What is the Definition of Proactive Policing?

Proactive Policing is basically an anti-look-at-me-and-do-what-i-say mentality where officers work with the community in a more positive approach rather than a dictatorship approach.

According to this article, where police aggressively conduct needs analyses and work with citizens and social service groups to contain crime-breeding situations, street crime rates drop, often dramatically. Similarly, where alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation, arbitration, and offender-victim conferencing are substituted for adversarial court proceedings to handle the majority of cases--crimes involving people who know one another--victims and community are compensated by offenders who are simultaneously reclaimed through community-developed programs, curtailing future crime.

Proactive Policing is more of a standard in the UK where under Tony Blair's recent "RESPECT" agenda he wants to see more and higher on the spot fines, WITHOUT CHARGES, for behaviour deemed to be anti-social, that involves dropping litter and spitting. Under the Respect program, Blair also wants to see families evicted and have all benefits cut if they are deemed to be "a nuisance".

It's looked at a bit negatively in this article, saying that:

"Police are increasingly relying on the use of Anti Social Behaviour orders (ASBO) to target their pre-criminals. So wide is the legal definition of this term that they are being issued in droves to absolutely anyone. It seems that real policing is much tougher than simply issuing an ASBO and forgetting about it.

For example, an ASBO was issued to a woman who tried to drown herself to stop her going to the beach. Get her a councilor maybe? Some psychological help? Try to bring her family in and assess the situation? No no no, just slap an ASBO on her and move on to the next case."

This stuff seems like it's out of a movie, to me.

Is it illegal to drive with snow on your car?

I thought I already knew the answer to this , but what are the stipulations?

I know, it's dangerous, and here's how it happens: "When the heat from the interior of the car warms up it melts the snow on the roof and it slides off," said Framingham Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany in this article.

Apparently, most states don't have a law against leaving 2 feet of snow on their roof rack, but you're not allowed to "pile, push or plow snow or ice" onto state highways.

In Massachusetts, drivers can be cited $200 for having an "uncovered, spillable load" like a truck carrying uncovered sand or gravel. Also, according to Mass state police, "if the snow were to fall from the roof over the windshield, a driver could receive a $50 impeded operation citation" and "snow slamming into another vehicle, damaging it, or causing a crash, can increase from a civil infraction to a criminal charge." However, there is no official law in effect that states you must clear your roof of snow.

In New York, there is no official "snow clearing" law, but officers when needed use V&T Law Section 375.30, which says "it shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle with any object placed or hung in or upon the vehicle . . . in some manner as to obstruct or interfere with the view of the operator through the windshield or to prevent him from having a clear and full view of the road and condition of traffic behind such vehicle." According to this state site, in December (2007), they started on a proposed legislation to require the roof and cargo bed surfaces of certain motor vehicles (emergency vehicles excluded) to be cleared of accumulated snow, ice, sleet and hail. The penalties for failure to meet the requirements are a fine of not less than $150 or no more that $850 for non-commercial vehicles and a fine of not less than $450 or no more than $1,250 for those operating commercial vehicles.

In New Jersey, it's illegal. according to this site, the law sets a fine of from $200 to $1,000 for noncommercial vehicles under the snow/ice removal law. The Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved the idea last year and recommended up to a $75 fine with no license points -- a symbolic penalty aimed at educating and getting people's attention, much like the seat belt law.

In Pennsylvania, I haven't found anything 100% factual, but from what I've read, in the beginning stages of being illegal. According to mcall.com, they plan to impose fines of $25 to $75 for motorists who allow any accumulated snow or ice on their moving vehicles.

In Michigan, there is sort of a "snow clearing" law, but locals don't seem to think the police do anything about the matter (like most states I assume). According to this blog the same law that penalizes residents for flinging trash or other objects from their car windows requires residents to clear snow and ice from their vehicles.

In Rhode Island (where I live), it actually IS against the law (and we also have all sort of crazy laws, so it doesn't surprise me). According to Projo.com, it’s against the law to drive a car with “any significant amount of snow and ice on it.” The state police define significant as “any amount of accumulation which might reasonably be expected to blow off the vehicle and obscure the vision of another operator.” You also need to turn your headlights on when you use your windshield wipers and your dome light on when you get pulled over. Silly Rhode Island :)

Feel free to contribute! :)

Also, funny video here: