[Chat] Case dismissed, was Re: Ticketed for talking

Mariann Millard qbdmar at cavtel.net
Wed Jan 25 22:20:13 EST 2006


Hi Emil,

Having just moved here, I can't comment if this is "normal"
behavior or not by a member of the police department, and if
it's condoned by the dept.  However, if I may offer a
suggestion:  it might be worthwhile having a low-key chat
(in person or by phone) with the officer's supervisor (or
community liaison if more
appropriate) to report the incident and inquire about this
type of behavior.  You may accomplish 2 things by this
action:  

1).  You give notice to the supervisor that this behavior
occurred by one of his direct reports (which hopefully will
result in the supervisor following up with the officer) and 

2). you get some direct, personal feedback from police
management on your issues and concerns by them hearing your
perspective of what occurred (including what really should
have happened once you technically committed the violation).

You can always follow-up the personal interaction with a
brief letter thanking the supervisor or liaison for
"meeting" with you to discuss the specific officer and
problem (that way, it's on official record).

Just a thought...
Mariann

> Hello, folks,
> 
> Yesterday Steve accompanied me to the District Court on
> Wabash Ave. to help me contest the ticket I got for
> allegedly obstructing traffic on Guilford Ave. at about
> 10 PM on a Tuesday night.
> 
> The officer didn't appear, and the case was dismissed!
> 
> I was ready to argue that I didn't deserve the ticket.
> I had a letter signed by Dave Barnett, and Steve was
> there ready to testify as a witness.  But it wasn't
> necessary.  I do want to offer thanks to Steve and
> Dave for their help.  I also want to thank Dana Moore
> for offering me advice about how to present the case
> and suggesting some Do's and Don'ts.
> 
> This all was such a waste of energy brought on by probably
> nothing more than a police officer in a bad mood.
> 
> While I may have technically violated the law, I think
> it was inappropriate for the police officer to give me
> a ticket for causing a very minor inconvenience.
> 
> The demeanor of the officers was inappropriate.
> The officer who issued the ticket spoke to Steve
> in a very aggressive tone, ordering him to move back
> and threatening him with arrest when he did nothing
> threatening.  I had to ask four times if
> I was free to go after they gave me the ticket.
> 
> Should I write a letter to somebody to complain about
> the treatment?  What do Chat List subscribers think?
> 
> --Emil
> 
> ----- Forwarded message from Emil Volcheck
> <volcheck at acm.org> -----
> 
> Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:28:31 -0400
> From: Emil Volcheck <volcheck at acm.org>
> To: chat at charlesvillage.info
> Cc: gewirtz at bellatlantic.net, gdb at jhu.edu
> Subject: Ticketed for talking!
> Mail-Followup-To: chat at charlesvillage.info,
> gewirtz at bellatlantic.net,
>     gdb at jhu.edu
> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i
> 
> Hello, neighbors,
> 
> After the CVCBDMA Board meeting, I drove back and gave
> Steve Gewirtz a lift.  Steve and I both live on the 3000
> block of Guilford, and I stopped across from his house,
> right before the intersection of Guilford and 30th.  We
> chatted for a little while about politics, then Dave
> Barnett drove by in the opposite direction, on his way
> home I assume.  I hadn't seen him for a while, so we both
> rolled down our windows to talk.  Then I saw a police car
> pull up behind me, with bubble lights.  Dave moved on, and
> I pulled my car closer to the side to get out of the way. 
> The police gave me a $50 ticket for impeding the flow of
> traffic.  I was really surprised because I was in the car
> the whole time, with the hazard lights on, and I moved
> almost as soon as I saw someone behind me was trying to
> get by.  Certainly when Dave moved, I believe the police
> could have gotten past me.
> 
> The police starting ticketing me right after I turned the
> corner and I let Steve off.  Steve asked the officer what
> the problem was, and they told him to back off, gave him a
> 5-second warning.  That seemed a little harsh.
> 
> I think I remember hearing recently that Dana Moore was
> given a ticket when she was stopped out in front of her
> house loading or unloading from her car, and that the
> judge threw it out.
> 
> I'm planning to tell the judge I'm innocent, and Steve
> says he'll come with me.
> 
> Does anybody have any thoughts about this situation?  It
> seems kind of extreme.  I feel like I should have been
> entitled to some signal like a honk or yelling "move
> along" before they decided I was blocking traffic.
> 
> --Emil
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Emil Volcheck
> volcheck at acm.org
> http://acm.org/~volcheck
> 
> ----- End forwarded message -----
> 
> -- 
> Emil Volcheck
> volcheck at acm.org
> http://acm.org/~volcheck
> 
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