Does this punishment really fit the crime?


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Went walking my two dogs today like I do everyday, I have to teckels and they go insane when they see squirrels. We're coming back from the walk and they see one. It's an area next to a soccer playground. In the soccer area you can't walk your dogs even on a leash, but where we are it's fine as long as your keeping them on a leash. This little area is a small fenced space with a few empty picnic tables and not accessible from the playground.

It's around 4 p.m. and in Montreal it's pretty cold, so there is no one and I mean no one, in the park or where we are walking. So I decide to let them run after the squirrel, it's a distance of about 30 feet and as soon as I let the leashes go, I start walking towards them to grab the leashes and continue walking, but...

Here comes a cop and a city inspector, by the time they arrive I already have one leash in hand and I'm walking to grab my other dog. They tell me I have to hold the leashes at all times. I can see there's not point in arguing, but I still make my point that there's no one around, it was only for a few moments, that I "dropped" the leashes (that didn't work btw).

He asks for my ID. Then I know a ticket is coming and there's no point going crazy and making matters worse. I do tell the cop that I'm sure there are bigger crimes going, that ressources could be put to a better use, etc. But the inspector is already writing the ticket.

Now, it's on me, I KNOW it's against the law to let your dogs run free, even if they're super small, harmless, even when you're all alone (well not counting the cop and inspector I didn't see) and only for a few moments, but here's where I think there's a problem.

In Montreal exceeding the posted limit by 45 km/h is a ticket of about 250$. Driver passing a school bus when the red lights are flashing is 200$. I could give more exemples, but both of these seem much more dangerous than my two hunters going for a squirrel.

But stil my ticket is 269$, maybe since I'm the one who's paying it, I can't be objective you tell me, but I find it excessive.

Anyways, my rant is over, just not the treat I was expecting for halloween, that was one expensive squirrel...

JS

Here are the two culprits

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They look like a couple of hardened criminals if you ask me. Pure evil. Wilkey

And since I've broke my silence on this.... Do I agree with you that militarization of the police in the U.S. (and elsewhere) is a spiraling-out-of-control issue? ABSOLUTELY! But does it have it's va

It's give and take gentlemen...some officers are plain out asses, I know this. All I am saying is if you approach the situation in a cool manner and be respectful, more than likely you will get the wa

Just a word of advice from someone in the field, don't ever say resources could be out to better use or there are real criminals out there because it's never going to go the way you want it. With that said, dogs off leash are the least of my concern. As a matter of fact, I love dogs. So I think it is a waste of time for stuff like that.

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You terrorist you. My God you might as well have been flying a black flag as well.

I think you can categorize this as revenue raising and nothing more.

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Just a word of advice from someone in the field, don't ever say resources could be out to better use or there are real criminals out there because it's never going to go the way you want it. With that said, dogs off leash are the least of my concern. As a matter of fact, I love dogs. So I think it is a waste of time for stuff like that.

Thanks for the advice but I told him that as the inspector was writing the ticket. So there was no chance he was going to let me go with a warning. The cop said he agreed and that he would have rather been investigating real crimes, but that a complaint had been put on the mayors desk and that he had the city inspector with him for that reason.

Once I left I met a few other dog owners, one old lady had been walking in the park area and she also got a ticket. They weren't there to give out warnings, no matter what you had to say.

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Just a word of advice from someone in the field, don't ever say resources could be out to better use or there are real criminals out there because it's never going to go the way you want it. With that said, dogs off leash are the least of my concern. As a matter of fact, I love dogs. So I think it is a waste of time for stuff like that.

i.e. never rightly question police resources, paid for by your own taxes to protect you, as they will abuse their own power to prove a point. Sorry...I said don't get me started
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i.e. never rightly question police resources, paid for by your own taxes to protect you, as they will abuse their own power to prove a point. Sorry...I said don't get me started

Is it really an abuse of power if a violation of law occurred? No matter how small the infraction the officer is sworn to uphold the law. No matter how small you may think it is, it is their job. Your taxes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes it's easier to attract bees with honey rather than vinegar my friend, make him feel bad about writing the ticket. People who approach officers with that previous attitude lose 100% of the time.

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Is it really an abuse of power if a violation of law occurred? No matter how small the infraction the officer is sworn to uphold the law, no matter how small you may think it is. Your taxes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes it's easier to attract bees with honey rather than vinegar my friend. People who approach officers with that attitude lose 100% of the time.

I didn't mean to cause offense by this. I have no problem with the fact the police officer is upholding the law, but your point was not to question the law itself or it would not turn out favourably for you. It should be acceptable to have an adult conversation about the law itself and your views on whether it is right or wrong with an officer without it having detrimental effects. If you act in an abuse manner then that is an entirely different matter, but a polite conversation about said law should be acceptable without fearing the officers power over you.
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Is it really an abuse of power if a violation of law occurred? No matter how small the infraction the officer is sworn to uphold the law. No matter how small you may think it is, it is their job. Your taxes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes it's easier to attract bees with honey rather than vinegar my friend, make him feel bad about writing the ticket. People who approach officers with that attitude lose 100% of the time.

Another reason to dislike the law... Give us " civilians" a warning then we might like the law better or be a hard ass giving tickets to people with dogs off their leashes.

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Is it really an abuse of power if a violation of law occurred? No matter how small the infraction the officer is sworn to uphold the law. No matter how small you may think it is, it is their job. Your taxes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes it's easier to attract bees with honey rather than vinegar my friend, make him feel bad about writing the ticket. People who approach officers with that attitude lose 100% of the time.

I understand what you are saying, but as I stated I'm not arguing his job, it's actually the inspector who wrote the ticket. And as I said the cop agreed with me, and he said outright that he would have liked better to be working more serious crimes, but he had to be there. Honestly he even seemed bothered by having to "escort" the city inspector. My feeling is he was there just in case someone would have started becoming aggressive or abusive.

My point is the amount of money of the infraction versus other that are much more dangerous.

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They look like a couple of hardened criminals if you ask me. Pure evil.

Wilkey

Well, they are dachsunds, after all. lol2.gif I kid, only because I have one myself.

Jazzmonkey, sorry about the ticket. I've had a couple of tickets in my lifetime that were pretty silly and some that were total BS, so I feel your pain. Like potpest said, don't get me started. Of course, I've had a few that I deserved, too. There are a lot of great cops out there that put it on the line everyday, but unfortunately there are some that let what power they have go to their head and they misuse, and sometimes, abuse it. Those can ruin your day in a hurry.

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It's give and take gentlemen...some officers are plain out asses, I know this. All I am saying is if you approach the situation in a cool manner and be respectful, more than likely you will get the warning. I approach each situation open minded. I am fair. However, if someone is plain out disrespectful I do what I need to. As for disliking law enforcement, that is your own choice. One last thought though, when one puts on the uniform he/she will respond to any emergency you may have. When your life is in danger, they will answer the call to stand between you and evil, even sacrificing their life for yours if necessary. So when you think officers are dicks, just imagine what they have to see in their work day. I've had to tell people their loved ones aren't coming home, letting them cry on my shoulder, squeezing me until I could not breathe, in the middle of the night. I've had to stop people from killing themselves. I've had to respond to situations when all hope is lost, requiring me to restore order. I do it for my fellow man, not for a paycheck. I get satisfaction out of helping people. I have to work holidays when everyone else is sharing that time with their families. I have had to work all hours of the day to keep people from killing themselves on the roadways. So, when you can think of reasons to hate law enforcement, you can hate me and my fellow officers for that. I'm sorry for the rant but I take my job serious. People can hate me all they want but I'm the one they call when the devil is at their door so at least I'm one step better than the devil.

Brother, I'm not sure where you're getting this from my posts. As I've stated and will again, I haven't said anything about cops or hating cops or something even remotely close to that. I also mentioned more than once that the officer agreed with me about doing something else than give tickets to dog owners.

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When the devil is at my door your 5 minutes away.

My wife is a nurse and she see the scum of the earth and saves people every day (ICU) even on Christmas but..... she is not a **** to her patients even if they are a **** to her.

What was that about honey and flys?

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When the devil is at my door your 5 minutes away.

My wife is a nurse and she see the scum of the earth and saves people every day (ICU) even on Christmas but..... she is not a **** to her patients even if they are a **** to her.

What was that about honey and flys?

Exactly, 5 minutes away and coming. Ask any other stranger for help then and see where they are at, guarantee not coming your way. Nurses don't deal with half the stuff police and fire do. Believe me, I've met many nurses who are just as big of asses.

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Could be my fault...I do have a lot of respect for officers and the job they do; one of my very good friends is an officer here in the uk. I was just trying to make the point that sometimes officers will abuse their power over you if you question anything they are doing. If you are being a **** then you deserve it, however it's hard not to be fearful of a police officer even if you are simply wanting a rational conversation.

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Could be my fault...I do have a lot of respect for officers and the job they do; one of my very good friends is an officer here in the uk. I was just trying to make the point that sometimes officers will abuse their power over you if you question anything they are doing. If you are being a **** then you deserve it, however it's hard not to be fearful of a police officer even if you are simply wanting a rational conversation.

I agree. Some cops are asses. Like I said, I'm fair and the majority of guys I work with are fair. We all have asses where we work. I hate some guys I work with. I'm not mad at ya, I'm just giving you insight into some things we deal with. It's not all about tickets. I still take pride in my job and I am truly here to help society. If encountered by a true ass, always try and take the high road, you'll thank me later even if you get a citation. Remember, you always have your day in court. ? If anyone else wants to take this to a sidebar convo instead of hijacking the thread feel free to PM me.

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Believing the original point of the thread was whether the fine was reasonable for the offense, particularly as compared to the other examples, I'd say absolutely not.

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No it does not fit the "Crime". This sounds like one of those things where someone made a complaint on loose dogs at the park and were told to enforce it, no matter what. But running past a school bus unloading children costs less ? LOL. Can you go to court and explain your reasoning? I would.

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