Where's the Parking Ticket Gestapo When You Need Them?

Wanna see what ticks off people who have been victimized by the Parking Ticket Gestapo in New Orleans?

It's crap like this that does it:



















Notice that these are pictures of the same corner in front of a local breakfast place called Riccobono's. The first picture shows a cop car parked without maintaining a legal distance from the corner and the second shows a cop car parked directly in front of a fire hydrant. If you were to overlay these pictures somewhat, you'll get an image of what that corner looked like to folks going into the restaurant. And lest anyone think these cops were on some kind of official business, I can report to you that this was not the case at all. The cops were in the restaurant having a nice "business" breakfast session. And the cars were parked illegally for at least a couple of hours while they were inside enjoying themselves. It always chafes me when cops who are sworn to be enforcers of the law so brazenly break the law. The sense of entitlement that some cops have when it comes to disrespecting the law that the rest of us must adhere to under penalty of stiff fines goes much beyond getting some free doughnuts and coffee at the local Dunkin Donuts. It's symptomatic of a persisting attitude of corruption that permeates the attitudes of some law enforcement officers in this city.