10-year-old ticketed, fined for lemonade stand

[Watchdog]

Okay, so I see this on the news, and of course, it makes my blood boil. Some little girl was trying to sell lemonade in the park and park rangers come over and ask for a permit. She and her father explain they don't have one and offer to move on; however, the rangers write her up anyway. The poor father, with his little girl looking on, lifts up the pink ticket.

I'm thinking ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS!

And I almost click out of the story . . .

But I stick with it and at the very end--of a several minute piece--the father reveals that the park comissioner himself called to say the ticket would in effect be torn up and the commissioner has also instructed rangers not to write up individuals for similar situations.

So, what sounded like a completely irrational story ended up okay with a reasonable result. But I bet half the people didn't finish the interview clip and went away thinking "What idiots we have in authority."

I don't know, just get a tad tired of headlines and blurbs and blips in this short attention span age that do not capture or convey the full story.

Any headlines you can think of that fit this topic?

[HYDROMAROC]

And you wonder why people grow up and hate the police / authority figures...

[Omega_Precision]

Go figure....it was a park ranger.

[AIKO]

Originally Posted by HYDROMAROC

And you wonder why people grow up and hate the police / authority figures...

Kind of what I was thinking.

[Gaijin]

Originally Posted by HYDROMAROC

And you wonder why people grow up and hate the police / authority figures...

Really? The overwhelming majority of people I encountered in 22 years as a Police Officer supported us.

Not sure where you get your data from.

[Thrasher]

I support the men and women who work as police officers. They are an integral part to our society. Occasionally, some of them make blatant mistakes or judgement calls that one might find questionable. Human beings doing a challenging job.

I recently spent about 20 hours contesting a traffic ticket. A NY State Trooper ticketed me for driving my passenger van on the Southern State Parkway, where commercial vehicles are prohibited, saying that my van was in fact a commercial van. It wasn't; I researched the law extensively prior to buying the van and spent app. $2k to convert it in accordance with the specific regulations that exactly describe the modifications a commercial van requires to be registered in the passenger class. It was then required by law to be registered as a passenger van, and as a legally registered passenger vehicle absolutely parkway legal. The van itself is a Dodge Sprinter, plain white with no external markings or writing of any sort, in excellent condition and fully compliant in appearance and equipment. The problem was that the trooper had a misunderstanding of the pertinent regulations, and based his stop and subsequent citation on this faulty understanding. He also became somewhat unpleasant in tone and demeanor when I maintained that the van was a legal passenger van. I can understand that, as he thought I was trying to hand him a bunch of baloney. I did not enjoy his pugnacious and truculent attitude however, especially in light of my courteous and compliant behavior. He was having a bad night, and I could only look forward to court.

A day or two later, I checked the "not guilty" box on the ticket, and mailed it in. I received what I thought was a court date about two months later. It wasn't; it was a hearing at the courthouse, twenty miles from my residence. The hearing was little more than a sales job, with the a.d.a. trying to get me to plead guilty in return for a reduced fine. I wasn't guilty, so I reiterated that as I indicated when I checked not guilty on the ticket, I wanted a trial. Well, you don't get a trial the day of the hearing. You get a letter about a month to two later with a trial date picked at their convenience. All in all, a fine waste of that morning, and a loss of a day's pay.

Two months later came the trial. Before the trial, I had to again see an a.d.a. for another sales job- again sorry, I'm not guilty and want a trial. I'm then told that there will be no trial that day because the trooper called in sick. I asked for a dismissal, but the a.d.a. refused with, I detected, a hint of pleasure. I was then brought before the judge, who also tried to sell me on pleading guilty. Uh, no. Judge also refused to dismiss. Second morning wasted, another day of pay gone. Tempted to accept the guilty plea just to be done with these people, except I wasn't guilty, and I refused to be shaken down by the state.

A month later, I'm notified by mail of the date for the second court date. I cannot make that date, so I am required to go down to the courthouse to reschedule- they won't do it over the phone. Go down, same nonsense- a.d.a. offered a plea bargain, as did the judge later when I requested the trial date changed. Morning wasted, but request for a different court date is approved.

Fourth time down to the courthouse. Again, an a.d.a. tried to shake me down-No. Went to the judge- the trooper did not show, case dismissed. About twenty hours gone from my life for this stupid ticket. And by the way-the original traffic stop was a de facto and de jure 4th amendment violation. I was doing less than the speed limit, not weaving, there was no probable cause, nor any cause for reasonable suspicion, other than the officer's faulty understanding of the law. Left a bad taste.

[doghouse]

I'm a cop and love all you guys!

[Thrasher]

Right back at you! Possibly the toughest job on the planet.

[JPersat]

Leave it to the Park Rangers to make the rest of us LE look bad.

[HYDROMAROC]

Originally Posted by KansaiVet

Really? The overwhelming majority of people I encountered in 22 years as a Police Officer supported us.

Not sure where you get your data from.

I myself work in law enforcement too... You must just work in a swell town...

[bodybump]

Originally Posted by doghouse

I'm a cop and love all you guys!

I salute you my friend!!!

[Lion]

Originally Posted by Thrasher

I support the men and women who work as police officers. They are an integral part to our society. Occasionally, some of them make blatant mistakes or judgement calls that one might find questionable. Human beings doing a challenging job.

I recently spent about 20 hours contesting a traffic ticket. A NY State Trooper ticketed me for driving my passenger van on the Southern State Parkway, where commercial vehicles are prohibited, saying that my van was in fact a commercial van. It wasn't; I researched the law extensively prior to buying the van and spent app. $2k to convert it in accordance with the specific regulations that exactly describe the modifications a commercial van requires to be registered in the passenger class. It was then required by law to be registered as a passenger van, and as a legally registered passenger vehicle absolutely parkway legal. The van itself is a Dodge Sprinter, plain white with no external markings or writing of any sort, in excellent condition and fully compliant in appearance and equipment. The problem was that the trooper had a misunderstanding of the pertinent regulations, and based his stop and subsequent citation on this faulty understanding. He also became somewhat unpleasant in tone and demeanor when I maintained that the van was a legal passenger van. I can understand that, as he thought I was trying to hand him a bunch of baloney. I did not enjoy his pugnacious and truculent attitude however, especially in light of my courteous and compliant behavior. He was having a bad night, and I could only look forward to court.

A day or two later, I checked the "not guilty" box on the ticket, and mailed it in. I received what I thought was a court date about two months later. It wasn't; it was a hearing at the courthouse, twenty miles from my residence. The hearing was little more than a sales job, with the a.d.a. trying to get me to plead guilty in return for a reduced fine. I wasn't guilty, so I reiterated that as I indicated when I checked not guilty on the ticket, I wanted a trial. Well, you don't get a trial the day of the hearing. You get a letter about a month to two later with a trial date picked at their convenience. All in all, a fine waste of that morning, and a loss of a day's pay.

Two months later came the trial. Before the trial, I had to again see an a.d.a. for another sales job- again sorry, I'm not guilty and want a trial. I'm then told that there will be no trial that day because the trooper called in sick. I asked for a dismissal, but the a.d.a. refused with, I detected, a hint of pleasure. I was then brought before the judge, who also tried to sell me on pleading guilty. Uh, no. Judge also refused to dismiss. Second morning wasted, another day of pay gone. Tempted to accept the guilty plea just to be done with these people, except I wasn't guilty, and I refused to be shaken down by the state.

A month later, I'm notified by mail of the date for the second court date. I cannot make that date, so I am required to go down to the courthouse to reschedule- they won't do it over the phone. Go down, same nonsense- a.d.a. offered a plea bargain, as did the judge later when I requested the trial date changed. Morning wasted, but request for a different court date is approved.

Fourth time down to the courthouse. Again, an a.d.a. tried to shake me down-No. Went to the judge- the trooper did not show, case dismissed. About twenty hours gone from my life for this stupid ticket. And by the way-the original traffic stop was a de facto and de jure 4th amendment violation. I was doing less than the speed limit, not weaving, there was no probable cause, nor any cause for reasonable suspicion, other than the officer's faulty understanding of the law. Left a bad taste.

Thanx for the story but am sorry for the red tape the legal system put you through. Again this is just a wonderful example of our legal system at worth!!!

[Gaijin]

Originally Posted by JPersat

Leave it to the Park Rangers to make the rest of us LE look bad.

That's the first thing I thought too. The Park Rangers I worked with were all seasonal hires working for minimum wage with a minimal of training. They did the best they could I guess.

[AWATCH]

Unfortunate that a few make them all look bad, I think most people have the utmost respect for law enforcement.

[tinstar]

Remember that we only enforce the laws passed by the elected leadership.

Yes......the rangers made a bad judgement call, but the requirement for a permit was not his doing.

Vote common sense into office!!

I would not have made them move and would have bought a glass of lemonade from the little girl.

[Thrasher]

"Thanx for the story but am sorry for the red tape the legal system put you through. Again this is just a wonderful example of our legal system at worth!!!"

Throughout the whole experience I did my best to maintain an attitude of gratitude for having the right to due process. I also did my best to remember that the officer who gave me the ticket has probably saved lives in the course of his career, as well as put away some genuine bad guys. I just got a sleeve caught in the gears of the justice machine. Anytime you have a human invention, which is all laws and people enforcing them is, there's going to be human failures. I still have a frosty beverage reserved for the guy who ticketed me- not for my experience with him, but for the 99.9% he gets it right, at significant hazard to himself.

[ijen0311]

I had lunch with an officer yesterday, and as we're leaving a lady runs up to him, hysterical. He asks what's wrong, and she says I need help with Medicaid! He pointed at me and laughed (my agency does that).

I can't imagine how tough it is doing that job and running into lots of strange things...