Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I’ll pay your fine

My second favorite email from the weekend came from a man who received a $10 parking ticket in a no parking zone in Lincoln’s North Bottoms neighborhood on game day.  Apparently he thought that a spot four blocks from the stadium had been overlooked by 84,999 other fans, and was just waiting for his arrival.  The majority of his car, after all, fit into the legal parking zone behind the no parking sign.  He appealed directly to the Chief,  asking for a break, especially in light of his 23 years of military service.  My response:
Sounds to me like you got a great parking spot, four blocks from the stadium, for the cost of a $10 parking ticket.  I saw private parking in the same vicinity being hawked for $25.  I'll tell you what I can do:  I can't dismiss parking tickets (and wouldn't do so for a legitimate violation anyway, even if I could), but in light of your 23 years of military service, I'll gladly pay your parking ticket myself.  Either send me you ticket pronto, or just give me your mailing address and I'll send you a ten spot.  Maybe you'd do the same for me, in light of my 36 years of police service.
Best regards,
       Tom Casady

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

A PSO told me that if one half or more of the car is in the legal zone at a no parking sign no fine is imposed and no writing.
Is he correct or not?
I will take 89,289 fans for twohundred please.

Doublebanker said...

Maybe he should shell out the $9 for an ALL DAY meter parking pass... I got mine and I have only served 9 years at an electric utility!

ARRRRG!!!! said...

Maybe the city needs more threatening signs.

Steve said...

If this guy has been in the military for 23 years, he's probably making more than either of us. Let him pay his own fine, Chief. While we're on the subject of parking, maybe some of the LSOs that are left could make a swing around the Tabitha block. There's plenty of money to be made there. I can easily see at least half a dozen illegally parked vehicles from where I'm sitting right now.

Former Deputy D said...

A GRAND gesture Chief! I think he got off rather easy. Had he been towed that would have cost him $80-$100 depending on what type of hookup was used. An all day parking pass is only $9, but what are the chances that he would have got a spot 4 blocks from the stadium-ZERO. End Result: Getting towed-$80.00, Parking Ticket-$10.00, All day parking pass-$9.00...Having the Police Chief offer to pay your ticket-PRICELESS!! It's a beautiful Day!

Anonymous said...

Chief Casady, I normally read your blog so I can giggle a bit at the comments left by other readers but today hit a real sore spot for me. I too am a vet and am now working as an LPD officer. All I can say about this guy is he obviously wasn't in the same US Army that I served in and if he was he was obviously a commissioned officer instead of a non commissioned officer or else he might be familiar with the sentence in the creed of the NCO that goes something like this. I will use neither my grade or rank for personal profit or gain. He's also apparently not too familiar with the 7 Army values. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Honesty, Integrity and Personal Courage. In other words, have some respect for the chief of police, stop wasting his time on crap like this and stop whining about your own mistake, be honest and admit you tried to get over on someone and got caught and finally have some integrity and admit to making a simple mistake, pay your own fine and quit playing on the "but I'm a vet" sympathy card. Nothing infuriates me more than when some clown hands me his Armed Forces Service ID card when I ask for ID. That's one way to ensure any leniency I might have been considering is going out the window.

Anonymous said...

Chief-Fess up. You guys hide in the bushes with binoculars just waiting to trap unknowing citizens that park in the North Bottoms on football Saturdays. If that doesn't work, you move the sign so part of the vehicle is in the no parking zone. You are probably also profiling veterans and are un-American. Send me $10 and I will not investigate these outrageous allegations and then turn the results over to the media.

256

Anonymous said...

What did he think this was, Chicago? Ten bucks, no points, pay it.

Tom Casady said...

256-

You are onto us!

9:52-

You are correct, he was not in the same Army as you, but I don't want to start any inter-service rivalry here ;)

To his credit, he asend me a very polite reply, realizing he was being a little silly, which is exactly the message my offer to personally pay his ticket was intended to convey--though I would have made good on the it. I learned several years ago that on occasion $10 out of my money clip was worth it to avoid a protracted debate and it's impact on my blood pressure! I need to pass that tip along to David Landis.

Steve said...

Arrrrg:

Where can I get one of those signs for my front yard?

Anonymous said...

"Nothing infuriates me more than when some clown hands me his Armed Forces Service ID card when I ask for ID. That's one way to ensure any leniency I might have been considering is going out the window."

Unless, of course, they are active duty military, home on leave, and have an expired license, because they'd naturally hand over their active duty ID along with their expired OL, in order to confirm that their expired OL was in fact still valid. If they just handed over an expired OL and no active duty ID, well, you see the problem.

Anonymous said...

To Anon 9:52- As a former Army soldier myself, first as an enlisted private, then a non commissioned officer, and eventually as a commissioned officer, as well as having also been a former LPD officer- I don't appreciate the comment "he was obviously a commissioned officer". You are obviously unfamiliar with the Commissioned Officers Creed - Here is an excerpt: " In justifying and fulfilling the trust placed in me, I will conduct my private life as well as my public service so as to be free both from impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, acting with candor and integrity to earn the unquestioning trust of my fellow soldiers -- juniors, senior, and associates -- and employing my rank and position not to serve myself but to serve my country and my unit. "

ARRRRG!!!! said...

@ Steve:

Amazon.com was the cheapest I found.

Auntie Mame said...

0952

"Nothing infuriates me more than when some clown hands me his Armed Forces Service ID card when I ask for ID. That's one way to ensure any leniency I might have been considering is going out the window."

OMG WT* BBQ !

My 81 year old mother (retired Army Sgt) does this and it ain't to get you to be lenient. She wants the world to know she served and is proud of it.

Drop the attitude, dude.

... and don't get her started on the troops still missing in Korea.

Anonymous said...

Ok,
I irritated a few people. My comments weren't aimed at anyone's 81 year old mother. They were aimed at the drunken clowns that are stopped after fighting at a bar, dui or causing another disturbance.
In the time I've been an LEO I haven't had one person hand me an expired DL as well as their Military ID on a traffic stop or otherwise, besides I always got a DL in whatever state or country I was stationed in instead of carrying an expired license.
The experiences I've had are with the late teen, early 20's crowd that just got caught doing something stupid and hand the ID over with the intent to use it as a get out of jail free card. I was contacted a time or two by a police officer while on active duty and not once did it cross my mind to give my military ID.
Anon 7:49 you are right, I am not familiar with the Commissioned Officer Creed. I was tired and worded my comment poorly and was only speaking for myself and not the LPD as a whole, that's my chief's job.
My point is that anyone in any of the armed services should be proud of their service just as I am, just don't try to throw that service around to get out of something or benefit from it.

Cedric Satterfield said...

Anonymous 9:52-there are days when my VA ID card is the first card on top. As legal government ID, if you arent pulling me over for a traffic citation, it's a perfectly valid form of identification.

Retired said...

Anonymous,

I would hope that you don't actually act that way while on duty with military ID cards. I can assure you that in 30 years of military service, my primary source of ID was my military ID and NOT a drivers license whether going aboard base or ship and even now as a retiree, if I go on any base it is only my military ID that works. Old habits are hard to break and I am also proud of my service. And yes, I was a commissioned officer which also seems to be an issue for you. I would hope you rethink your position on these issues.

Anonymous said...

As a former LPD officer and a military service member, I can see both sides of this argument. I do not appreciate the service member trying to leverage sympathy for a parking ticket. I do not agree with the soldier, now LEO, chiming in on this either. This is your Chief's blog, do your job shut and your mouth. Someday if you are smart enough to be the Chief, you can have a blog of your own. Chief you are a remarkable man, I can attest to that by your word both public and private, your actions, and dedication (36 years of service). Keep on fighting the good fight. I appreciate all that you do even though I no longer reap the benefits of calling you my boss or living in a city under your department's protection.

Sincerely,

SSG Nathan J. Ledden
(formerly 1588)

Brian said...

This one made my lol! I was thinking as I read it, that taking a ten dollar parking ticket, is so much better than paying for parking in a lot! I live in downtown Omaha, and some of the lots are wicked expensive down here. I have to pay to park where I live, can I just have you take care of that for me? Just kidding :)

Unknown said...

First of all, you don't have the guts to post this on your blog because what I'm about to say is true and you won't like it.

So here is a guy who asks about getting a ticket recinded. Who doesn't try to talk their way out of a ticket? Why are you posting this on your blog? This does not help with public safety awareness and is soley intended to make fun of someone. I doubt it would be to show your benevolence, but if that is the case, then the reason for posting is really a total waste of time. You did it for comedy, pure and simple and therefore are wasting time and tax dollars people are paying you.

More to the point--If the majority of his car was within the parking limits, why would your officers take the time to issue a ticket instead of curtailing the drunk activities and other things going on during a Saturday game?

A grand gesture by you Chief? You knew full well that you wouldn't pay the fine because the guy would do it, so why offer, other than to make the guy feel bad for asking for simple consideration to a questionable ticket. You weren't trying to be nice Chief, admit it. At the end of the day, you didn't pay it and you want kudos for the gesture?

To some of the stupid comments...A "clown" with 23 years of service? No one who has served honorably for 23 years in the military is a clown. The bit about quoting the NCO creed and Army values points to what? Take the plank out of your own eye pal! When I was in the military, we were REQUIRED by our unit to present our military ID to any Law Enforcement Officer and tell them our unit.

Chief, you have a typical mainstream blog with people wasting time and posting trash talk and posting how to be more upstanding when they themselves aren't. You Chief, are inspiring stone throwing for the sake of comedic activity instead of doing your job to increase public safety awareness and improve on such.

You want to show how great you are? Show how impartial you are as a Law Enforcement Officer and post this truth to your "blog."

Tom Casady said...

Sam, I do this off- duty, usually before 6:00 AM.

My posts run the gamut, from serious to light. This email struck me because the cost of his ticket was far less than the cost of a spot in one of the many lots nearby. I redacted any and all information that would identify him. He and I had a nice exchange, and I think he realized, upon reflection, that his complaint about the ticket was a little silly, which was my point.

If you dislike my blog so much, there's an easy solution: stop reading it.

Unknown said...

Chief, glad to hear you do this blog on your "off-duty." Why do you have this as the Chief's blog if it is off-duty? Why not just Tom Casady's blog?

As for you last defensive comment, I thought I would see what the Chief of Police was posting to better our City of Lincoln and now that I see what you are posting, I will make better use of my time and look for more useful information.

Further, after reading several of your other posts, I didn't think you would see it any other way than yours. My point was that your officers giving tickets like this are silly, your response was silly and posting "silly" things like this to show your benevolence or embarrass someone on your official Chief of Police blog is not helping citizens like me who pay your salary to post worthwhile things to keep my neighbors and I safe.

If you are reading this with disdain, I recommend you quit being so defensive and think about listening to what your citizens find helpful and what they don't find helpful once in awhile.