Posted on 04/22/2008 7:23:04 PM PDT by BGHater
PORTLAND, Ore. — A lawyer who watched a police officer park illegally in front of a restaurant, then wait around while his meal was prepared, issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated violations.
Eric Bryant said he was sitting at the restaurant March 7 when Officer Chad Stensgaard parked his patrol car next to a no-parking sign and walked inside to wait for his food, the Portland Mercury reported Thursday.
Bryant told the weekly paper that when he asked Stensgaard about his car, the officer asked Bryant: "If someone broke into your house, would you rather have the police be able to park in front of your house or have to park three blocks away and walk there?"
Bryant filed a complaint as a private citizen alleging several violations, including illegal parking and illegal operation of an emergency vehicle.
Stensgaard was issued a summons to appear in traffic court in May.
The fines could total $540.
"Citizens should be concerned that he used his status as an officer of the law as justification for breaking the law," Bryant said.
Cathe Kent, a spokeswoman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Stensgaard would fight the complaint in court, "as he rightfully should."
Parking is limited on city streets, especially with many construction projects downtown, she said, and officers remain on duty even when they're picking up food.
"We are emergency responders and need to be ready to take an emergency call," Kent said Saturday.
I did that once. I got the number and the name and the location of the bar where the guy eventually parked. I called the cops, and they actually seemed annoyed that I bothered them.
Penalties for false citations and bring these cases to court automatically with required appearances by the officer involved. Then the judge would have to hear both sides.
After a barrage of these cases, police would tend to be more careful in what they document and file as a charge or a citation. No more ticket trap rackets. No one, including police, likes going to court except the lawyers. The number of these cases would go down as acountability on them would go up. Add penalties for false citations and charges out of the officer’s pay for incorrect procedures, false charges.
I just had 3 out of 4 charges dismissed against me for a traffic stop in Las Vegas. Let’s see:
1. Officer cited me for no Nevada license.
City Attorney dismissed because I am a resident of Texas and had a valid license.
2. Officer cited me for no Nevada license plate.
City Attorney dismissed because I am a resident of Texas and had a valid license plate and truck was registered in Texas. Everything in good order.
3. Officer cited me for failure to stop for or impeding and emergency vehicle.
City Attorney dropped because officer came up behind me in the left turn lane where I had stopped to make a left turn.
Officer wanted me to pull out and back across two lanes, stop in the traffic lane, and give me a citation there. I argued that was about the most unsafe thing I could do.
4. Officer cited me for not stopping at stop sign. City attorney dropped because he didn’t believe the first three. I got this citation because I was arguing with him, and he certainly didn’t like that.
I’m open to ideas, even opposition to what I’m saying. I’m not really arguing with you, just giving my point of view.
I’m a libertarian and a conservative, but libertarian first.
He may be an idiot and a jerk, but I’ll cheer if the cop is held accountable and made to follow the laws just like us. Why do we complain when politicians abuse their positions to do something like this? We all should obey the law, no passes given except in real emergency situations, which are already defined for cops/abulances/etc.
No customers will be lost with the cop parking in a regular marked parking spot. I run 3 retail stores. Customers will just find other spots to park. Hello? Non-argument. I see cops going to lunch all the time and parking in valid parking spots.
This seems like a good time to insert the truism that “There are few situations that can’t be made worse by the addition of a cop.”
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