First I was very suspired when I got this email, this blogger has always found the Ridgewood Police to be very professional even under the most trying circumstances and even though from time to time this blog has taken issue with local authorities, I have never had any reason to believe that the Ridgewood Police did anything but a superb job of protecting and serving the community. Unlike some other towns the Village Police seem to have avoided resorting to the petty policing practices of so many other towns
I wanted to bring to your attention a questionable practice of a Ridgewood Police Officer (P.O.) that has been writing Summons to parents picking up their children outside of Willard School. Please understand that the parking at Willard is a mess and they had put up signs in front on Morningside that state no parking or standing, so there is some debate on the validity of him writing Summons but the problem is that the P.O. has been very rude and arguably stepping over the line of abuse of power.
He has been issuing Summons for petty violations such as obstruction of view for air fresheners and the like hanging from mirrors, or obstruction of license plates if someone has those plastic frames from the auto dealers around their plates. There has been several complaints made to the police department Captains and Chief about this officer and his unwarranted demeanor to the parents (mostly) mothers picking up their children. Case in point, I was there this past Friday dropping off my drums for the school play that evening and I had pulled in front after dropping off my instrument and pulled over and my son and daughter had entered my car. Well the P.O. came to the car was rude, and refused to listen to the fact that I was dropping off my instruments to volunteer to play for the school instead of them having to pay $400 for a hired musician. His response was “you can tell it to the Village Prosecutor” and walked away. Needless to say I was NOT happy by this and contacted James Tenhove with no avail (imagine that?).
In any event he wound up writing me 3 summons for “Improper pick up of passengers”, “obstruction of view” because of a 2 inch by 1 inch translucent glass cross on my rear view mirror and “obstruction of my plates” because of the dealer frame. As it turned out I had been approached later that evening at the school play by 3 mothers that had been ticketed by him and also received the additional bogus tickets along with the nasty and unprofessional attitude.
This level of frustration is compounded by the fact that it seems to be an everyday occurrence at Willard School that the P.O. singles out one or two cars of the many parked along the curb and basically treats them like garbage and issues frivolous tickets. As an attorney, I have researched this issue and have found a few flaws in the summons he has issued and have every intention of having them dismissed, however the people of Willard School are fed up of being, well simply put, harassed by the P.O. when, in all honesty all they are guilty of is watching out for their children’s safety by not making the kids have to cross Morningside in order to be picked up on Bedford. When in reality there is a “cut out” that allows for cars to park without interfering with the normal flow of traffic on Morningside.*editors note the Ridgewood blog has removed the officers name from the post.
The Ridgewood Blog 
yawn…..
He was at Somerville today. I do think we need to do something about pick-up traffic be he was a bit to aggressive.
This aggravates me to no end…it is a shame that some police officers have the wrong motives for wanting this job…I received a ticket in which a police officer lied and wrote me a ticket…In this economy, if I had the chance to sue a police officer that doesn’t respect the system, I would do it. I would want him unemployed. Too bad that the union protects him. Anyways, I respect every officer or public safety personal that is doing their job well and for the right reasons.
Not that I am happy about parents getting harassed by the police… It is certainly refreshing that THIS time it isn’t those poor parents at Travell!!!!!
About time is what I say.
Maybe the PO is trying to raise money for the town because we are going broke.
High taxes for quality harassment.
Perhaps the police are responding the bloggers who make suggestions such as: “Are you getting the message Chief LiPuma? Get the boys out of their warm cars and slap some paper around.”
While there is no excuse for being rude – there are always two sides to every story.
My days of picking up my kids at school are now over, but from my experience inconsideration and rudness are the part of mothers (and fathers)picking up their kids at school is a common display. Certainly it is not every parent, but there are enough that I avoid driving by any school if I can. Don’t the cops have video in their police cars? Perhaps the reason there is little response is someone said “let’s go to the video”??
This the guy who was just promoted too? We had issues with him in town. And, 99.9 % of the time, I find our police officers to be superb.
He is here to work for us…not harrass us. Union or not, if this continues, I would suggest parents band together and demand he be the first to go if there are budget cuts! It might help if you speak to the principal at Willard.
Kudos to the Police Department! Typical Ridgewood resident, the rules are not for me. Obey the law Mr. or Ms. attorney..you are NOT above the law. I am glad safety is being enforced by Village schools.
Does this P.O. have a name?
Obviously if we have a rogue cop we should all be on the lookout.
By the way…he is supposed to be working for us and keeping us safe, not busting our chops and making up infractions.
In lieu of a bailout, we gotta find some way to fund that $330K bathroom during this economic downturn!
Sounds like someone complained to the right person about the unsafe school traffic during pick up and or drop off around the schools.
Thats most likely the reason why enforcement has been stepped up. NO STOPPING OR STANDING means it is illegal to do so. No question about it. Walk your children to school, across the street or to a safe location where they can be picked up/dropped off legally and safely.
Suggestion:
1. Check the ticket for deficiency.. Statue cited etc….
2. Ask for a postponement of date to be heard.. indicating you want to be heard on the record.
3. Has this officer been issuing tickets on a selective basis.
4. Ask his captain how often he gave permission for that officer to withdraw a ticket he has written?
5. Keep him busy returning to court again and again. The Judge will/should make an inquiry from the prosecutor to review the officer’s record on issuing tickets.
6. Start making your own list of complaints…there are corrupt cops everywhere… Ridgewood is no exception.
7. Inform Councilman Keith Killion by a hand deliver letter (no e-mail) he will make a little more than a discreet inquiry.
PJ Blogger you sound like a typical Ridgewood Mother, who is allowed to break the laws for her convience when picking up kids, or any other erround in the large SUV. And I am sure that the officer who has been standing around a school for a week is not happy to be issuing summonses to a bunch of the same whiney ladies who complain about the parking when his is not there. Go around to any school and the parking is all the same. So if the violators should not be ticketed I ask you PJ what should they do about the parking problem
Send him to Orchard. I’m begging!
The mom’s blatantly ignore the “no parking” signs, causing total gridlock and preventing two way traffic.
A ticket or two would be well justified and possibly have the effect of modifying behavior.
Get out your ticket book Mr. P.O. and head down to Orchard Place at 2:55pm
Safety around the schools has been a problem. Parents ignore the warnings and wonder why they are ticketed. The no stopping or standing signs are there because they don’t want the parents dropping off or picking up there. That’s why you got a ticket. To bring this type of enforcement means that people must have complained.
I drove down Morningside last week at night and the road was clogged with cars picking up after an event. It was dark and there was gridlock caused by cars stopped on both sides of Morningside – and frustrated drivers pulling out of Bedford (?) blocking the road completely. Kids were searching for their parents in the dark.
If you must drive, park it legally on a side street and walk a block or two – it wasn’t even raining. Get out of your car! It was unnecessarily chaotic. Safety first. If they didn’t enforce the law you wouldn’t obey the law.
i love reading the comments from people who have not even read the post
I absolutely agree that some the parents dropping and picking up their kids create a hazardous situation for all. However, tickets for crosses, plate covers, improprieties for picking up or dropping off one’s children IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL. My apologies in advance, but that is complete and utter bullshit.
While we were in the process of adopting my son, his biological father came to our home under the influence of crack. We asked him to leave and when he became aggressive, we summoned the police. Well, he left before the officers arrived, but when we attempted to explain the situation, the officer said, “you could have given him a break, it’s 40 degrees”. A break? Yes, because it’s always safer to have your children in the presence of someone who’s high on cocaine.
For the most part I think the Ridgewood Police do an outstanding job. But I don’t think one can assume that a brain will always come along with the badge.
tickets for crosses, plate covers, improprieties for picking up or dropping off one’s children IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL. My apologies in advance, but that is complete and utter bullshit.
makes the village look desperate for cash and the officier look like an arse …no wonder people have no respect for the law
I am glad the officer is doing his job. The parents totally ignore the signs and Morningside in front of willard looks like an SUV convention. THANKS for ticketing these idiots. Now please do the same @ RIDGE where they block ridgewood ave and N. Monroe in front of GW. As to the tickets covering a portion of your license plate…call the dealer that gets the free advertising by putting that plastic plate there and they will gladly pay it. I removed mine, and called the dealer and said ‘do you know this is against the law’..he said YES but its GREAT advertising and he pays one or 2 tickets a year for people.
Maybe you should just obey the law! Wouldn’t that be something.
Anonymous said…
tickets for crosses, plate covers, improprieties for picking up or dropping off one’s children IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL. My apologies in advance, but that is complete and utter bullshit.
makes the village look desperate for cash and the officier look like an arse …no wonder people have no respect for the law
8:02 AM
What concerns me, at least in the case of this officer, is that the sense of power may have gone to his head.
Somehow I think that a person with an exaggerated sense of authority carrying a gun may be a lot more of a safety concern than someone who hangs a cross from their mirror.
*editors note the Ridgewood blog has removed the officers name from the post”
Phewy! C’mon PJ! I have a pentacle hanging from my mirror and I just changed my plate cover. I would have liked to know who was going to be ticketing the “Witchmobile” đŸ™‚
his or her name will be on the ticket …..lol
Why are there so many kids getting dropped off and picked up at school? Most of these kids should walking. The problem is that all of these cars are creating a hazard for pedestrians. The PO should keep up the good work. 4:51 is correct about expanding the teicketing to all schools.
I hope that the police keep up the good work and continue to teach these people that if you don’t obey the law you will get caught. The people of Ridgewood have had it too easy for too long. What about the safety of our children at drop off and pick up time at our schools? – were they too afraid that the person they are ticketing might be a neighbor until now?
pjblogger62 said…
the officers name is always on the ticket
12:08 PM
Yes, they do.
That said, if it were me issuing tickets for things like crosses, plate covers, and dropping off children’s instruments, I’d be too mortified to sign my own name!! Just sayin’ đŸ™‚
As the person who submitted the email and the lucky receipient of these bogus tickets, I am the first to say I always respect and honor the good men and woman out there protecting us. I am also the first person to admit when I have done wrong. However, how do you explain to your children who were in the car and witnessed this officer’s unprofessional behavior and total abuse of power? And finally be mindful that this was not at 3:00 sharp. It was at 3:30 and the mass exodus of students had passed. Let’s be realistic here, there is NO reason for this person (I have a hard time calling him an “officer”) to act like that. It is often one “officer” like this that tarnishes the entire department’s HONORABLE reputation. In all honesty if the issuing “officer” would of been a tiny bit respectful I would of apologized and paid the ticket, but instead he steps out in front of my car like he was Jesus walking on water and talked to me like I was garbage in front of my children. For all I know the people of the Willard School community are NOT criminals and should not be treated as such. The bottom line is HE HAS TO GO!!!!!
what a bunch of whiners. any school i ride by at 3pm is jammed with moms picking up children. cant anyone walk to school any more? by all schools traffic is so jammed up you cant move in either direction ridgewood p.d. keep on doing your job if someone snarls traffic or double parks write um up.
If you can’t pay the fine, don’t do the crime!
…cant anyone walk to school any more?…
Well, if there weren’t so many pedistrian accidents and people exposing themselves, maybe the kids could.
But lately, there’s good reason to drive your kid to school.
No one obeys the law and dangerous situations are created. Parents are given the parking instructions and do not follow the rules. Park a little further away and walk! Everyone thinks they are special.
People! It’s not the ticket in question, it is HOW the officer treated the FATHER picking up his children. As a witness, the police officer was EXTREMELY HARSH. To the point he even made the kids cry. What’s the point of that, just give the ticket and move on. There is NO excuse or justification for this behavior. NONE!
Too bad obey the law next time.
the officer isn't there to win a popularity contest. if you do not want to have a 'dialogue' the the officer don't block the street. the signs are in plain english. and get off the cell phone when your're driving your monster SUV hauling your lazy kids around. i grew up here and went to willard, and i NEVER in my life recalled parents picking their kids up. we WALKED to school. its great exercise. WTF is up with these 'helicopter parents' who feel the need to do everything for their kids? It will create a generation of marshmellows who cannot fend for themselves. thankfully I will be in the ground before that generation runs the country. I could not imagine them negotiating with a foreign leader in the future… 'oh sorry…let me go ask mommy what i should do!" HEY PARENTS>>>GROW A PAIR and let your brats walk to school and grow up without your intervention. And thank the cop for ticketing those idiots in SUV's blocking the streets contributing to the unsafe condition in the road.
8:50 – Maybe the kids have been scared straight and will obey the laws when they grow up. If the father had set a better example to begin with, there would have been no need for the officer to step into his shoes.
Regardless of the law or not. The person getting the ticket basically said he would pay the fine as he knew he did wrong. But many of you are missing the point! Slow down and read what he wrote. You can say what you want, but no one and I repeat NO ONE likes to be treated like dirt. I know the guy who got the ticket and he is a good man, a responsible father who does A LOT for this community and Willard School, hell he was dropping off his drums because he VOLUNTEERED to play them for the school play! With that being said he is right for being mad and wants something done about it. And if he can’t do it alone I assure you there are many people willing to stand behind him to show the Village and the Police Chief that NO OFFICER has the level of authority this officer does to talk to people like that! So get over the issue of stopping in a no stopping zone and realize it is the officer’s unprofessional attitude that is the issue here!
Anonymous said…
People! It’s not the ticket in question, it is HOW the officer treated the FATHER picking up his children. As a witness, the police officer was EXTREMELY HARSH. To the point he even made the kids cry. What’s the point of that, just give the ticket and move on. There is NO excuse or justification for this behavior. NONE!
8:50 PM
This is just horrendous. We teach our children that police officers are those people they can go to for help. What kind of message does this kind of behavior send to them?
The violations in question clearly a misuse of authority on the part of this officer. I would like to see how some of you who claim that this was appropriate behavior would feel if you were on the receiving end of it.
Hi. It’s me the “Do you know who I am?”, SUV driving, ex-con, cop hating, arrogant, father of a marshmallow who is out of shape and a twinkie eating, cracker grabber (LOL,I like that one by the way..twinkie eating, cracker grabbers..lol..good one)who breaks every law he can because I volunteer to my community. You know THE BIG BAD MAN?? Oh and I forgot “the dope who teaches his kids to not respect the authorities hoping that someday his children will get arrested” and a “helicopter parent”!
I just wanted to thank the earlier post by KLM and Tracy. Just one question. KLM? Mom is that you? LOL.
OH and in response to the person who posted the comment at 4:00 PM
about the court being on the day the officer is on duty.
So you mean to tell me every Ridgewood Officer is on duty on Thursday from 4:30 on? Because that is the ONLY day Judge Sheridan takes the bench. Correct me if I am wrong 4:00 Poster a/k/a “Matlock”.
And for the record, I have no intention of playing games with the “officer” and nor would I even think of wasting the court’s and Prosecutor Sullivan’s time and ultimately the taxpayer’s money.
Nor am I asking for any special treatment because I live in Ridgewood. It all comes down to a simple philosophy called “P.H.D”..PRESERVING HUMAN DIGNITY. Listen (especially you Mr. 4:00 Matlock)it’s not the ticket I am “boo hoo’n” about its the fact that this “officer” was unprofessional, rude and defied EVERYTHING I have taught my “twinky grabbers” (by the way Matlock, I hope you don’t let your kids eat those things..they are the worst things to eat)about police officers. They are to be approachable and trusting. Hell I am an adult and wouldn’t want to approach this “officer”. BTW if anyone was arrogant in this situation it was NOT me, trust me. And as you know Counselor Matlock a good attorney should alway do their due dilligencce BEFORE engaging in a matter. A perfect example is your adjournment comment.
Anyway I have done mine due diligence and research. This officer is known for being rude and nasty not just to the people he writes summons to but to people he works around and with, complaints have already been filed about him. And if he is sick about hearing people complain about work, well Matlock, you must be working at Walt Disney World, because that is the nature of the beast we call WORK. If he can’t deal with complaining then maybe he’s in the wrong line of work. Is Walt Disney hiring? But seriously Matlock, I was raised on the theory that you be nice on the way up because they are the same people on the way down. I hold deep respect for police, fire, emt, sanitation workers etc. I am no better than them and them no better than me.
Now one last thing. You don’t know me and it is a wee bit unfair to assume I am “never happy”. I have to say I am very happy, I live a good HONEST life, I have a healthy wife and children, I have great neighbors who are like family to us and I don’t want them to have to deal with being treated like I was in front of my children. Listen Matlock, I don’t know you but I will tell you this much, I would stand up for you if what you were fighting for is fair and honorable.
And if you knew anyone who knows me I would hope to think they would agree. We live in crazy difficult times, life is tough enough as it is, there is no REASON to dish out any more grief. Remember Matlock.. P.H.D.
“Do you know who I am?”, SUV driving, ex-con, cop hating, arrogant, father of a marshmallow who are out of shape and a twinkie eating, cracker grabbers who breaks every law I can because I am a volunteer to my community.
I don’t think that police officers select the locations for ticketing. He was probably sent by the boss. After half hour of trying to get the entitled parents of willard to obey the law, he had enough. Then the Mother Theresa of willard volunteers showed up and parked the truck in the no parking zone. Instead of bowing to Mother Theresa the officer gave him a ticket – Pay it!!
Maybe the add on tickets were for your smart mouth. The police don’t usually add on the other tickets unless they are getting flack. Maybe it was you who set the bad example for the kids.
Mother Theresa? After that comment it’s a shame ignorance isn’t painful! Was Mother Theresa a transvestite? Because the person was a guy!
He seems like a honest guy doing his thing like the rest of us just doing what he has to in order to get by. And I don’t see him trashing anyone in any nasty manner. If you ask me you seem to be the one with the smart mouth. Now go in the corner! You got blog time out!!
As the Willard crowd has plainly stated, we should tear down all of the street signs around the school and ban any type of intervention by the police or the school personnel. They know what is right and the rest of us should just – Go Away!.
If anyone hasn’t noticed that once you get up into the rarefied air surrounding Willard you obtain superpowers. If you look long and hard enough you will see Clark Kent and Xena and the Xmen (oops, Xpeople). There are all kinds of super heroes up there. So, mortals beware!
Let me guess you just got home from Comic Con?? Are you the person that rides around town dressed up as Princess Lea? LOL..
And technically Clark Kent was not a superhero, Superman was!
And this has to do with a rouge cop how? If they are all superheros then why wouldn’t the person use the Jedi mind trick on the cop? It does work on those of weak mind you know?
Thank god for residents like 5:48. They should have special license plates or gold badges to put in their windshields so that everyone knows that they are above the law and should not be challenged.
WOW! Has this thread turned ugly. I believe I know who this P.O. is as I’ve had dealings with his arrogance and stupidity before and not because I broke the law but because I called to report a suspcious incident in my neighborhood. He was condescending and rude – I just thought that was because I’m a woman. I’m glad to see he is an equal opportunity ass and yes, I made a complaint to the Chief…fat load of good that did! I don’t want to dog on all the Police Officers in town because most are courteous and friendly but there are one or two with reputations of being this way.
x con’s are picking kids up from school?
well now we know the secret. if you play the drums and put a float in the parade, you may ignore the law and will be immune from tickets. i suggest you bring that defense to court. i need a good laugh. thanks for providing it
7:59 – They are not ex-cons. They are currently breaking the law and when convicted will become present cons.
Please name this officer. I want to be forewarned.
Thank you.
Anonymous said…
Thank god for residents like 5:48. They should have special license plates or gold badges to put in their windshields so that everyone knows that they are above the law and should not be challenged.
11:18 PM
Oh please, anyone that cares to exercise their reasoning skills could clearly see that this doesn’t sound like someone who was trying to take advantage of the system.
If someone has something as large as drums to drop off at the school, the most logical place to park would be where they could do so the most quickly and efficiently.
My husband plays the drums, not all of them are easily carried. This man was volunteering his time to the school AND saving them the money it would have cost to have the drums delivered. Doesn’t sound like someone who believed they were “above the law”, in my opinion.
How many of you have had to either pick up a sick child, deliver a forgotten book or lunch and parked in a no parking zone? After all, you were only going to be a few minutes, right? If you deny it, then not only are you being dishonest, but you’re full of crap as well.
If one’s children are in front of the school, one would naturally stop to pick them up. What parent wouldn’t?
As far as the crucifix and plate covers are concerned, not only would I contest the tickets, I would be suing for religous discrimination!
Anonymous said…
well now we know the secret. if you play the drums and put a float in the parade, you may ignore the law and will be immune from tickets. i suggest you bring that defense to court. i need a good laugh. thanks for providing it
No, if you’re OBVIOUSLY volunteering your time and your talent to the community, picking up your children, have a cross hanging and plate covers on your car, the most you should be getting is a warning, if anything all and the least you should be getting is disrespect from the police officer in question.
Listen up daddy of the twinkie king!!! In regards to the court situation. The only cases that are heard on Thursdays are the ones involvong the officers who are working that particular day.
Your friend,
Matlock
NO ONE LIKES TO BE TREATED BADLY. PERIOD!
2:34 you are a perfect example of the ingornace in this town. The cops should be writing tickets to the out of towners. The people that live her should be able to do what ever they want because they live in town
“And I don’t see him trashing anyone in any nasty manner.”
I think that he did a pretty good job trashing the police officer on this blog. The offender sounds pretty angry. I wonder how nice he was when he accepted his ticket?
If you are going to fight the ticket, go ahead. Why did the rest of Ridgewood need to hear about it. Got an Ax to grind?
I also volunteer(altough my drum playing is limited to Rock Band). Can I have a out of jail free” card too?
I think all employees of the village should be more ‘sensitive’ to the residents who pay their salaries. If the residents get pissed, then they will pressure the village manager and council to cut spending. what that means, is that since many employees’ compensation is protected by union contracts, the village will have no choice other than to CUT JOBs, LAYOFF employees, FURLOUGH employees… GET IT GUYS?? so go easy on the residents. it will get you a LOT MORE in the long run. Go pick on the out of towners. Nobody expects a resident to ‘get a pass’ but when you got the ‘new guys’ out there fresh from the academy ready to arrest the world…it is bad PR for you. Goes for all levels of employees in all departemtns. Union contracts do not protect against layoffs, or not filling positions vacated by attrition…
8:39 PM YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. Thank you!
These cops are into MONEY! They make almost 200k with the benifits for a 4 day week.They get raises based on revenue.
Don’t be surprised, if you don’t know the emotional profile of a cop, Google it, they all have “little man syndrome”.
If you can’t reed the cop’s name on the ticket because he scribbled it, that just shows how much of a coward he is. Trace him by the badge number.
Hold the cop up in court,he’ll love it. Just more overtime pay for him.
NOW I HAVE HEARD IT ALL “..all employees of the village should be more ‘sensitive’ to the residents who pay their salaries.” …so go easy on the residents…. Go pick on the out of towners.” TALK ABOUT THE MAKINGS OF A COSTLY LAWSUIT. Think our taxes are high now, have a policy like that and just want for groups like the ACLU and NAACP line up to bring the town into civil court.
Obey the traffic laws, park legally and have some consideration for your neighbors. That is what Ridgewood should be about. Not “it’s all about me, I am first, I am a special person and above the law.
Anonymous said…
“And I don’t see him trashing anyone in any nasty manner.”
I think that he did a pretty good job trashing the police officer on this blog. The offender sounds pretty angry. I wonder how nice he was when he accepted his ticket?
If you are going to fight the ticket, go ahead. Why did the rest of Ridgewood need to hear about it. Got an Ax to grind?
Yes, of course, why would we want to hear about a police officer that might be behaving inappropriately? Better that we just turn a blind eye and pretend it’s not happening.
Sorry, I WANT to know what’s going on in the place I call home.
The “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” mentality is just as inappropriate as this officer’s behavior.
Obey the traffic laws, park legally and have some consideration for your neighbors. That is what Ridgewood should be about. Not “it’s all about me, I am first, I am a special person and above the law.
My impression is that this person was a simply a parent who was donating his time, picking up his kids, etc., without expecting preferential treatment of any kind. What he was expecting however, was what any one of us would and that is to be treated respectfully.
If this officer’s behavior was harsh enough to bring his children to tears, and my guess is that it was, then he was blatantly inappropriate. If he should have been sensitive to anything, it should have been that this man’s children were a witness to this and that they were obviously being traumatized as a result of it.
His behavior is not only an unfavorable reflection on himself, but on the Ridgewood PD.
See no evil….
For God’s sake it was a ticket.
Can’t someone even get a ticket without complaining on this blog? We all needed to know what a wonderful and saintly ( forget Mother Therese, some are too dense to pick up the meaning) man this was who was issued a ticket?
We want more enforcement in the downtown business district for pedestrian safety, and less enforcement near the schools.
Anonymous said…
See no evil….
For God’s sake it was a ticket.
For God’s sake it was a metaphor! đŸ™‚
It’s not the ticket that’s the issue. I’m sure we all agree that if someone deserves a ticket, they should get one.
There have been times I KNOW I should have gotten a ticket. I made a right on red where I didn’t see the sign posted. I had a tail light or headlight out, etc. Guess what? When the police officer realized that I wasn’t intentionally ignoring either, he cut me a break and let me go with a warning. He wasn’t a complete and utter asshole and therein lies the difference.
So based upon an anonymous post on a blog and no facts, Tracy has passed judgment upon one of our police officers. Looks like Tracy is pointing the finger the wrong way.
I wish that we could hear the officer’s side of the story. this has been a very one sided attack.
Good luck when you go to night court to plea bargain. They’ll all know you as soon as you open your mouth.
Proverb, not metaphor
Did you park illegally? Then pay the picket. No one likes getting a ticket, that is clear. Weall complain but in the end you have to pay the ticket – or plea it down.
After shooting off your mouth on this blog you may have a tough time with the plea. A little common sense would have told you that.
Anonymous said…
Proverb, not metaphor
True, but I was using it metaphorically đŸ™‚
Anonymous said…
So based upon an anonymous post on a blog and no facts, Tracy has passed judgment upon one of our police officers. Looks like Tracy is pointing the finger the wrong way.
12:17 PM
No, not passing judgement, just offering an honest opinion on a situation that just smacks of truth.
Why would someone bring this experience to a public forum, if it were any different than the way he portrayed it. What could he possibly gain with the exception of the multitude of crap he’s been getting here?
I’ll go out on a limb, once again, and say that I don’t think there is a parent here that hasn’t parked illegally for any number of reasons their childrens behalf. Right or Wrong, we do it because in addition to our children, we are also juggling a million other priorities in this insanity called life. Does it make us “above the law?” Of course not. But, it doesn’t give someone the right to treat us in any manner they please because they enforce it.
Tracy is wrong again. I walk my child to school so I have never parked illegally on “behalf” of my child.
Anonymous said…
Tracy is wrong again. I walk my child to school so I have never parked illegally on “behalf” of my child.
11:37 AM
And based on your anonymous post on this board, no facts, everyone should just take your word for it, right?
And I suppose if your children were waving in front of the school as you drove by you wouldn’t stop to pick them up either, right?
Tough time with the plea?? You actually think this guy deserves to plea. The tickets are frivolous and unwarranted and they should and most likely be thrown out. I have it on good record that the officer in question is being “looked into” by the Bergen County Prosecutor as a result of a “good number” of complaints from his past, also parents not just from Willard but also Travel have stepped up in light of this blog.
Unfortunately it is a double edged sword when someone steps up to an abusive police officer, because they can be tagged as being disrespectful to the authorities, which by his posting and his responses in this blog, I do not get that he is like that. To me it seems he is doing what is right on a paternal, moral and ethical level. I hold no doubt that once this gentleman steps into Judge Sheridan’s courtroom it will be clear to see what type of person he is and if he’s there on behalf of his ego or what is best for our community.
I will note this; although questionable, it seems this this blog is doing exactly what he wants it to do. It is exposing the truth and/or placing doubt on the level of the people. He does state that he admits to doing wrong but that does not give the officer the right to be a jerk. It’s easy to see that this blog has gotten the attention of local police personnel, and if you feel you have the right to treat people poorly than maybe you should think twice. It’s not like this gentleman was committing a violent crime. He shows NO malice towards any other officers so why is it that you all seem to think he is?
He felt he was treated poorly and it now seems that he was not alone, so maybe we should all take a step back and look at both sides before casting judgment on anyone.
This officer is a reflection of the Village of Ridgewood, and he should be able to write tickets as he feels fit, as long as it has just cause and is done in a professional and non-degrading manner. As for the father, he parked in a no parking zone. He got a ticket but the officer thought he was going to be wise and write him up for a violation that holds a larger fine. That in itself speaks loud enough to the judge that this officer thinks he is always entitled to be the smarter one no matter what. I had sat on the “bench” for 23 years and there are ALWAYS tell-tale signs that expose someone in authority that is abusing the powers bestowed upon them. Being a police officer is not a position that holds any place for being revengeful no matter what is said. There is a aspect of “reasonable cause” and this gentleman who parked his car in front of a school after dismissal to unload something, and in my opinion, his justification leans more on the side of the officer being a little more aggressive than needed.
who is this know it all tracy lady? she’s annoying.
Write a letter to the chief of police stating all of your complaints with the officer and get signatures.If you don’t get the response you want, you can forward the letter to the n.j. state police internal affairs division. They handle the complaints for the municiple police.
Anonymous said…
who is this know it all tracy lady? she’s annoying.
5:05 PM
Who is this coward posting anonymously?
Let me guess, the same coward as before? Haven’t learned much, have you?
Tracy said “And based on your anonymous post on this board, no facts, everyone should just take your word for it, right?”
I have not been accused of anything illegal and I have not accused anyone of being an a**hole based upon hearsay. You really should learn to grow up.
5:13 pm is grossly misinformed. The Bergen County Prosecutors Office is the contact for internal affairs investigations if you feel that the investigation by the chief of police is incorrect/inappropriate.
Anonymous said…
Tracy said “And based on your anonymous post on this board, no facts, everyone should just take your word for it, right?”
I have not been accused of anything illegal and I have not accused anyone of being an a**hole based upon hearsay. You really should learn to grow up.
9:29 PM
First, allow me to explain the concept of a public message board.
A public message board is forum in which to share one’s opinion. Anyone can post a comment and anyone is free to respond with their own opinion. Here’s the thing though, not everyone is going to agree or like what they read. And I must warn you. At times, there may be colorful language involved, so you really need to be mature enough to handle that without becoming overly reactionary. That said, perhaps you should really try to learn the difference between an opinion and an accusation.
I’ve prefaced most of my posts with “If”, i.e. “if” in fact this is the way the officer was behaving. It was an opinion of his alleged behavior and not his personality. Having said that, given the amount of “hearsay” that has been filtering in, it seems fairly accurate.
At the risk of offending your delicate sensibilities and perceived degree of personal perfection, “IF” we have an officer on our PD who is abusing his authority then in my, less than perfect opinion, he is “behaving” like an asshole.
Ooops, was that my outside voice?
Why yes, yes it was!
The town needs to raise money in theses tough economical times… we should implement 10% reduction in all police salaries and put them on furlough for 1 week a month for the next 2 years.