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.
As you can see, this thread has progressed from the usual predictable cop worship to recognizing the real world of the occasional cop that abuses his position. When the abuse is not just a power trip, it is often due to the pressure of meeting monthly traffic citation quotas. In any event, cops are just like us and they also need to be accountable for their screw-ups.
As someone that has spent a little time on the job … the rule was, if your restaurant of choice didn’t have a parking space in front, pick another one. Only exception, if you called your order in and wouldn’t be more than 5 min. in pickup (and your partner was driving) … good to go, so to speak. ;-)
it does not bother me when police officers do this... i apply the Deuteronomy 25:4, 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:18 principle here...
"Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."
i see it as the officer benefiting from his labor... just like i would not fault a grape picker from eating a few grapes while he's working...
Most of the cops I see can afford to miss a few meals if ya know what I mean.
They’ve already been well-fed. Excessively so.
Another JBT boot-licker I see.
I'm always happy to see them dining heartily, putting on a few pounds for a healthy pensioned retirement...
The police officers do that all the time here in Phoenix. Just part of daily life, I guess.
It's not too frequent, compared to the police, because fire trucks operate out of central stations - they don't have to patrol a certain part of a city where there's no facility available to them to do their job.
Cops spend 6-8 hours a day in police cars, dealing with people at their worst and writing reports on their steering wheels.
I'm willing to let them have a small one here and there.
Unless the cop had needlessly harassed the lawyer or had a reputation for doing so unto others, this is pretty ridiculous behavior by the lawyer. Yes, some cops to have a chip on their shoulder, thinking that the general public has nothing but contempt for them. What a great way to plant that thought if it wasn’t already there!
“As a practical matter-leave the cops alone.”
Agreed - let sleeping dogs alone.
Having said that, the fact that an American citizen has to submit to the behavior of an out of control cop says much about how far America has gone down the path to a police state.
Ping.
I agree. Make them carry sack lunches and use urinals. No meal or potty breaks. Keep those public servants working.
I spend a lot of time in two small towns.
It seems that they are always there when you don't want them and never there when you need them.
I've decided that I just don't want to be involved with them, regardless of the circumstances.
You talking about lawyers or cops?
What?
Why?
It's an ancient concept known as "karma".
OUT TO LUNCH
i guess people are not capable of analogical thinking nowadays... that's much of what is wrong with our society today... it's really very sad...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.