[ClaireSolt]

"we discover, a Sheriffs Department that is poorly trained and unprepared for emergency situations. They insult local residents rather than seek to instill confidence. Most of these officers shouldn’t be allowed to blow a whistle much less carry a gun."

Broward cops direct traffic a whole lot better than the deadbeats we have in Palm Beach county, but I do agree that law enforcement in South Florida is a phoney baloney ruse. Just unionized employees collecting checks for jobs they don't do! Here they are more interested in soaking old people with expensive tickets than dealing with criminals. The later is dangerous, you know. When I got one, I told the officer I was disappointed that he was running a phoney trap instead of arresting terrorists.

[Fearless Flyers]

Dear Claire, I can understand your frustration. A couple years ago the residents along our beach got together to get rid of one of the Sheriff's Officers that was harassing people on the beach for no reason other than appearance. A year later I was handing out our U.S. Constitution and flyers with our Senators phone #'s at a Boca Post Office, which turns out to be illegal because you’re not allowed to pass out hand bills on Post Office property.

Guess who the cop was that came to chase me off? That’s right the reject from the Broward Sheriffs Dept. This idiot wasn't satisfied in just telling me to leave, he engaged me in debate over the Constitution, in an attempt to find an excuse to arrest me and throw me in jail. When another Boca Officer arrived, he recognized what was going on and was entertained by the manner in which I humiliated the mental midget in debate and respected the uniform at the same time. The officer stood behind the cop's back snickering the whole time catching the facts that flew over the Nazis head, and gave me a knowing smile when I was finally allowed to go on my way.

It may surprise some to learn that minorities are not the only ones that can become victims of abuse. A lone cop on the beat is just as likely to harass a single white male, when offered the choice between him and a group of young blacks misbehaving. The white male can be judged to be the safe target for a cowardly cop with an authority complex in those situations. I call this the Beach Nazi Syndrome.

I once had a kite confiscated because it was disturbing the peace on the beach. At the same time there were four black guys drinking beer not more than 50 yards away. I had been harassed by the cop three times in the past and finally got fed up. Especially knowing I was on a posted unprotected section of beach, where kite flying was not restricted. So I pushed the cop to follow through with the threat of arresting me. He only confiscated the kite though, because three senior citizens from Tierra East came to my aid and protested, saying they enjoyed having me around to put on a kite show once a week (a dozen kites flying in close formation can be an impressive site, but this was only one kite testing wind conditions).

In court the Judge was about to dismiss the case until the cop spoke up and said I had been warned three times before. I protested that the cop had no authority on that section of beach and the Judge agreed, but still fined me $1.00 + costs because at some point you’re supposedly to have respect for the cop. He did give a stern warning to the cop, telling him he had better stop harassing me and my kites.

Sorry to keep running on but you touched a nerve.

Sincerely Matthew