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GreenStoneRidge t1_j0yqvc8 wrote

Last week there was a police officer actively ticketing cars at the Westbrook Hannaford for parking handicap without tags. It was quite refreshing to see.

My father is handicap and it's brutal when they try to go someplace and can't park handicap. He needs assistance to get into and out of the car and they NEED that stripped zone. So for anyone out there that thinks it's not a big deal cause you are just running in and out. You are a selfish prick

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DidDunMegasploded t1_j0zez5p wrote

You know what's also refreshing? Seeing a police officer enforce a law for a change. Especially one that really should be enforced far more than it is.

Ticketing people for going 5 over? Nah. Ticketing ableists for parking in handicapped spots with no placard or plate ID? Yeah.

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coastalgirl207 OP t1_j0yr9uc wrote

I love that they were actively looking. It’s highly inconsiderate. It goes without saying- don’t fucking park there!

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GoArmyNG t1_j0z462w wrote

Westbrook cops are tough but in the right places. It's not always their fault you're getting a ticket. I took a cop to court to contest a ticket for blowing through a crosswalk with someone in it. Turns out it was a cop in street clothes with the cop that pulled me over, sitting in a driveway a few feet further down. I contested it because I had no way of seeing the pedestrian in the crosswalk because he just suddenly appeared in front of me from behind a parked car. I had to choose between running him over and going around him. So I went around.

The cop that pulled me over pulled me aside a few days after the case (I was living locally at the time) and actually commended me for using the courts to fight it out rather than trying to argue with him during the stop. I simply informed him that I would be contesting the ticket and immediately filed for a date.

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Antnee83 t1_j0zv3qz wrote

Next time don't them you're contesting. They rarely show up.

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GoArmyNG t1_j0zvi35 wrote

I'm honestly not sure it matters. They're free to not show up, even if you tell them you're going to contest, right? I mean, definitely correct me if I'm wrong.

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Antnee83 t1_j0zw88y wrote

Correct, but I'm sure they're incentivized to do so even if it's not technically "legal" for them to be incentivized. I'm not positive but I think ticket revenue gets routed to the department in some way or another.

If you tell them, then they know you're going to show. If you don't, why would they sit around in court all day for nothing?

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GoArmyNG t1_j0zwwwp wrote

I mean, that's their business, not mine. What mattered to me in that courtroom was being treated fairly for what happened. I guess I'm not really sure what you're getting at here.

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Antnee83 t1_j105gnb wrote

What I'm saying is that if the officer doesn't show, you don't pay the ticket.

Thus, your odds are better if you don't tell the officer up front that you intend to contest, because then you have a better chance of the officer not showing up.

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GoArmyNG t1_j105quk wrote

Ah, even still, I won and had the ticket waived, so in this instance, it didn't really matter. Thanks for your input, though. I'll try to remember that for next time.

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