.
Today's drivers suck...unsafe passing, speeding, slow in left lane and driving with bright headlights on. Dim your fucking high beams, asshat! Time for Troopers to start unloading ticket book on these ass swipes.
"The reason is DOT's demand for too many lumens required on emergency vehicles."
I am blinded by modern police and fire vehicle lights. The light is harsh, glaring and too bright. The strobes are a terrible way to indicate location. The old gumball machines and mars lights/rollers did a far better job on most every count.
The glare hides people until you're right up on top of them. I'm very careful because I understand these issues and my bicycling instincts keep me away from car doors that can fling open, but the garden variety person out there simply doesn't know better. They take shortcuts and make assumptions. Every so often that fails.
But the old lights aren't revenue friendly. Need to have these concealed LED strobes to write more revenue generating speeding tickets.
Add these technical problems to five decades of dumbing people down behind the wheel, robotic safety systems, distractions like cell phones, touch screens for car controls that can't be operated by feel, and other nonsense and there ya go.
3/29/2019at 2:33 am.
I moved to Minnesota with a company transfer. One rarely sees Minnesota State Patrol anymore.
I can tell you this, Illinois drivers drive faster and more recklessly, but Minnesota drivers are just more stupid.
May she RIP, we are saying this far to often. Just got back from downstate was doing the limit in right lane being passed by som,e vehicles going so fast my car actually shook, had to be doing over 100, the troopers have a job that is getting incredibly hard. Maybe the troopers should be issued semi trucks when they pull assholes over, that was the protection afforded by these large vehicles would help protect them, I know crazy idea but something has to be done.
Attention public pay attention, get off the dam phone,stop texting, soon the troopers will be doing more "wolf-packs," which is multiple troopers together and no bullshit when your stopped, if your way to fast hoping you are arrested and your vehicle impounded 1 trooper hurt is to many,and 2 have died just doing their jobs.
CPD if your working near the expressways and if you see a trooper with someone stopped how about joining them on that deadly highway get behind them maybe about 10 car lengths back lights on God willing this will help get them noticed,and the morons will pay some more attention. Godspeed to this trooper!
Poor girl and her poor family. Truly sad and bummed about this.
Anonymous said...
I worked FD for 28 years. The reason is DOT's demand for too many lumens required on emergency vehicles. It's mandatory to blind incoming traffic. Same as sirens that bounce off all solid objects. An airhorn will tell you exactly where incoming is.....
3/29/2019 01:15:00 AM
There is some truth to this. Its very hard to look into those lights. I hope people arent blinded by them and looking away slightly. They are painful to look at. Rest in peace Trooper.
Many distractions, majority of drivers looking at their phones. I’m sure that legalizing marijuana doesn’t help anything either.
All Respect and Sympathy to Trooper Jones-Story and her family.
Too many of these accidents involve trucks. Is the Third World truckers' CDL bazaar open again at the SOS? Should Jesse follow George to Club Fed? C'mon, G, lives are at stake!
Many of the new light bars have day and night settings. Using the daytime setting at night will blind anyone. The people speeding is one thing, but a bigger problem is people thinking they're better drivers than they are.
It's the dumbing down of the public in general, and that includes the motoring public. Everything is too easy. When is the last time you had to re-take a written driver's test? Or a road test? It was in the 70's for me.
I remember long ago intersections with one stop light or stop sign facing oncoming traffic. Police cars had one big Federal rotator in the middle of the roof. Now you have multiple signs and signals at intersections, and emergency vehicles are literally equipped with light shows. And it seem we have more crashes at intersections and more emergency vehicles getting hit. Doesn't make sense.
I used to love riding my motorcycle. I won't buy one anymore. I just don't feel safe. I had people tell me when I was on the job (who pulled out or forced me off the road) that they didn't see me. And it was daytime in a fully marked SUV.
God bless you and your family Trooper.
Retired ISP
It's time for every Illinois law enforcement agency issuing traffic tickets to step up enforcement. Start writing "movers" like the world is ending. The third "E" of traffic safety is Enforcement. We've done Education (driver's education and public service announcements). We've done Engineering...cars and highways have improved safety designs over the years. Now it's time to b-slap...sorry, Enforce Illinois traffic laws on those drugged, drunk, distracted, stupid, and ignorant people who make the roads in Illinois so dangerous. Expressways, tollways, surface streets. Hit them hard, officers. Hit them from one end of the State to the other. It's your lives, your loved ones lives, and the lives of innocents at risk every day. City, County, Municipal, College/University, SOSPD. Press hard, you are making 4 copies of that Uniform Citation and Complaint. It's zero tolerance time.
May be its smarter to pull cars after the off ramp.
What do i know i failed the trooper test.
No obeying of laws, changing lanes, no respect for passing lanes, texting, sleeping, having lunch, having sex, no idea how to drive, blind, drunk, high, no arms/legs, letting the kids drive, letting the dog drive, reading a 1000 page fine print book, vacumming back of car. The list is endless. Americans think driving is like sitting at home on a lazy boy. Anybody can get a DL in US, not in Europe.
Sadly, we have no regards for life and DLs are given to anyone dead or alive.
Suggestion:
Public announcement:
If you see a police/1st responders/disabled vehichle change lanes, if not face mandatory 10,000 fine and 10 years in jail if you hit stranded/stopped vehicle.
No pleading with the public just jail and fine will stop these demented idiots on the road
Many prayers to the Officer. May G d have you in his arms
Gotta race to the red light so they can update their status.
RIP BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN BLUE
If Kansas City is any indication, I'd say the problem is cell phones and the thing the Kansas Highway Patrol has for stopping cars in bad spots at the height of rush hour.
I suggested to my state rep that, with proper safeguards, texting and driving should be punishable with a 15-day license suspension for a first offense.
RIP Trooper Jones.
Anonymous said...
Heart goes out to family. Freeport is home. Was a very nice turn out from law enforcement from all around the area.
3/29/2019 01:45:00 AM
-----------------------------------------------
I use to live in Freeport; the Police, State's Attorney and the ISP on 20 were the best. Then again they didn't have to put up with the Chicago/Crook County pols.
They all got support from both the residents and powers that be.
A heart wrenching tragedy once again...
***
Television commercials for cars, Dodge Challenger for example-demonstrate ridiculous horsepower and reckless driving.
Why are cars able to reach such excessive speeds in the first place?
Drivers can’t be trusted...
Retired, 30+
Years ago their was a GO that if you had a traffic stop on any expressway you would not use your Mars Lights (I presume that the term "Mars Light" is no longer used). I was only in traffic for 3 months but I was told by the old timers that drivers would become mesmerized by the rear tail lights and drive into the rear of the squad car.
Truth be told working the expressway is one of the most dangerous jobs I had and I had just transferred out of 015.
Thats it...new sog. When these troopers pull people over 20 yards east or west off the roadway with the driver. These newb drivers do not give a ÷>=>(.
Trooper’s job ain’t worth even at 200k/yr, it just ain’t. No back up for miles. Cars flying 70+ mph inches from you. It takes a special person to accept that risk. Sorry for your loss ISP. All coppers stay safe.
On way home from work at 3AM on a 2 lane road cutting through the woods to RT83 I could see police lights ahead,I slowed down and the closer I got to the police the less I could see ,the flashing lights were blinding.At 20 yards I had to crawl past trying to shield my eyes.Is it possible modern emergency lights are too bright?
*
THIS^. Look in your rear view mirror next time you’re stopped in traffic. The driver behind you is 100% blinded by the squad car brake lights. It’s to a point where have to block the strong light with their hands. I can’t even imagine how bright all the colors are on ISP’s cars. Try operating a car with a flashing pointed toward your face.
Put down the phones!
0551am. Real classy posting... not the place...my condolences to the officers family and friends
Target fixation is a real thing. You go where you look. I teach this in every MSF class...with Harley Davidson or the State of Illinois. People stare at these bright lights and drive right into them, like a moth to a lightbulb. Some one above my pay grade needs to jump on a way to mount those bright LED’s to keep them visible from a distance and yet out of your direct line of sight as you get closer.
Anonymous said...
Is there a training issue? It seems too pat to simply say people drive worse
3/29/2019 05:11:00 AM
Right. Why would anyone say people drive worse when they rear end a squad car with the emergency lights activated when making a traffic stop. Not to mention what is it, 13 or 18 ISP have been struck making traffic stops since the beginning of the year
It's so tragic that this young Trooper was lost. Prayers for her family, friends and fellow ISP Troopers. St. Michael please watch over our Troopers and Police.
I agree with some of the other posts about the emergency lights. These LEDs are too bright and there are too many of them on the cars. The strobe effect may be mesmerizing drivers to a degree, just like it can cause a reaction to an epileptic or someone who is autistic. I know when I see an ISP car on a stop you can see their lights miles away and as you get closer it's harder to see the squad itself, especially at night. It's just something I've been thinking about.
Years ago their was a GO that if you had a traffic stop on any expressway you would not use your Mars Lights (I presume that the term "Mars Light" is no longer used). I was only in traffic for 3 months but I was told by the old timers that drivers would become mesmerized by the rear tail lights and drive into the rear of the squad car.
Truth be told working the expressway is one of the most dangerous jobs I had and I had just transferred out of 015.
You're right. I remember they taught us that once the car stopped, turn off the blue lights and leave only the hazard flashers on. That's why the hazard flashers were ties to the lights on the roof.
Today's expressways and highways are NOT designed for emergency stopping or even vehicle breakdowns. Your life is at risk.
It's the dumbing down of the public in general, and that includes the motoring public.
And what is really scary is that the State is pushing for recreational pot.
Bunch of stoned snowflakes Twittering while driving.....doesn't bode well.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Sad, but Hellinois Tollways, Expressways, and Highways are full of traffic Law Violators, and ISP rarely does its job stopping and citing these motorists. It is ridiculous that I have to drive 15-20 moh over the Speed Limit, just to keep from being tailgated and cut off by drivers going well over posted speed Limits, not to risk Road Rage by Hotheads who are everywhere. Maybe if ISP would do their jobs more efficiently like this deceasedTrooper was trying to do, the word would get out and things would get back under control on Hellinois Roads. Has anyone seen how many unsafe vehicles are cruising our Highways? They are everywhere, and endanger us all, and seldom if ever are stopped and ticketed. And how many vehicles in our Sanctuary City/State are being driven by Illegal Aliens, who can’t legally drive and can’t drive worth a fuck anyways? You see, what has been going around for years is now coming around. RIP Trooper. Thanks for actually doing the job you were paid to do.
3/29/2019 09:44:00 AM
Of course you’ll be the first POS to bitch when taxes are raised to pay for more classes for the ISP. GFY!
Sincerely,
ISP Troop
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I agree with some of the other posts about the emergency lights. These LEDs are too bright and there are too many of them on the cars. The strobe effect may be mesmerizing drivers to a degree, just like it can cause a reaction to an epileptic or someone who is autistic. I know when I see an ISP car on a stop you can see their lights miles away and as you get closer it's harder to see the squad itself, especially at night. It's just something I've been thinking about.
3/30/2019 07:14:00 AM
Here is a novel fucking idea, how about you MOVE away from the fucking lights even if you can’t see the car. The lights are attached to the car you retard.
Of course you’ll be the first POS to bitch when taxes are raised to pay for more classes for the ISP. GFY!
Sincerely,
ISP Troop
3/30/2019 04:53:00 PM
There is plenty of Tax Dollars for ISP and other Illinois Police and Fire Agencies. The problem is the Democrats hate Public Safety and would rather buy votes by sponsoring Sanctuary Cities and States, and handing out Taxpayer Dollars to all the wrong causes for normal stuff, and pass out tax dollars to anything Liberal that will get them future votes. They basically buy votes for themselves with our Tax Dollars to gain political power, by pandering to all this Leftist Lunacy, than to spend our tax dollars on the things that we need that are important, like Law Enforcement issues. New Governor JB Jelly Belly will be even worse than RINO Rauner. The State needs a CONSERVATIVE Governor for a change. If this keeps up, soon we won't have a State anymore.
The State needs a CONSERVATIVE Governor for a change. If this keeps up, soon we won't have a State anymore.
You could have Christ come off the cross and be your next Governor, but with Mike Madigan still there, NOTHING WILL CHANGE.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I agree with some of the other posts about the emergency lights. These LEDs are too bright and there are too many of them on the cars. The strobe effect may be mesmerizing drivers to a degree, just like it can cause a reaction to an epileptic or someone who is autistic. I know when I see an ISP car on a stop you can see their lights miles away and as you get closer it's harder to see the squad itself, especially at night. It's just something I've been thinking about.
3/30/2019 07:14:00 AM
Here is a novel fucking idea, how about you MOVE away from the fucking lights even if you can’t see the car. The lights are attached to the car you retard.
3/30/2019 04:55:00 PM
Couldn’t agree more. Probably 1,000 or more drivers did just fine and for all these years the ISP lights didn’t mesmerize the other drivers. Some people are just bad drivers or distracted. Also each of the accidents were different. One was head on, two were during traffic stops with one being a truck and the other a car. Maybe truck driver on road to long or fell asleep. No common cause so how do you stop these kinds of incidents?
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