MR> What i mean is, i've seen officers at a red light, turn on
MR> their lights go through the light, then turn off their
MR> lights and procded at the speed limit with no other reason
MR> of running the light other then they didnt want to wait.
Some calls are not "urgent" but the cop needs to get to
this call to get it out of the way in case a urgent
call comes in.  I'll give you a possible example.  I
used to manage the graveyard shift at a fast food
restaurant in a collage town.  On Friday and Saturday
nights right after last call at the bars a large crowd
of drunk collage students would come in.  Most nights
they were just a little loud and rowdie and no problem.
Other nights there was a couple who were more then a
little loud and rowdie, most of the times this happened
I'd call the police and ask if they could send an
officer to just 'show the flag'.  Usually a cop would
come in use the bathroom and get a cup of coffee which
required him to walk the entire length of the
restaurant.  After that the crowd was much less unruly.
If the LEO was at a red light on his way over the few
minutes he spent there could be the difference between
just having to do a 'walk through' or having to arrest
someone. 
And yes it sort of happened once, about two minutes
before the cop showed up two of the rowdies decided
they wanted to toss the other through one of our plate
glass windows.  Now would the fight still have happened
if the cop had arrived two minutes earlier?  We'll
never know but I'd be willing to bet not.  Just because
he was two minutes late two fairly young men wound
arrested and charged with several crimes.  BTW, it was
store policy that once the police were called charges
would be filed and court action taken.
                      Remember:  Freedom isn't Free!
--- timEd-B11
---------------