6 ms·

Well it would be good if the law was such that the police could encourage it, but since it isn't, why would we expect them to? If the law says these vehicles a

Well it would be good if the law was such that the police could encourage it, but since it isn't, why would we expect them to? If the law says these vehicles are operating illegally, the police are pretty much bound to discommend them. We always knew Uber existed in a highly regulated space, and changing the law or how it's interpreted will always take time. I'm also pretty sure that if the Ubers and other ride services are not in fact operating under the law, your protections as a citizen and consumer are limited. The police would want people to choose services where they have the most lawful protection.

viraptor 13y ago
There's a difference though between them just putting a fine on Uber cab someone reported or they ran across by accident, and them actively announcing the disagreement and targeting the business. I'm sure there are many other more interesting things they could spend their time on. Does the police force care about Uber enough to do this? (on their own) I don't think so. I'd rather ask who cares and has so much influence on them.
- wavefunction 13y ago
  Welcome to APD. Just be glad you're not a young black male (if you are, mind your Ps and Qs).
  - techsupporter 13y ago
    I have two friends who work for the Austin Police Department; both are black, both are male, both are less than 40 years of age, and both are sworn officers. Your broad brush is neither warranted nor appreciated.
    - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
      There is actually not much correlation between the race/age of the police officer and the amount of profiling they do. Your anecdotal experience doesn't do much to refute grandparent's accusation (admittedly a non-argument). That being said, I've never experienced racism in Austin, while the poverty (standard level for Texas) is quite distributed between all colors and ages.
    - wavefunction 13y ago
      Well, we don't hear much about cops shooting other cops so I think your friends will be ok. How do your friends explain the deaths of various young black men shot by the police who were unarmed and had not committed crimes or violent crimes? One is too many.
    - calibraxis 13y ago
      When analyzing an institution, we look at the results. After all, despite what some would like to pretend, having a black president does not eliminate racist policies. Same goes for your policeman buddies. It adds nothing to the conversation that there exist at least two black policemen in Austin; we knew that. (Certainly, wavefunction's comment is far more "appreciated" and helpful than your fallacious putdown.)
      - techsupporter 13y ago
        It's the same reason that all other employees of any other employer shouldn't be tainted by the actions of their peers, even ones entrusted with the use of firearms. Punish the offender, not the group.
        pixl97 13y ago
        >Punish the offender, not the group. You are punished with 3 weeks paid leave!
    - vellum 13y ago
      Minority cops are likely to be even tougher on other minorities. This is because a.) they don't want to look like they're going easy on minorities and b.) they think whites are more likely to file a complaint. http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/072003b.shtml http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/072003b.s...
- migrantgeek 13y ago
  My guess is that they were being asked by bloggers, journalists, etc who were coming in for SXSW and thought it would be easier to put out an online statement to direct people to. I don't think this is a high priority for APD. I don't see the big deal really. I've lived in Austin since 2005 and I've never used a cab service here. They seem pretty useless in this city IMO. I should also mention that I'm not a fan of Uber. I've been with friends and coworkers using it in San Francisco and always I see 3-4 available yellow cabs go by while we wait for our driver. I'm in San Fran 1 week a month and when I'm by myself, I just take yellow cabs. They seem to work OK for me.
  - tidon12 13y ago
    I wonder how much this is the impact of uber/lyft/sidecar etc though. Like many things posted on hn, this is highly anecdotal, but when I first moved to SF almost four years ago it was difficult to find an available cab. I often waited 20 minutes or more on nights when I went out. Now I have a similar experience to you as open cabs seem more available, but I wonder how much of this is the ridesharing services siphoning off demand.

viraptor 13y ago

There's a difference though between them just putting a fine on Uber cab someone reported or they ran across by accident, and them actively announcing the disagreement and targeting the business. I'm sure there are many other more interesting things they could spend their time on. Does the police force care about Uber enough to do this? (on their own) I don't think so. I'd rather ask who cares and has so much influence on them.

wavefunction 13y ago
Welcome to APD. Just be glad you're not a young black male (if you are, mind your Ps and Qs).
- techsupporter 13y ago
  I have two friends who work for the Austin Police Department; both are black, both are male, both are less than 40 years of age, and both are sworn officers. Your broad brush is neither warranted nor appreciated.
  - seanmcdirmid 13y ago
    There is actually not much correlation between the race/age of the police officer and the amount of profiling they do. Your anecdotal experience doesn't do much to refute grandparent's accusation (admittedly a non-argument). That being said, I've never experienced racism in Austin, while the poverty (standard level for Texas) is quite distributed between all colors and ages.
  - wavefunction 13y ago
    Well, we don't hear much about cops shooting other cops so I think your friends will be ok. How do your friends explain the deaths of various young black men shot by the police who were unarmed and had not committed crimes or violent crimes? One is too many.
  - calibraxis 13y ago
    When analyzing an institution, we look at the results. After all, despite what some would like to pretend, having a black president does not eliminate racist policies. Same goes for your policeman buddies. It adds nothing to the conversation that there exist at least two black policemen in Austin; we knew that. (Certainly, wavefunction's comment is far more "appreciated" and helpful than your fallacious putdown.)
    - techsupporter 13y ago
      It's the same reason that all other employees of any other employer shouldn't be tainted by the actions of their peers, even ones entrusted with the use of firearms. Punish the offender, not the group.
      - pixl97 13y ago
        >Punish the offender, not the group. You are punished with 3 weeks paid leave!
  - vellum 13y ago
    Minority cops are likely to be even tougher on other minorities. This is because a.) they don't want to look like they're going easy on minorities and b.) they think whites are more likely to file a complaint. http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/072003b.shtml http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/072003b.s...
migrantgeek 13y ago
My guess is that they were being asked by bloggers, journalists, etc who were coming in for SXSW and thought it would be easier to put out an online statement to direct people to. I don't think this is a high priority for APD. I don't see the big deal really. I've lived in Austin since 2005 and I've never used a cab service here. They seem pretty useless in this city IMO. I should also mention that I'm not a fan of Uber. I've been with friends and coworkers using it in San Francisco and always I see 3-4 available yellow cabs go by while we wait for our driver. I'm in San Fran 1 week a month and when I'm by myself, I just take yellow cabs. They seem to work OK for me.
- tidon12 13y ago
  I wonder how much this is the impact of uber/lyft/sidecar etc though. Like many things posted on hn, this is highly anecdotal, but when I first moved to SF almost four years ago it was difficult to find an available cab. I often waited 20 minutes or more on nights when I went out. Now I have a similar experience to you as open cabs seem more available, but I wonder how much of this is the ridesharing services siphoning off demand.