"I" cant see the truth?
YOU cant see the truth that the fine is not created for the purpose of generating money, but as punishment for breaking a law. That it generates revenue is incidental. YOU need to reexamine "cause and effect".
But of course you won't for the very same reason wayward won't. Too narrow minded to see anything but your distorted beliefs.

FACT: Officers have better things do do than "troll for parking tickets"

FACT: Officers only write parking tickets when they are dispatched to a complaint about a parking violation

FACT: Officers don't create the laws nor the fines associated with them.

FACT: Officers must often write multiple tickets when they are forced to write even one ticket on a given street to avoid charges of favoritism or undue harrassment from the person ticketed, so every car parked illegally gets a ticket, not just the one complained about.

Those are FACTS!
not my opinions.

Your idea that cops are just "revenooers" etc.. writing tickets to make money is just opinion, and a false opinion at that.

Now it is true that some VERY small towns with departments of 4-5 officers, may in fact be controlled by a city council of 3 or 4 guys who order them to inforce every little detail of the traffic code to "create revenue" but that is not the case here nor in most other municipalities.

Now Mr. watchdog,
since you opened this can-o-worms by putting this out there with little fact and a lot left unsaid and uninvestigated, how about you check with the police department and FIND OUT what their ticket writing policy is?

Then people speaking from a position of ignorance can shut the heck up.

Que - I did not see where wayward stated he was a cop hater. One word comes to mind when i read your posts. Manipulate. Why can you not see that the simple truth to this ticket situation? It is as simple as the ticket was wrote. Money!!! Out of yours and mine. This rates up there with the quarter pushing machines and internet cafe "stake outs" for over a year. I bet you will tell me that was not about money as well... What a waste of time and tax money. Those "crimes" could of been dealt with well before a year was to pass IMO.

John 123,
I know full well that cophaters like waywardwind and others will never change their minds about cops. I dont defend the police in order to change their minds. Their minds are too narrow. there is no room for anything other than their distorted view of reality.

The reason I argue it is for the other readers who know no better. Those who would be influenced to the cop-haters point of view without an opposing view to contrast it with.
In the case of the cophaters ranting unopposed, a lie told often enough gains the weight of truth. Thats how urban myths are born.
I'm not trying to change waywards mind. I am just showing his opinion as false truth. He is still entitled to his opinion, false as it is.

Ed..."Hope you never need Dick Tracey."

I hope I don't either, because I don't think I'll find him in Victoria.

Durn, and I never paid that parking ticket for Parked on the Wrong Side of the Roadway I received in 1974, ain't that a shame?

I was parked on Lova drive, went to VHS don't ya know, every single car parked there got a ticket, there was a lot of yellow paper on the ground..so I added mine to it.

Durn Legion..................you are giving your age away with that one

Sounds good to me.

John123...I don't hate the "men in blue". If someone is breaking into my house, I'll call the cops -- and hope the one closest to me isn't busy issueing a ticket for an illegal turn. While I'm waiting, I'll have a revolver handy.

EyeQue,

There is no need to try and defend the Police Department, those that hate the men in blue are set in their ways. As usual not all the facts are reported. I encourage those with negative remarks to go on a ride along and see what really happens on the streets of Victoria.

Durn, and I never paid that parking ticket for Parked on the Wrong Side of the Roadway I received in 1974, ain't that a shame?

I was parked on Lova drive, went to VHS don't ya know, every single car parked there got a ticket, there was a lot of yellow paper on the ground..so I added mine to it.

HiEyeQue...Yeah, right. It's all about upholding the law. Money never enters into it. Now, the nice policeman, having been sent to make sidewalks safe for humanity, upon arriving at the home had some choices. He COULD HAVE rung the doorbell and informed the people that their vehicle would have to be moved as it was in violation of some obscure law and the owners would have been somewhat miffed, but would have moved the offending vehicle. He COULD have done that, but instead, he chose to write the ticket with the more than $100 fine attached after which the offending vehicle was moved. The end result was the same -- the vehicle was moved -- but the revenooer chose the path that would put money into the city coffers. I mean, why would he want to simply get the owners to move the truck when he could make points with his shift supervisor and at the same time make life a little miserable for a family with bills to pay? I'm sure they didn't have anything better to do with a hundred bucks. Yessir, boy, he's a real asset to the city. He makes all the citizens swell up with pride when they think of their police department, which incidentally is funded by our TAX DOLLARS. This dedicated public servant makes me glad he's on the job. He's just in the wrong department. He should work for the tax department since he's so good at raising revenue. Protect and serve; what a joke.

Gabe, You are a reporter and a member of the Advocate staff. How about you go and ask several different officers about how they go about writing parking violations. I garauntee you they will confirm what I said and then you can post your 'findings' back here to shut up these people who are talking without knowing.

Their reasons for not proactively looking for parking violations is also exactly what I stated. If they were to do so they would spend their whole 12 hour shift doing nothing but tickets and never get further than a few blocks from the police station.

Do some reporting Mr. Watchdog.
go find out about how these tickets are written then post back your findings.

Hicktoria,
Clearly you have wax in your ears because you did not hear a word I said.
You are blind to any other view than your own preconcieved notion.

How is having a bumper over the curb breaking the law? Probably in a number of ways. If it is blocking the sidewalk, blocking handicap access, etc.

you also did not note where I said there is likely a lot more to it than just what was stated. This is clear by the questions edpost and victorianbybirth brought up.

And you're right. it may very well be a 'stupid law' as you claim. and police DO NOT bother with it unless a citizen makes a complaint. Officers do not go down street after street just looking for parking violations. They only respond to a called in complaint from a citizen that they are dispatched to by radio. Then (and only then) do they write a ticket, and usually for every violation on that particular block because the ticketed person would otherwise claim "Why only me?"

This is how it DOES HAPPEN, so it CANT be about the money.

I agree with Kenneth on this issue. "Que" it is all about making money!!! Tell me how that having a bumper over a curb is breaking the "law" ? It may be in the book, but it is the most stupid BS I have ever heard of... The next thing you know you will be cited for not picking your nose right!!!!

You violate the law by a traffic violation. The LAW not the police assign a fine as the punishment for breaking that particular law. the money paid by you is YOUR punishment. Now they cant and wont just take your money and throw it in the trash afterwards, they put it to use.

Revenue generation is a SIDE EFFECT of the penalties assigned to the violators. Revenue generation is not the PURPOSE of the penalties.
You need to go back and study cause and effect because you people are putting the cart before the horse, assisted by a heaping dose of conspiracy theories about "The Man" and "Big Brother"

I think that about does it for the Revenue agent BS.

Now.
edpost and victorianbybirth,
You two hit the nail on the head. You have demonstrated that there is likely far more to this story than what the lady wrote to Gabe in her letter. Likely leaving out pertinent information that does not strengthen her complaint.

Now to police ticketing for parking violations;

Police DO NOT go around looking for parking violations. They DO HAVE better things to do with their time.

An officer will only ticket for a parking violation when a complaint is called in by a citizen. If the officer shows up and a violation does exist, a ticket will be issued. The officer will not initate looking for violations on their own. If they did, an officer could spend his whole shift writing violations and never get further than a few blocks from the station.

When a car is ticketed for a citizen complaint initiated call, often the officer will have to ticket all vehicles in sight to prevent complaints from the person ticketed about "why was he singled out" This results in group of tickets for multiple vehicles all on the same block. But this is not because the police are proactively going after parking violators.

Now from time to time there may be exceptions to the rule. If a certain area becomes a problem for whatever reason, police may for a period of time proactively inforce even minor laws in order to crack down on whatever is wrong.

Kenneth,
Your Stroman High School example is far more likely the result of a nagging complainer who uses that parking lot and kept calling in a stream of complaints rather than your erroneous conclusion.

Kenneth,
Normally I respect your postings but in this case you are coming from a position of ignorance bolstered by a wrong preconcieved notion and a strong dose of opinion.

Police do NOT go around looking for parking violations. Because you are right, They DO HAVE more important things to do. And because you are wrong, they are NOT revenue agents.

I expect such comments from the likes of zorro and waywardwind, but not you.

Police can spend all day and night every day ticketing for minor infractions and the total revenue generated to "fund more patrols" would be like trying to put out a house fire with a drop of water.

To quash this whole "revenue agent" idea let me explain something.

POLICE DO NOT MAKE THE LAWS NOR DO THEY ASSIGN THE PENALTIES FOR BREAKING THEM!

A parking violation, like any other traffic violation moving or otherwise is breaking the law.

Those of you complaining about police being revenue agents have got your thinking "bass akwards"

The fee is the punishment for violating the law
NOT
the laws exists to create the fee.

I read your post...Polk street is not a cul de sac, therefore how could their bumper be over the curb, unless their car was on the sidewalk.

How can your bumper be over the curb if you are parked horizontally on the street?

Have you noticed how the "I'm just doing my job" creeps into the conversation when the revenue argument gets injected into the debate? And here I thought all along that the job of the police was to protect and serve? What does does trolling for minor traffic offenses have to do with keeping us safe? And I might add, piling on by being creative and ticketing the obscure, archaic, and mundane infractions. I know, they go to school to learn this stuff and they use it for probable cause to see if they can't pad the ticket a tad. I know a few people and their opinions on this subject, and as I have said in here before, the police are losing the public relations war by these tactics. When what you get paid for is equivalent to terrorizing the public, you need to take a look in the mirror.

whats next the city all ready messed up our trash service the police need to come dowm polk ave and give tickets there a lot of cars parked the wrong way ater all the garbage/water is going up 2.50 per month maybe they can get 1.25 of that and fund a new police chief and i for got the exture 5.00 a month if you need a new garbage can

JD..."Maybe we need a local committee to tell the cops which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore"

Sign me up!

Negotiator..."Revenue Agents? That's funny, I've never considered myself to be one of those!"

Unfortunately, there's nothing funny about it. The motto of VPD patrol division: "To Serve and Generate -- revenue"

edpost..."As I said sound reasoning should suffice as to if the citizen's car was illegally parked"

The operative word there is SHOULD. Remember, if the judge tosses the ticket, he also tosses over a hundred bucks in revenue. I'm thinkin' that ain't gonna happen.

thewaywardwind,

Revenue Agents? That's funny, I've never considered myself to be one of those! I'll have to remember that one.

The dirty little secret, really no secret at all, is that the city and now the county looks to fines as a way to help fund services. Now you can spin this as law enforcement or other altruistic virtue for issuing these citations, but in the end, the real reason is to generate revenue. I have opined on this previously and I remain steadfast, traffic tickets and other fines are deliberate schemes to generate money for local government.

It's ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!! VPD must be running out of drivers to ticket so they're ticketing stationary vehicles now. Next, they'll be ticketing pedistrians who are walking/jogging in the street instead of on the sidewalk. Uniformed cops are revenue agents and very little else. The more revenue they bring in, the more likely they'll get an attaboy from the shift supervisor.

Is it possible that the bumper was blocking wheelchair access?

next they will be giving tickets for not pulling up into the parking place enough, thereby impeeding traffic . The city just needs money.

I guess we shouldn't be blocking or impeding the sidewalks. Maybe we need a local committee to tell the cops which laws to enforce and which ones to ignore because they might find a bigger one being broken if they just keep driving on a little further.