Breaking the law, breaking the law
I had a run-in with a Fremont PD today -- the school resource officer at my daughters' high school. I didn't move out of the drop-off circle fast enough for him and, even worse(!), when he told me to move, I talked to him through the closed window of my car and (even though i could hear him loud and clear) he apparently couldn't hear a word i said! Imagine that! My voice doesn't carry through a closed car window but his does! And because he could see my lips moving but no sound was coming out, he thought I was ignoring him! Imagine that! And, as a result of having one-way-hearing windows on my car, I was asked for my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance and when I didn't provide proof of insurance I was asked if I even had insurance! Because lots of people drive without insurance every day. And, I guess, lots of them must also stay in high school drop off circles for too long! Who knew there was a correlation?!
I called the Fremont PD to complain and, even though the Sergeant in charge of the SROs completely understood my frustration, the SRO in question has a stellar record with lots of commendations! Imagine that! So when I asked "Does that mean you're going to ignore my complaint in favor of his obviously stellar record?" the Sergeant in charge of the SROs decided the conversation was going nowhere and that I had said all I need to say! Imagine that! "Oh yes" I agreed, "I see exactly how this is going to play out!" And we ended our call amicably!
Except that, when I arrived home, I realized I had more to say to the Sergeant in charge of the SROs, so I sent him the following email:
Dear Sergeant in charge of the SROs,
One more comment about my incident today with the PRO/SRO at Kennedy
High School....
I think it's telling that a person in authority, when finding
themselves in a (non-hostile / non-violent / non-threatening)
situation in which a person doesn't immediately do what they wanted
(i.e., I didn't immediately move my car and/or roll down my window in
a timely enough manner), automatically uses fear tactics to demand
attention. In my case, the PRO/SRO didn't like it that I didn't
immediately move my car but was instead texting my daughters to tell
them where to meet me. Because I didn't respond to him in the way
that he desired / expected, he automatically decided to scare me by
taking my driver's license and asking for my proof of insurance, and
then he lectured me about CA law re: proof of insurance, etc. Tell
me, please, how harrassing me for license, registration and proof of
insurance in this way accomplished what he wanted, which was
(supposedly) for me to move out of the drop-off circle?
I know you know the answer...it's NOT a good tactic on otherwise
responsible citizens who are at the school ONLY to transact school
business. It does NOTHING for the image of the Fremont PD in my eyes,
for sure, and also in the eyes of others like me, who don't grant
defacto power to the police. I urge you to find a gentler way to
treat parents at our local schools.
Even more, I urge you to change the priorities of the PRO/SRO at the
schools. Drug transactions, harrassment of kids by kids, high school
students smoking cigarettes...all of these are things I see happening
right in front of the PRO/SRO, if only he was focused on the important
events. And those activities are so MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than
harrassing a parent who didn't move out of the drop off circle quickly
enough for the PRO (but who, nonetheless, had every intention of
complying with the request)! Good behaviour by the PD is so important
to fostering community support for law enforcement.
Regards,
Moya
Those of you who know me well will realize how unbelievably difficult it will be for me to NOT park my car in the fucking drop off circle every single day of the whole entire school year just to fuck with that a-hole cop and his stellar record and numerous commendations.
Gawd I'm angry.
I called the Fremont PD to complain and, even though the Sergeant in charge of the SROs completely understood my frustration, the SRO in question has a stellar record with lots of commendations! Imagine that! So when I asked "Does that mean you're going to ignore my complaint in favor of his obviously stellar record?" the Sergeant in charge of the SROs decided the conversation was going nowhere and that I had said all I need to say! Imagine that! "Oh yes" I agreed, "I see exactly how this is going to play out!" And we ended our call amicably!
Except that, when I arrived home, I realized I had more to say to the Sergeant in charge of the SROs, so I sent him the following email:
Dear Sergeant in charge of the SROs,
One more comment about my incident today with the PRO/SRO at Kennedy
High School....
I think it's telling that a person in authority, when finding
themselves in a (non-hostile / non-violent / non-threatening)
situation in which a person doesn't immediately do what they wanted
(i.e., I didn't immediately move my car and/or roll down my window in
a timely enough manner), automatically uses fear tactics to demand
attention. In my case, the PRO/SRO didn't like it that I didn't
immediately move my car but was instead texting my daughters to tell
them where to meet me. Because I didn't respond to him in the way
that he desired / expected, he automatically decided to scare me by
taking my driver's license and asking for my proof of insurance, and
then he lectured me about CA law re: proof of insurance, etc. Tell
me, please, how harrassing me for license, registration and proof of
insurance in this way accomplished what he wanted, which was
(supposedly) for me to move out of the drop-off circle?
I know you know the answer...it's NOT a good tactic on otherwise
responsible citizens who are at the school ONLY to transact school
business. It does NOTHING for the image of the Fremont PD in my eyes,
for sure, and also in the eyes of others like me, who don't grant
defacto power to the police. I urge you to find a gentler way to
treat parents at our local schools.
Even more, I urge you to change the priorities of the PRO/SRO at the
schools. Drug transactions, harrassment of kids by kids, high school
students smoking cigarettes...all of these are things I see happening
right in front of the PRO/SRO, if only he was focused on the important
events. And those activities are so MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than
harrassing a parent who didn't move out of the drop off circle quickly
enough for the PRO (but who, nonetheless, had every intention of
complying with the request)! Good behaviour by the PD is so important
to fostering community support for law enforcement.
Regards,
Moya
Those of you who know me well will realize how unbelievably difficult it will be for me to NOT park my car in the fucking drop off circle every single day of the whole entire school year just to fuck with that a-hole cop and his stellar record and numerous commendations.
Gawd I'm angry.