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Oregon attorney slaps cop with illegal parking complaint
PORTLAND, Ore. - An attorney 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 are picking up food.

"We are emergency responders and need to be ready to take an emergency call," Kent said Saturday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080419/ap_on_fe_st/odd_tic...mFq4GTReRsMt3dkuQE4F
It's the end of the world as we know it. It's the end of the world as we know it. It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
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If I had parked in the "No Parking Zone" and the officer pulled in to place his to go order -- don't you think he would have cited me for the parking violation? And most likely had my car towed?

What's good for the goose is good for the gander...if you are on duty -- you should get your meal somewhere that you don't have to break the law to get it -- that sets a bad example to the citizens both in what they do and what "power" you have...
Interesting responses. My thoughts are, he should not be patrolling and driving. That cannot be safe. Good gravy, what if he is behind the wheel and chokes on a french fry? It could happen.

Also, he should have to obey the law just like everyone else. I can't park in a fire lane just because I have a baby in the backseat.

If being able to get to his car to respond to a call in the least amount of time was indeed paramount, then I think he should have packed a lunch. Or at the least, I bet he could have called ahead for curbside service!
I'm of two minds about this situation.

First, I believe that it is important for a police officer to be able to have a quick exit strategy if he/she has to park to go inside a building, food establishment or not.

However, I've seen too many times where a police officer could just as easily park legally or do anything else LEGALLY and instead they flaunt their status and use it to break the law simply because they can usually get away with it.

Is this such a case? Perhaps, then again, perhaps not. Attorneys aren't usually known for their "sunny" dispositions.

I am, strangely enough, reminded of a scene from The Andy Griffith Show and I am having a hard time NOT picturing this attorney with the face and voice of Gomer, yelling, "Citizens arra-est, citizens arra-est!" at this cop. Question is - does the cop look like Barney???
In the past I have seen a patrol car going south in the 100 Block of North Court Street in Florence and in the middle of the block turn on the blue lights and make a u-turn to go into a vacant parking place on the east side of the street.

That was the only vacant place in the block. That particular officer went into a business to make a purchase and was in the business less than 5 minutes.

There was no call for a officer to come to that business. I walk into the business right behind the officer and I saw him when he got into the patrol car and left.

I'm not sure if he thought that someone else might get that spot before he could go and make a turn around a block and get back there or not.

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