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Hertz surely is partly responsible for these incidents, but I'd also say that the SWAT team-esque response, with a dozen officers drawing their guns on peaceful

Hertz surely is partly responsible for these incidents, but I'd also say that the SWAT team-esque response, with a dozen officers drawing their guns on peaceful people, against those merely suspected of driving a "stolen" rental car, is both excessive and fairly draconian.

helpfulclippy 5y ago
but but but officer safety /s
- grubbs 5y ago
  Living in Baltimore...a stolen car is a next level offense. Maybe it's justified? But it literally brings 10s of cops and a helicopter or two.
  - throwaway0a5e 5y ago
    Cops, like any other predator, pick easy targets. They're much less likely to get shot back at stopping stolen cars then they are kicking in the doors of people who know they are engaged in the kind of business that gets your door kicked in.
    - helpfulclippy 5y ago
      Sir, that Hyundai Sonata might be operated by someone without the proper authorization of Hertz and so we need air support for our entire platoon of heavily armed quasi-soldiers trained to open fire at the slightest perceived threat. Our officers are risking life and limb to perform the necessary public service of totally demolishing the occupants’ lives until they prove to the court that theyre normal people driving a rental car they paid for, and they deserve to be safe
throwaway0a5e 5y ago
The chain is probably a dozen people long. If any one of those dozen people had an incentive to give a lot of shits about false positives this wouldn't happen.
chiph 5y ago
TBF, the cops don't know if the driver is an innocent office worker, falsely fingered by Hertz, or really is a criminal who has stolen the car. The cops at this point ought to be pushing back against Hertz, telling them to get their shit together so that their officer's time & risk aren't being spent on these wild goose chases that just end up making them look bad. I for one, am not going to be renting from Hertz or their other brands (Dollar, Thrifty). I don't want to get swatted by them.
- londons_explore 5y ago
  It seems fine for these cases to become a traffic stop. But as soon as the driver produces documents saying they've legally got the car, the arrest shouldn't proceed unless Hertz claims the documents are false. A quick phone call to Hertz customer service by the police officer should answer that question.

helpfulclippy 5y ago

but but but officer safety /s

grubbs 5y ago
Living in Baltimore...a stolen car is a next level offense. Maybe it's justified? But it literally brings 10s of cops and a helicopter or two.
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Cops, like any other predator, pick easy targets. They're much less likely to get shot back at stopping stolen cars then they are kicking in the doors of people who know they are engaged in the kind of business that gets your door kicked in.
  - helpfulclippy 5y ago
    Sir, that Hyundai Sonata might be operated by someone without the proper authorization of Hertz and so we need air support for our entire platoon of heavily armed quasi-soldiers trained to open fire at the slightest perceived threat. Our officers are risking life and limb to perform the necessary public service of totally demolishing the occupants’ lives until they prove to the court that theyre normal people driving a rental car they paid for, and they deserve to be safe

throwaway0a5e 5y ago

The chain is probably a dozen people long. If any one of those dozen people had an incentive to give a lot of shits about false positives this wouldn't happen.

chiph 5y ago

TBF, the cops don't know if the driver is an innocent office worker, falsely fingered by Hertz, or really is a criminal who has stolen the car. The cops at this point ought to be pushing back against Hertz, telling them to get their shit together so that their officer's time & risk aren't being spent on these wild goose chases that just end up making them look bad. I for one, am not going to be renting from Hertz or their other brands (Dollar, Thrifty). I don't want to get swatted by them.

londons_explore 5y ago
It seems fine for these cases to become a traffic stop. But as soon as the driver produces documents saying they've legally got the car, the arrest shouldn't proceed unless Hertz claims the documents are false. A quick phone call to Hertz customer service by the police officer should answer that question.