At the McHenry County courthouse parking lot there is a Loading Zone in the west parking lot. It's located near the front doors, and its purpose is clear from the sign. It's for loading or for unloading.
Around 9:30AM there was a black Harley-Davidson in the Loading Zone. Kind of a spiffy delivery vehicle, eh? But then I noticed the Illinois license plate on it: BLU NYT. (Click on the image to enlarge it; then click on the Back button on your browser to come back here.)
To a lot of people the plate might mean not anything, but any motorcycle-riding cop would recognize it as indicating the Blue Knights, a motorcycle group with membership limited to active-duty and retired law enforcement officers.
After I entered the courthouse, I asked one of the court security officers (CSO) who enforced the Loading Zone in the parking lot, and he told me, "The Woodstock Police Department."
I went on to the third floor and, after a few minutes, I looked out through the west windows and could see that the motorcycle had been moved. When I got back to the parking lot, a friend told me that a uniformed officer with a white shirt had just moved the motorcycle and hadn't looked too happy about it. I had passed him on foot, and my friend was right; the CSO didn't look very happy.
So the question is, why would a uniformed CSO on duty at the front entrance to the courthouse have parked his motorcycle in the Loading Zone, where parking is clearly prohibited? Was he late for work? Did he want it parked "up front" where he could keep an eye on it from the front entrance? Did he feel "entitled" to park there, because he thought he could do so with impunity?
It's a motor vehicle; that's all it is. It belongs legally parked.
Recently I wrote about how cops (and other law enforcement types) ought to be the first to obey the laws, not the last. Had a Woodstock police officer circulated through the parking lot this morning, would he have stopped and ticketed the motorcycle?
Although someone posted a comment to a different article not too long ago that the Woodstock Police Department does not enforce violations on the government center parking lot, it does. The CSOs know it; the City of Woodstock knows it, and its police officers know it.
Whether or not they "patrol" it, looking for violations, is a different story. They should. Whether they do or not, I don't know. Do they ticket stop-sign runners? Handicap parking violators? Parking space violators?
They definitely should not need to enforce parking laws against employees of the Sheriff's Department. I know from experience that cops do not like to ticket other cops.
1 comment:
Earlier today a reader submitted a comment regarding yesterday's incident, which I published.
Later I received this message from that reader: "I just realized that I was wrong and so I applogize for my misuunderstanding of the situation, I re-read the article and now understand that you were at the sheriff's department on business and not to search for rule breaking employees, but I know now that I did not understand what I was saying when I said it. I would like to also add that it is improper of people to park in no parking zones, although it is also improper for you to take pictures of their vehicles. Now I also understand I gave wrong information to my attorney, who I have contacted and told him what I learned after rereading your article. I would also like to add that, as a sign of accepting my apology, you delete my comment, because it spreads untrue things and I believe that it should not reflect poorly on you since I am sure you are a decent and honest man. So please delete my past comment so it does not hurt your reputation. Thank you."
He was able to delete his comment, and I removed the deletion message because it showed his name. I accept the apology. Thank you.
Post a Comment