What ever happened to the time when police were respected and liked members of the community?

Some may tell you that this time is gone, and I would have to agree. The question is where to lay the blame. Many will tell you that it is today’s youth culture and their total lack of respect for anything, and I agree that this may be some of it.

Unfortunately, I feel that the problem may lay elsewhere.

This past week, a good friend of mine got to meet the Martin Police force in their finest form. She was parked at the Arrow aluminum parking lot, in order that she and several friends could visit one of the local “night spots.”

When she and several others returned at 1:00 a.m. to go back to her house, the police were waiting. Apparently, the parking lot is now (or may have always been, just never enforced) off limits.

There are signs posted saying “Private Property/No Parking”, but at 11:00 p.m., no one paid them any mind. Nowhere was there any mention that violators would be prosecuted, or that this was police enforced.

Well, the Martin police decided that this would be a great time to show their collective asses, and charged them all with CRIMINAL TRESPASS BY MOTOR VEHICLE!

Now, in defense of the police, the parking lot was indeed marked.

However, the people there all thought that this meant during business hours.

The correct way of handling this situation, in my opinion, would been to have given them all a written warning, and explained that if they parked there again, they would then face charges.

Instead, the MPD decided to charge these college students with the full extent of their power. It is this type of idiocy that breeds contempt for the police force. There was no need to prosecute several (eleven in all) college kids with this type of punishment.

Now my friends went on to visit the travesty that is the Weakley County Court Systems. They were arraigned and received $25 fines and nearly $300 in court costs, PLUS ninety days supervised and unsupervised probation, and the costs accorded to this.

On top of that, they were informed that this goes on their permanent record. This is pretty traumatic to an already poor college student, and really traumatic to those who are worried about what will come of events like this.

Now, it is not like these kids were selling crack, or paying off a politician. This level of enforcement was totally uncalled for, and I strongly urge whatever genius who decided that this was a great opportunity to garner a lack of respect for the police, to now reconsider their course of action on future events.

I know that at least eleven people in this community have totally lost their respect for the Martin Police force.

To the police officers who read this (a few will even be friends of mine) – this is not an FTP article, just a finger pointing at a travesty of our local justice system, from start to finish.

Sometimes a little thought is called for in all of our jobs. I know that the times I have been pulled over and let go with a warning, because there was no pertinent reason to cite me, I have left with a lot more respect for the officers who know how to officiate their position in law enforcement in a method that best serves its purpose.

Voice your opinion to this article on www.tennesseemartin.com under the forum section, gripes.

Daniel McConnell is a senior Biology/Pre-med major from Martin