City Government
Mayor Hotline December 8 to 14
December 18, 2007 
IDLING CARS, BAD COP, NO COP
12/14/07
Diane Leaverton
3907 Oak Park Place
Boise, ID 83703
City Car: This morning when I was out walking my dogs in my neighborhood, I noticed a city vehicle (a van) which may have been from the Building Department. It was parked in front of the house across the street that is being remodeled It was running. When I came back with my dogs about 15 minutes later, it was still sitting there running. When I left the house to head to work about another 15 or 20 minutes later, it was still sitting there running. This was around 8:15AM. Now that concerns me because – a) gas is really expensive, and b) we’re having an inversion. I am unsure why the vehicle would be running for that period of time. Thank you.
PDS PW
12/11/07
Drew Navarro
1719 N. 26th St.
Boise, ID
Post Election: I have been calling your Boise for Mayor campaign office trying to find out if you are recycling and hopefully reusing your “Bieter for Mayor” signs and no one has returned my call for about a month now after a few times calling. Could you please get somebody to call me regarding these signs? We have four of them and instead of throwing them away, I think maybe you should run again and use them again. Thanks for everything you do, and thanks for getting back to me. Bye.
Action Taken: contacted
12/13/07
Joan Meitl
1110 E. Bannock
Boise, ID 83712
BPD Complaint: This morning I was stopped by a police officer for crossing Front St. in the crosswalk when there was still 12 seconds on the signal. He did not give me a ticket but he lectured me for several minutes. I believe that given all of the real problems this community faces, this is a misuse of our limited resources. Consider this: I did not know it was illegal to enter a crosswalk once the time counter started. How would I know this; it was never covered in drivers’ education and I’m not aware of any public outreach that has occurred in the 20 years I’ve lived in Boise to make the public aware of this fact. Second, I was at not personal risk; however this past month I have almost been hit on my bicycle while commuting to work by vehicles that were either running a red light, turning illegally, or turning right without looking. Where was this police officer when I was really at risk? If I get hurt because I exercise poor judgment, I have no one to blame but myself, but the same cannot be said of someone behind the wheel of a car. Please reconsider this approach to public safety and use our resources more wisely. I have already filed a complaint directly with the police department via email. Thank you for your time. Good bye.
BPD
12/13/07
Anonymous
10th & Franklin: Hello. This is regarding once again the intersection of 10th and Franklin behind Boise High. It is Thursday, December 13th, there’s a basketball game going on, and once again faculty, staff, parents, and whatnot treat a 20 mile zone like the Daytona 500, and the four-way stop as if they were in Italy and it’s a suggestion. In particular, there’s a gentleman who is evidently on the basketball team driving a white Toyota SRS, license plate # 892ACE. I would conservatively estimate he was doing about 40, 45, maybe even 50 in a 20 mile an hour zone and didn’t even have the courtesy to do a California stop at the four-way intersection. In so much as a woman was killed diagonally across on this block by Cathedral of the Rockies, and that this is a well documented problem, I would hope that you guys would be a little more responsive about it.
BPD
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Dec 18, 2007, 12:22 pm
Joan,
Ignorance of the law is no excuse! You should have the tomes and tomes of laws memorized. When political elite get together each year at the state house and write 400 more you need to get those committed to memory as well. You need to understand we are a society of laws and laws solve problems. Laws never have unforeseen circumstances and they always make our lives better. Good day to you and get to reading!
Best Wishes,
Texicohitman
Dec 18, 2007, 7:06 pm
Texicohitman:
You’ve got it right! Everyone needs to memorize *all* those laws!
However, you mentioned only the politicos at the Statehouse.
People, please don’t forget that you also need to memorize not only state laws, but also city and county ordinances, federal laws, all the new Homeland Security (and its umpteen subsections)’s rules, airport no-nos, homeowners’ and/or neighborhood association rules, area-specific rules such as in mosquito-abatement districts and the 87 or so other sort-of governments hanging around.
Then, once everybody memorizes and obeys all those rules, we’ll no longer need courts, lawyers, judges, etc. — maybe not even cops!
Unemployment will be rife, but, aside from that, we’ll be a perfect society.
(I think the worst thing that ever happened to us as a society is when the guys with the badges changed their terminology for themselves from “peace officers” to “law-enforcement officers.”
Now some of them seem to feel obligated to enforce every law they’re aware off, even when circumstances are such that it makes no sense to do so.)
Dec 19, 2007, 12:39 pm
Hmmm…didn’t see no “enforcement” going on, just an officer doing a bit of public outreach….i.e. the “Lecture”
I guess when your an officer and you try to do the nice thing, people still bitch.
Dec 19, 2007, 2:08 pm
Nemo are you a LEO? Gordon is correct, at some point the LEO’s stopped being Peace Officers and started being Law Enforcement Officers probably when they realized how much money they make for every time they throw someone in jail or write them a ticket. Consequently that is how they fund their departments partially.
The other part is taken from the tax paying citizens at the point of a gun. If you think I am crazy when I say that then stop paying and you will see what I mean. Laws unfortunately don’t typically prevent crime. Look at the drug war, failing miserably at extraordinary cost in both money and personal freedom. They are illegal, but people still get them. It is good for the black market however. I am not even going to mention the rampant problem of corrupt cops and the cops that lie.
Dec 19, 2007, 2:26 pm
Nemo, I don’t see public outreach, I see a kind of harassment and a cop with too much time on his hands. Perhaps he should be assigned to an area where real crimes are taking place. I know, he can go sit at 10th & Franklin.
Dec 19, 2007, 7:40 pm
texicohitman said:
“Nemo are you a LEO? “. No, I am not. I know a lot and work with a lot in a capacity unrelated to law enforcement. Therefore I feel qualified to comment on the character of most officers in general as a profession, and the general character of most of the public they are forced to interact with.
“Law Enforcement Officers probably when they realized how much money they make for every time they throw someone in jail or write them a ticket”
Common (and gross) missperception of where and what the fines (if any) collected by writing a ticket go and do. There is no “Money made”. And if there is , the Officer doesn’t see a dime. As it should be. Occasionally certain fines are earmarked for certain programs, but the monies dont cover those programs entirely as a rule, much less any left over.
As for those people who go to Jail….absolutely ZERO money made by ANYONE there….(Boy that alone could be a thread on alternative sentencing)
“S” said…”I see a kind of harassment and a cop with too much time on his hands.”
Actually what you “saw”, was probably an Officer who has seen plenty of auto pedestrian accidents and took the extra step of trying to be proactive and do a bit of preventive education.
Hears a new flash. Most cops are reluctant like to interact with the general public because 9 times out of 10, the “Joe Citizen” will take it the wrong way and complain, regardless of how nice or tactful the officer put his words of advice. Todays society is made up of people who feel entitled to do what ever they want, when ever they want, to whoever they want, regardess of the consequences… and are as a result resentful of anyone who contrast with that view…like police officers.
At the end of the day, it was a friendly word of advice. No citation was written, get over it.
On the flip side, if he doesnt make contact, hes accused on not being open to the public.
Their JOB is to interact with a public who resents them. Their job is to stop and educate the same public who does not want to be educated.
Remember, teh pedestrian will think about what he does when he crosses the street. He may still be stupid and try to beat the light, but at least he thought about it befre he gets squished like a grape. The lecture that officer give to day may save that pedestrians life tomorrow…(In fact wasnt their another unrelated call on the hotline about a pedestrian killed in traffic listed immediately AFTER the complaint?)
THATS almost ironic.
Dec 19, 2007, 10:12 pm
Nemo–
You tend to have a knack for bringing out the worst in people with your one sided rants in support of cops and paramedics. Cops who get “gentle reminders” from citizens about looking at computers while driving down the road or talking on cell phones invariably launch into long winded defenses. Same when they leave their cars running while eating dinner. It is simply wrong to do those things.
A paramedic recently retired who was good at his medical job. He was a horrible driver. He risked many lives, he caused injuries to innocent citizens (9th and Front) and yet he remained on the job. You know that to be true.
The lady in the crosswalk didn’t need a lecture about walking in a crosswalk when the countdown started…she did NOT jaywalk! Ass chewings are simply inappropriate.
Do you or the cops EVER say, “We screwed up on that one. Sorry?” What about the loose dog that chomped the poor man who was handcuffed? Internal affairs said it was OK.
End of the day. Cops and paramedics, firemen and politicos screw up every bit as much as the public. The difference is the public is the EMPLOYER and the others are public SERVANTS. Well paid and for the most part respected. Most are pretty good people, but they are the worker bees and the citizens are in command.
Dec 20, 2007, 9:13 am
What does Nemo’s astrological sign have to do with anything?
(-;
There are precioius few of those walk/don’t-walk countdown timers. What? Maybe a half-dozen in the whole state? Are they covered by statute? Seems to me if it’s counting-down, the citizen should be able to make a judgment call as to whether s/he can make it from Point A to Point B in the alloted time. No harm? No foul.
Cops could ticket 200 Borah kids on Camas / Cassia every morning around 7:40. They must be on very tight schedules, because they can’t waste their precious time obeying posted speed limits, stop signs, etc.
Dec 20, 2007, 12:22 pm
I find it amusing that everyone jumped on Nemo for defending the cop while completely ignoring the fact that they are taking the woman’s version of events unconditionally. Her “lecture” may have been a simple explanation of the law/ordinance. Since most likely only the two of them were there we just don’t know but most sure jumped to the conclusions that fit their predisposed feelings.
I think the interesting thing in the story is that it’s illegal to cross after the countdown has started. I do that all the time and adjust my crossing speed accordingly to give myself leeway. I’m shocked that it’s illegal to do so. Those countdowns are always long enough so that a slow moving pedestrian could make it without trouble.
Dec 20, 2007, 1:59 pm
“I am not even going to mention the rampant problem of corrupt cops and the cops that lie. ”
I sense that Gordon and Tex seem to have an axe to grind with the PD.
“I think the worst thing that ever happened to us as a society is when the guys with the badges changed their terminology for themselves from “peace officers” to “law-enforcement officers.”
If you truly believe this statement, then you are really as ignorant as you sound. I doubt that this was the straw that led to the downfall of western society.
Dec 21, 2007, 11:37 am
Never said I was a paramedic 😉
And as for people who I one-sidedly support, you left out the coroners office! 🙂
I dont think I bring out the worse in people, people are already being petty and uncivil when I give my comments, Im just trying to show the otherside, and also defend those who are continuously bashed with out thought or care…and maybe in the process…just maybe, cause someone to think about ALL sides o the issue.
You are right, we ALL make mistakes. And as I have said before those in public service should be held to a higher standard. A realistic one, but a higher one.
But this is nt a higher standard, its a double one. We want officers to do their job, until it involves us.
It just bends me the wrong way when I see good people bashed for doing what they supposed to do.
And as for the “worker bee” and “servants” comments….there are “servants” and those who are in “service”. There is a subtle but important difference. And those who prefer to call cops, paramedics, and firefighters “servants” are subconsciously showing their lack of appreciation and value they have for them.
Servants are people who make your bed, serve you food, etc. Valuable functions but not the same.
You would never think of asking a waitress to save your kids life, or your maid to stop a bank robbery, no matter how much you paid them….when you chose to go out in the cold and risk your life, thats being “In SERVICE” to a (hopefully) greater good….not being a servant…and that is indeed a higher standard.
Anyway, I know this last part made no sense to anyone on here, or at least very few…..but thats just par for the course.
Dec 21, 2007, 11:57 am
Nemo–
You seem to have forgotten about the paramedic who was a bad driver, caused injuries, and endangered citizens with his driving.
You revealed the paramedic affiliation during the Star debate and attempt at freezing the competition out of the market by ordinance. 🙂 Honesty check: are you affiliated w/ ADA EMS?
Dec 21, 2007, 1:47 pm
Nemo, so you admit it was a “lecture” as the hotline caller said and not “public outreach” as you first tried to spin.
However, as the caller stated, there was time on the crosswalk signal. If she had jaywalked, that would have been one thing, but to lecture a person when she was crossing the street in a crosswalk with the walk signal still available to her is harassment.
And Old Blue, is it really the law that you can’t start crossing the street when the don’t walk starts flashing? I’ve never heard that and I thought that the light flashing was sort of like a yellow light to pedestrians in reverse. Means be prepared.
Dec 22, 2007, 12:22 am
Mr. Logic…
The Comments was tongue in cheek…hince the “;)”.
sorry if my sly grin didn’t come across well.
And when my affiliation is pertinent to the discussion on the biased misperception of Joe Citizen (as well as Joe Visitor to the BG) and the unenviable position of cops to educate an unwilling public…let me know…
I know at least one such person who was brave enough to mention his affiliation and got swatted in real life for it…
Until then I’m just a clown fish trying to change the world in a fish eating sea of sharks.
(“Swim DOWN!!!!”)