Okay, lots of questions on this thread.
Yes, it is legal for a law enforcement vehicle to exceed the speed limit, make lane changes, etc., WITHOUT any emergency lights activated, if he is responding to a call and the OFFICER decides the emergency lights will only hinder his progress; Since most people just slam on the brakes in front of the patrol car or slow down without yielding the right of way. Some officers in cities get in the habit of not using the lights unless in slow traffic or clearing intersections just because people are so clueless they don't get out of the way when the lights are on and it takes longer to arrive wherever he is needed. It would be nice if he had his rear "excuse me" lights (rear blue/yellow warning lights) on just to let people know he was not just goofing off, but they are not required to be activated either. If an officer does not use his emergency lights while responding to a call, he does add significant liability to his department if he is involved in a collision.
Yes, sometimes the new guys (and some old guys) get carried away and need a spankin'. If he got eight complaint calls in a few minutes, I can assure you, he got spanked, unless he had a very good reason, which doesn't sound like it to me.
Officers are very busy in that part of the state, and are constantly running from one call to the next. Sometimes, just like anyone else, they get pissed off and drive like idiots. The CHP has the same staffing levels for officer as they did in 1978, and the population in California has more than tripled. Also staff jobs for officers take nearly 1/4 of them off the road, where they belong, and into offices, with new inside jobs being created every day. Especially after 911 (there is a whole new division of the CHP dedicated to anti-terrorism). If you do the math, its amazing you even see CHP cars on the highway. They are usually parked writing one of the many reports they have to handle each day.
And, if you use the 911 system to call in a complaint, you are committing a misdemeanor, and only further jamming up the already overloaded system. So, if you chose to complain about an officer, please call the local station house or the dispatch non-emergency numbers. Heck, you can even complain on line at the CHP's website (I don't really like this form of complaint because it goes to internal affairs first, then down to the division headquarters, then to the area office, which makes it hard for anything fair to happen regarding the officer). Usually, all an officer needs (they are a fairly smart, capable bunch on the whole), is to get called into the Sergeants office and told to "close the door". This is a precurser to a serious A$% chewing which usually starts with "What the F%^& do you think you were doing out there today??!!!" Every department does have its problem children, just like in any large corporation, and the supervisor's already know who they are and are not suprised when the phone starts ringing. They usually get whats called "progressive discipline", which could start at a written censure and work all the way up to dismissal.
"The department wouldn't likely deal with a write up for the above officer's actions..."
WRONG!
If a complaint gets formally filed with the CHP, it gets worked......and the outcome (sustained / unfounded / no finding) gets mailed in a letter to the complainent. There are piles of complaint forms, and some supervisors just dying to whip them out. The actual disciplinary action taken is confidential under the Peace Officers Bill of Rights, California Law protecting the privicy rights of a officer. Besides, its just none of anybody's business how much spanking occurred, just that he or she was in the wrong and that action was taken to correct the behavior.
