I had words with TWO different cops today...

[thefed]

situation 1:

Im at lowes, returning a hot water tank and grabbing a new one from the shelf. I left my van on, and running for some dumb reason. I parked in a zone labled "LOADING ZONE".

When I got back outside (7-8 mins??) I found a police officer writing me a ticket!! Once I parked the cart with the new hot water tank by the van, he asked if it was mine.

ME: "yes sir"

him" You know, youre parked in a fire lane...you've earned yourself a ticket"

me: "This is a loading zone"

him:" No son, this is a fire zone....the whole thing"

me, backing up to show him what we were standing on "This yellow sign on the ground says loading zone

him" Its only loading if someone stays out here with the van"

me" oh, i didnt see that sign"

him "he, he, he. Funny guy huh? Well i see your vans running, that's going to run you anther few bucks...unattended running vehicle"

me" this is crazy...this is private property...can you even be here doing this?"

He went on to say he had permission from mgmt. I advised him I'd JUST finished up a 20 minute conversation with the store manager , and I'd be happy to go get him (we had been discussing my commercial account). I also told him I wanted his supervisor as I stomped off, asking back "Im not under arrest am I? I'm stepping inside to get the mgmt"

I fond the guy I'd been speaking with, and he told the cop straight out "This is a good guy...he can be here in the loading zone as long as he wants...hes more than welcome here" The cop was getting pissy and rude but another car showed up...the cheif!! I think he actually called him when i told him i wanted a supervisor.

The chief basically covered for the dude, but also tore up the ticket and sent me on my way.

Funny thing is, by the time I was loaded, I saw the same cop 300 yards away in a target parkign lot probably looking for people crossing yellow parking line or something...lol



Situation 2:

Im outside at 10 pm loading my work van. A cop drives by slowly towards the dead end 100 yds away. He shines his light on me and keeps moving,. However, on the return trip 30 seconds later, he stops RIGHT in front of my house, and shines his bright car flashlight on me for a good 15 seconds. By then I got out of the van and approaced his car (100 feet away??) He rolled down the passenger window and I asked if there was a problem. He said no, just watching for suspicious activity. I told him he should be a bit more discreet. I then asked him to keep his light to himself, there really was no reason for it. He obliged and drove off



interesting day

 

[riskadverse]

You should probably consider yourself lucky to have gotten off without a more serious incidence than you did have. What motivates police is far different from what motivates you and I. When you confront the police you are dealing from a weak position and you usually will end up the loser.

 

[Cut-Throat]

Yeah, seeing a cop on private 'store' property is just plain weird! - What state do you live in?

 

[youbet]

Situation #1 sounds like it was an unfortunate pain in the butt. Enforcement of fire zone, loading zone, handicap parking, traffic control signs and other issues on private property always seems to be controversial.  Glad you got the ticket torn up on the spot instead of having to fight it in court.

Situation #2 I would consider no problem.  If a truck or van was in my driveway "loading up" at 10:00 PM, I'd want the patrol car to use his spotlight to determine just what was going on. 

 

[mickeyd]

This reminds me of a situation that I witnessed a few months ago. I was doing some work for a company that has a medium sized campus that includes only that company. While goofing off and looking out the window I saw 2 uniformed officers (not company security guys) apparantly writing a ticket on a vehicle parked in a handicapped space.

Curious, I went outside and chatted with the law enforcement guys and the company security guy. It seems that there is a group of VOLUNTEER law enforcement folks that are allowed by law to patrol on private property to make sure that fire lanes are kept open, handicapped spaces are not abused etc.

In fact the guy giving out the ticket (all legal as can be in TX) actually had a trainee with him and he was showing her how to do it correctly. The vehicle was parked in a handicapped space and did not belong there for sure. The owner finally arived, and pitched a fit but the ticket was not torn up. I asked to security guard if this happen often, he said "Oh, yea, these guys are out here almost daily"

 

[LOL!]

We have been told not to park in handicap spaces without an H-tag at our office on the weekend when no cars are there. The police have told all businesses that they will ticket even if you are the only car in the lot if you don't have the handicap tag. No biggie.

 

[mathjak107]

heres an article i just sent 2 weeks ago to the new york daily news:


Editor::


Had to voice my opinion over seeing a bunch of police officers running the most ridiculous speed trap I have ever seen ..its a Sunday morning 7 am and 2 patrol cars set themselves up at the end of the entrance ramp where it leads into the acceleration lane onto the clearview expressway  at willets point blvd…here’s the issue I have…
This was nothing more than the officers playing gotcha with the citizens of new york city..did they hope to catch someone doing 35 in a 30 on the entrance lane?...it was a silly waste of police resources and no one entering the parkway could be a risk to any one. .there is no other cars from any direction ,no pedestrians ,nothing accept the acceleration lane to get on the parkway…tell me your stopping speeders on the street ,or excessive speeders on the parkway and ill back the officers 100% but to merely play gotcha I thought was very wrong, surely nypd can find a better use for its officers than this ridiculous location….…


Matt , BAYSIDE NY

 

[AltaRed]

They are called 'fishing holes' up here. The cops love to park where there are speed transitisions, e.g. 80km/hr down to 50 km/hr. If you are not already at 50 by the timey you pass the 50 sign, you are toast.

Waste of valuable resources when they could be hunting down gangs shooting each other up in the mall parking lot.

 

[maddythebeagle]

ridiculous speedtraps and overzealous cops giving tickets...who would have thunkit

For some reason people have asked for more police.....

 

[youbet]

We have been told not to park in handicap spaces without an H-tag at our office on the weekend when no cars are there.  The police have told all businesses that they will ticket even if you are the only car in the lot if you don't have the handicap tag.  No biggie.

Agreed. That is as it should be.

 

[Craig]

riskaverse ... points well made, but honest citizens have a duty to keep the police honest by properly protesting when they're in such a BS situation.
thefed did good.

 

[riskadverse]

riskaverse ... points well made, but honest citizens have a duty to keep the police honest by properly protesting when they're in such a BS situation.
thefed did good.

I actually agree with you. . . he did great by not getting a ticket or ending up in jail.  With a different cop or no supervisor coming to the rescue who knows what might have happened.   Everytime he gets away with confronting the cops, he is more likely to do it in the future, and sooner or later, he's going to meet his match.   Alot of cops like confrontation, especially when they are pretty much assured they will win.   A night in jail will drive home this lesson . . . as well as present a whole bunch of new problems.  Protest if you like, but understand, that it's the cop who is going to make the immediate decision if it is proper or not.  I still think he's lucky.          

 

[jeff2006]

IIRC, this poster may have a couple of felony convictions under his belt already. If this is the case, he probably should go pretty easy with the police. As in "yes, sir" or "no, sir."

 

[razztazz]

actually agree with you. . . he did great by not getting a ticket or ending up in jail. With a different cop or no supervisor coming to the rescue who knows what might have happened. Everytime he gets away with confronting the cops, he is more likely to do it in the future, and sooner or later, he's going to meet his match. Alot of cops like confrontation, especially when they are pretty much assured they will win. A night in jail will drive home this lesson . . . as well as present a whole bunch of new problems. Protest if you like, but understand, that it's the cop who is going to make the immediate decision if it is proper or not. I still think he's lucky.

Police confident they can have their way with the public with impunity. And God help you if you ask question. The man with the gun is always "right"

Ain't freedom wonderful

 

[thefed]

Police confident they can have their way with the public with impunity. And God help you if you ask question. The man with the gun is always "right"

Ain't freedom wonderful

preach on....


i dont put up with bs like that from anyone, cop or not.

 

[thefed]

IIRC, this poster may have a couple of felony convictions under his belt already. If this is the case, he probably should go pretty easy with the police. As in "yes, sir" or "no, sir."

So because I had a run in with LEO's a few years back about an entirely different situation, for which I was at fault, I should let them walk all over me? That's a very unique approach.... it probably works well for the sheep-like population that inhabits a lot of our great country. A country that's great because..um...well....not everybody is a sheep.

 

[dmpi]

So many cars get stolen when they are left unattened & running. Your lucky you didn't get your car swipped by a homeless day worker.

 

[jeff2006]

Fed -- I don't care what you do one way or the other, about anything. But if you are interested in having a good life as a "solid citizen," which your earlier posts indicate is the case, you need to drop some of the attitude, at the very least until you have actually accomplished something in life. If you don't you're headed for serious trouble. Jails are full of tough guys with a lot of attitude. It's all up to you . . .

 

[maddythebeagle]

Fed -- I don't care what you do one way or the other, about anything. But if you are interested in having a good life as a "solid citizen," which your earlier posts indicate is the case, you need to drop some of the attitude, at the very least until you have actually accomplished something in life. If you don't you're headed for serious trouble. Jails are full of tough guys with a lot of attitude. It's all up to you . . .

huh? who has the attitude, punk? great to see that you come out of the woodwork to post when it's time for you to feel holier than thou...

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

So because I had a run in with LEO's a few years back about an entirely different situation, for which I was at fault, I should let them walk all over me? That's a very unique approach.... it probably works well for the sheep-like population that inhabits a lot of our great country. A country that's great because..um...well....not everybody is a sheep.

As a lawyer I'm pretty indignant when people step on my rights. That said, discretion is often the better part of valor. When encountering law enforcement, be respectful but also attentive. If you feel your rights have been violated, make sure you write down immediately everything that happened during your encounter while it is still fresh in your mind. Then, cool it for a while. Take a few days to think about things, write down more stuff if you think of it, and then take a few more days to think about things. If after a week you still feel strongly about your encounter, consult with an attorney. Realize, however, that it may cost you thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to prove your rights were violated. In the end, it may be a Pyrrhic victory.

 

[Andre1969]

This reminds me a bit of an incident that happened a few years ago to a buddy of mine. I was working that night delivering pizzas. He stopped off at the 7-eleven a few doors down, bought a soda and some junk food, and then walked up to say hey to me.

When he got back, he had gotten a ticket. Now he was lucky that the issuing cop was still in the store, and he had his receipt which had a time stamp on it from not that long ago, plus the store clerk vouched for him. The cop was cool and just tore up the ticket. But he could've had to go to court, waste his time, and end up losing a lot of money in pay/leave, even if he was found not guilty.

It turns out that 7-Eleven actually owns the concrete slab directly out in front of the store, which probably holds about 8 or 9 parking spaces. If he was anywhere else in the parking lot, he would've been okay, but just those spots.

IMO this isn't right. I think the owner/clerk/manager has the responsibility to call a tow truck and have the offending car towed away. I don't consider parking on "private property" like that to be a law, but a rule. If somebody parked a car in my yard and left it, could I call the cops to come give it a ticket, or would I have to call a tow service to have it removed? If it was out there long enough, I could complain to the county and say it's an abandoned car and they might come tow it, but I don't see how something like this is a ticketable offense. IMO at least, you're not violating any laws by parking on 7-eleven's property. You're violating 7-Eleven's rule. And the last time I checked, the county cops don't work for 7-eleven.

 

[Martha]

The parking lot is probably governed by ordinances and state traffic laws such as handicap parking and fire zone parking. The police officer should have jurisdiction to issue tickets. Otherwise, everyone would igore handicap parking signs, loading zones, and firelanes.

 

[thefed]

Fed -- I don't care what you do one way or the other, about anything. But if you are interested in having a good life as a "solid citizen," which your earlier posts indicate is the case, you need to drop some of the attitude, at the very least until you have actually accomplished something in life. If you don't you're headed for serious trouble. Jails are full of tough guys with a lot of attitude. It's all up to you . . .

What Now you imply that I should've been put in jail because....I parked in a loading zone at Lowe's? Or because I questioned the authority of a cop who had overstepped his boundaries (please recall my van was parked on a sign that read LOADING ZONE, and I was LOADING a hot water heater).

And I will go out on a limb here, having never read any of your posts.... I'd be willing to bet that I have 'accomplished somethign in life" at a much younger age than many here...specifically you. Why specifically you? Because I feel you have an unjustified attitude...and you know, you cant have an attitude (aka stand up for yourself) unless you've accomplished something, like, uhh...have a big retirement account.

I'm 23, I own 4 homes, and I hold a decent position with a finance company that requires a 4 yr degree, which I dont have (I think my attiude got me the position...seriously). I have a wonderful fiance, baby boy,and family. I own a business which earns me more money than my 9-5,yet I work only 20 hrs/month. I earn enough to pay my mortgage from an e-commerce business I recently established. I built a 500hp motor from scratch using a book and the internet as a guide last year, having never done anything like it before (that's an accomplishment...right?). I've sold 2 homes for profit in the last 1.5 years. I've sold 2 contracts on homes for money more recently. I'm 90% done establishing a business line of credit worth $350k. I just finished bulding a 350 sf deck by hand, alone. Shall I go on?

So as far as I'm concerned, I can and will continue to have an attitude...I feel I've accomplished quite a bit for my age. Some would even argue that I accomplished quite a bit when I was 'breaking the law'. I won't elaborate for the sake of staying on topic.

 

[lets-retire]

situation 1:

Im at lowes, returning a hot water tank and grabbing a new one from the shelf.  I left my van on, and running for some dumb reason.  I parked in a zone labled "LOADING ZONE".

When I got back outside (7-8 mins??) I found a police officer writing me a ticket!! Once I parked the cart with the new hot water tank by the van, he asked if it was mine.

ME: "yes sir"

him" You know, youre parked in a fire lane...you've earned yourself a ticket"

me: "This is a loading zone"

him:" No son, this is a fire zone....the whole thing"

me, backing up to show him what we were standing on "This yellow sign on the ground says loading zone

him" Its only loading if someone stays out here with the van"

me" oh, i didnt see that sign"

him "he, he, he.  Funny guy huh? Well i see your vans running, that's going to run you anther few bucks...unattended running vehicle"

me" this is crazy...this is private property...can you even be here doing this?"

He went on to say he had permission from mgmt.  I advised him I'd JUST finished up a 20 minute conversation with the store manager , and I'd be happy to go get him (we had been discussing my commercial account).  I also told him I wanted his supervisor as I stomped off, asking back "Im not under arrest am I? I'm stepping inside to get the mgmt"

I fond the guy I'd been speaking with, and he told the cop straight out "This is a good guy...he can be here in the loading zone as long as he wants...hes more than welcome here"  The cop was getting pissy and rude but another car showed up...the cheif!! I think he actually called him when i told him i wanted a supervisor.

The chief basically covered for the dude, but also tore up the ticket and sent me on my way.

Funny thing is, by the time I was loaded, I saw the same cop 300 yards away in a target parkign lot probably looking for people crossing yellow parking line or something...lol



Situation 2:

Im outside at 10 pm loading my work van.  A cop drives by slowly towards the dead end 100 yds away. He shines his light on me and keeps moving,. However, on the return trip 30 seconds later, he stops RIGHT in front of my house, and shines his bright car flashlight on me for a good 15 seconds.  By then I got out of the van and approaced his car (100 feet away??) He rolled down the passenger window and I asked if there was a problem.  He said no, just watching for suspicious activity.  I told him he should be a bit more discreet. I then asked him to keep his light to himself, there really was no reason for it.  He obliged and drove off



interesting day

I don't know where you live so I don't know your laws, but in Florida it goes something like this: If the parking lot is open to the public like Lowe's, Home Depot, Kmart, Wally World, etc. then it is up to the Police Chief or Sheriff to determine if they will write tickets on the property. A loading zone is just that for loading and unloading. It seems you parked in a spot returned merchandise and went shopping for a replacement. Loading and unloading is defined as putting something/someone into or taking it out of a vehicle. So in Florida, you could receive a citation for the infraction. Leaving the engine running on an unattended vehicle is also an infraction and you can receive a citation. The way it worked in my neck of the woods was if the Chief or Sheriff said I can write the citation then they won't pull my authority in front of a person, too many people left them there with their cars and equipment. If the store management doesn't want the area enforced then he needs to remove all markings and let everyone parking in the loading zone. The fire zone is required by law and store management are not allowed to stop enforcement.

Part 2

I would want the officer to be as visible as possible. The bad guys see the officers around and have a tendency to go away, at least until the cops are gone.

If you are going to complain about the police at least have the common courtesy to use spell check

 

[jeff2006]

Now you imply that I should've been put in jail because....

Not at all. I am not making a value judgement that you should be put in jail for anything. Rather, I'm making a prediction that you will, if you keep pushing your luck with the police.