Oregon attorney slaps a policeman with an illegal parking complaint

The Canadian Press ^ | 19 Apr 2008 | The Canadian Press

[count-your-change]

How would you do what you advocate? How would you make the police more accountable in a way that would cause the average citizen to feel that he had a means of correcting any injustice done him?
There are obviously problems needing correction, what would you do given sufficient power?

[Fresh Wind]

You know, when I see a drunk weaving down the highway I try to get their plate number...

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.

[count-your-change]

You did the right thing but what more could you do? A great many more serious crimes go unpunished due to indifference or incompetence but I would still report a crime I saw being committed, wouldn't you?
And who would you call? The police or a lawyer?
I have to say that although I've received tickets I felt were wrongly given, lawyers have have cost me considerably more than those few tickets. I've also have been pulled out of real jams by both groups too.
What could you have done after calling the police?

[AlmaKing]

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.

[AlmaKing]

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.

[FreedomPoster]

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.”