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Bad Cops & Prosecutors

: Injustice in Seattle

Oregon Judge Rules Cops Are Not Above The Law

By David Packman

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Attorney Eric Bryant presents testimony at hearing over his citizen's citation issued against police officer -photo attributed to The Portland Mercury

A Portland Oregon judge has ruled that Portland police officer Chadd Stensgaard must pay a $35 fine for illegally parking his police cruiser in a no parking zone when he went to get sushi during his break and was issued a citation from a citizen for it.

The citizen who issued the police officer the parking ticket was an area lawyer who was in the restaurant at the time and had told the officer he was supposed to enforce the law and not break the law. When the officer replied that he was a cop and could do whatever he wanted, attorney Eric Bryant issued him a citizen's citation as a result.

While the judge felt that the officer should have been allowed to park wherever he wanted out of convenience, he ruled that the officer violated the letter of the law and must pay the fine. Bryant says he's pleased that the judge ruled that police officers are subject to the same laws as everyone else.

Meanwhile, of course, police organizations and unions have vowed to pressure lawmakers to change the laws to, well, make them exempt from the laws they enforce.

Full post as published by Injustice in Seattle on July 24, 2008 (boomark / email).