07-05-2019, 04:18 PM
(07-03-2019, 09:19 PM)Bob_McBob Wrote: When it comes down to it, it's police policy to park wherever they want for their convenience. Does an officer responding to a shoplifting call at Walmart have to park on the sidewalk beside the entrance? No, of course not. If you call them on it, they'll just say it's department policy in case they have to respond to another call. There will always be an excuse like this, and in the end they can park wherever they please and nobody can do anything about it because they're above the law in this respect. If they feel like blocking an entire LRT station rather than parking across the street, they'll do it, and that's the end of it.
I'd be wary of making statements that they think they are above the law. If the law provides an exemption for them (Which parking by-laws do), they are operating within the law. You may not like it, but its legal.
I have a lot of respect for the police and other law enforcement (in most cases), and as a member of this group, I won't play "what ifs" in internet arguments. Sometimes there are reasons for something that others outside the LE community wouldn't understand. No different than how car drivers don't get cyclists or transit riders POV.
As an Auxiliary officer in this community, I learned at an event in Cambridge that where I parked my cruiser blocked a bike lane. I pulled to the right to avoid traffic. When I was out in the intersection, I ended up apologizing to cyclists as they went around my vehicle for "parking in their lane". [Ironically, it was the Tour de Grand, a bike race]. This year, I parked my cruiser in the full right lane of traffic, and left the bike lane clear. The only reason I felt bad is that I had learned from the views of avid cyclists in this forum... and I pass that along to colleagues. We are constantly learning new things, and its sometimes hard to break old habits.
I know WRPS has LRT specific online training over the next few months, and perhaps that will help change the "non-enforcement" mindset we have seen recently. [I haven't taken it yet, so I don't know what it discusses]
Coke