While an eavesdropping isn’t polite, overhearing a conversation can be enlightening. The voice said, “I can’t believe it, they (who is they? You guessed it, Boulder City Police Department) gave me a ticket. Don’t they know I live here?”
The scales of Lady Justice are balanced and the blindfold serves for impartiality.
While discretion may well serve as a guiding influence, theoretically, application of the law provides uniformity to all it serves. No matter the sex, race, creed, national origin, or residence location — sorry, if I neglected to mention any other group — the law shall be dispensed equally.
We shouldn’t look at police enforcement contact as negative. No, just the opposite. We should be appreciative an officer is telling us what we are legally permitted to do. Think about it? You can drive the speed limit all day long. You can stop at a stop sign every time. You can go through any green light, as long as it’s safe. We have unlimited rights, as long as there’s no law pre-empting those rights.
By no means am I trying to minimize or magnify any particular situation. I’m simply suggesting to be reasonable and lawful in all of your endeavors.
“Control, 269, we’ll be 10-8 in service.”
■ Sept. 28. A bicyclist is at the crosswalk near Nevada Highway and Elm Street. Cars are stopping, but the bicyclist fails to cross the street. The officer directs the subject to cross, but the blank stare says it all. So the officer contacts Mr. Sloshed. Being four times over the legal limit impairs one’s judgment. The bicyclist escapes a DUI on a bicycle, but is arrested for public intoxication.
■ Sept. 29. What’s going on? We received numerous calls and complaints regarding people operating their all-terrain vehicles or dirt bikes on the street or in the desert. The posted signs prohibit riding in certain parts of the desert. First, to operate a vehicle on the roadway, you must have a valid license. Second, the vehicle must be equipped with all the lawful equipment. Third, if it’s not a moped, a registration is mandated and then insurance. If you get caught, you not only do you get a ticket, we can impound whatever you’re riding.
■ Oct. 1. North Las Vegas Police asks us to check a residence off Seventh Street. Apparently, North Las Vegas Police Department has an armed robber, in custody, and the gun used in the robbery belongs to an alleged Boulder City resident. Officers arrive at the residence for the gun’s owner, but the family at the residence advises the gun’s owner never lived there; he only dated their daughter at one time. Hmmm … be careful of the friends you keep.
■ Oct. 3. A resident comes to the Boulder City Police Department’s lobby to report his vehicle had been stolen. The subject permitted his girlfriend to take the truck weeks ago; she just hasn’t found her way back to his side. A report was taken, but it’s tough to prove theft when someone had permission to take the truck.
■ Oct. 4. Art in the Park was in full swing. A beautiful day made for a great shift. Except for an 18-wheeler breaking down on Nevada Highway in front of McDonald’s, backing up traffic for an hour, the day went superbly.
In closing, remember to be responsible, respectful and reasonable, no matter who you are or where you live. A modern-day way to think about how you act is, “If your grandparents saw someone act or behave as you did and saw it on TV or the computer, would they be proud of you?”
Officer Jeffrey Grasso is a 11-year veteran of the Boulder City Police Department. He previously served as a police officer in south Florida for four years.