Monday, June 2, 2008

...and danged if you don't

I'm running out of titles for my posts. It's remarkable how the same issues keep recirculating.

On Friday a letter arrived from a citizen who wrote me personally to express his displeasure with a realtor's open house sign displayed in his neighborhood. The writer asked if I couldn't please have an officer remove the offending sign. Based on the two photos he included with the letter, though, This particular sign was not in violation.

It might surprise some people to think that someone would complain directly to the chief about such a seemingly minor matter, but this isn't a first. Several times over the past few years, City Council members have inquired if there is anything more we can do to catch those who are illegally posting signs in the public right of way. I've also had several citizens complain to me personally about this in the past, including one neighborhood association president who particularly dissatisfied that the police department was not more zealous in dealing with this offense.

I thought that the recent issuance of a citation to a women who an officer caught in the act of putting out 300 illegal lincolndating.org signs from the back of her Lexus SUV would help to gruntle the disgruntled. I'm not sure the outcome, however, will be viewed as satisfying. The case was disposed of in court last week with a guilty plea, and a fine of $10.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if the OH sign complainant is the sort of person that leaves their garage door unlocked/open, because they think there is no crime in this city, and thus think the police just drive around with nothing to do. If so, steer them here for a daily dose of reality.

Anonymous said...

You can't make people happy, Chief, you just have to try to do the best you can. I feel sorry for your officers, who are pulled in every direction imaginable, and criticized from every corner. I hope that they find enough grateful citizens to offset these negatives. The people who post their comments in the Journal Star are usually not representative of how average Lincoln residents feel or think.

Anonymous said...

You can't make people happy, Chief, you just have to try to do the best you can. I feel sorry for your officers, who are pulled in every direction imaginable, and criticized from every corner. I hope that they find enough grateful citizens to offset these negatives. The people who post their comments in the Journal Star are usually not representative of how average Lincoln residents feel or think.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:01 We not only get it from the citizens, we get criticized by people inside the police department too.