IACP: we park wherever we please
Right now, there are many police cruisers, both marked and unmarked, parked on Avenue Louis Pasteur. A large number are parked illegally, either in no-parking zones, bus stops, and even blocking crosswalks (in front of Boston Latin, a school zone.) This is an area where both the MBTA and MASCO run a large number of shuttles and need all the room they can get just make the turns. The State Police, Northborough, Danvers, and Boston were among the 'representatives' who showed up with marked cruisers. The unmarked cruisers and personal vehicles had various "I'm a cop" signs- raid jackets in windows, ticket books on dashboards, radios left in plain sight, or emergency lights.
They are attending a conference in Harvard Med's New Research Building, held by IACP, regarding Project Safe Neighborhoods. IACP is a police chief association, so there are probably a bunch of chiefs amongst these lawbreakers. Of note- there are multiple pay lots within 1-2 blocks, and public street parking within a few blocks.
Update: photos from twheaton. More welcome, especially showing plates and the signage showing they're illegally parked.
so that's why
Thanks for posting.
I drove my wife in to the new research building this morning. It took an age, and there were cop cars from all over parked all up and down the street, on which parking is not allowed.
I guess those guys supervise the enforcement of the laws, but are not themselves subject to said laws.
still there
...as of 1PM, including a dark blue crown vic blocking the crosswalk, and multiple vehicles blocking the bus stops on both sides.
Print out fake parking tickets and 'tag' the cars?
I'm sure some PDFs are available on the web for this kind of thing, though I'm too lazy to find one right now.
do what I did...
...report it to the Mayor's Hotline. Then, we can all ask Dot Joyce tomorrow why nothing was done about it.
The finer points:
a)Several BPD cruisers, including one from traffic enforcement
b)Several out-of-town cruisers, including a very new Ford Explorer
c)Numerous unmarked vehicles- mostly crown vics, a few dodge chargers.
d)Been there for *hours*
e)Blocking a school crosswalk and two bus stops.
Other people to complain to, or tip:
-Boston Police, Boston Transportation Department
-Boston Globe/Herald, Metro, WCVB, WBZ TV, FOX25 news desks/tip lines
School crosswalk
may not matter right now since it's July. Are there summer classes at that school?
Colleges aren't completely devoid during the summer
Do graduate schools (especially medical) necessarily have "summer breaks"? Research goes on year round. And don't forget http://www.summer.harvard.edu
I was referring to Boston Latin School, not the colleges
keepin in it the holster
I don't think it is a matter of law. It is always illegal to park in a crosswalk, whether or not school is in session.
Pics?
Anybody take any pics? I'm sure the cops would love those posted online.
I went for a walk at lunchtime...
...and snapped some with my iPhone. They're posted on my flickr page--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42249615@N00
I can only upload VGA size by email--will replace them with full-size versions this evening...
Nice
Very nice. Great quality from the iPhone cam.
illegal pahkah
That's not a police car, it has a purple heart plate that would belong to a disabled vet, as far as I am concerned he or she can park anywhere he/she wants!
God bless America!
good thing this isn't a dictatorship then
Vets with disabilities need to abide by laws just like anyone else. Here in America, we don't honor people by taking away their civic responsibilities.
Blind driver?
Must be a disabled vet who happens to also be a cop, then, because there was a paper sign left on the dashboard that clearly stated the driver was on official BPD business.
You'd think of all people, a disabled vet would have the decency (and common sense) to not park in front of a sidewalk ramp in a hospital zone.
Got your citations right here
http://www.youparklikeanasshole.com/
You can post pictures and print out a form to leave.
no option for color of law, but how about giving them some flats
Fun fact: you can use a pen cap to open up a tire valve- screw off the top, press it in, walk away.
Guess what cops don't carry for liability reasons in their official vehicles? Answer: spare tires or tire irons!
Perfect- no damage, but a great way to give them the finger. A lot more effective than a ticket, which of course they'd have "taken care of" by a judge or a friend at BPD/BTD.
I think what you're saying
I think what you're saying is, take off the tire's valve stem cap, then press the plastic tongue from a ballpoint pen cap into the stem so it wedges the poppet valve open and deflates the tire.
Didn't we stop doing stuff like that when we were fifteen?
(A toothpick might work too...)
do as we say, not as we do
Stuff like that really annoys me too. So much for setting a good example.
Agreed, though I am not as
Agreed, though I am not as peeved about the no parking zone stuff as I am the parking in the crosswalk/impeding handicapped access. Taking some parking liberties is one of the fringe benefits of being a cop. Of course, you might also get shot, and the pay isn't outstanding...
"might get shot"?
Cops are murdered 1/3rd as less as the general population. Go look at the FBI crime stats if you don't believe me.
It's SAFER to be a cop!
don't expect a police response here
I'm guessing that police upper-echelon wouldn't stoop to respond. Nor would I imagine they allow the beat to participate in the blogosphere.
Call me naive, but I could imagine police rationalizing the need to park close to where they hang. If they have to haul *ss in a hurry, running down two blocks to your car would look ridiculous?
oh please, haul ass back to Danvers?
Call me naive, but I could imagine police rationalizing the need to park close to where they hang. If they have to haul *ss in a hurry, running down two blocks to your car would look ridiculous?
Isn't it ridiculous to think that cops from Danvers or Northborough would need to suddenly "haul ass" back home?
Yes.
I'm not a cop, and don't play one on TV, but in all the jobs I've worked where I'm an essential person and often covering in case of emergencies (residential programs, hospitals, juvenile offender program), no one is ever on call when attending a training outside of the program. If you're at a workshop or something that day, your shift is covered by someone else, as are the backup and on-call shifts. Just like the days you aren't working.
I assume that cops, who are often needed more urgently than we were, would have similar plans. If something horrendous happens, don't they usually call for backup from another town? I know a lot of people who are officers, and they don't get called in when they're not working. Wouldn't officers attending a workshop be covered for just like ones who aren't working that day?
Here in Boston, the pay for
Here in Boston, the pay for cops is pretty good, especially if you count the benefits and details. The Glob often publishes articles about the six-figure-plus incomes of many of the police. And they get vacation, health-care, and retirement as generous or more so than other public employees.
Lately, it seems like the police get to steal as much as they can, with all the articles about drug involvement.
And they get immunity from incompetence. No one ever went to prison for the death of Victoria Snelgrove.
parking illegally versus
It's one thing for an official to park illegally in a no parking zone, it's another one altogether when their parked vehicle impedes traffic or obstructs line of sight and poses a safety issue for pedestrians and other drivers. It's like they don't get it, and don't care to get it.