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I have always looked at police officers as people who deserved the utmost respect - men and women who put their lives on the line every day when they go to work.
When the riots happened, I thought, "How could these wild college students ever act that way toward cops?" When the cops show up at a party I'm attending and tell everyone to leave, I'm always the first to get to the door and be on my way.
However, my opinion of police in general, especially the Chico Police Department, has changed because of the actions of one officer.
Last week, I parked in a metered space on Legion Avenue just as I do twice a week. I'm pretty good about putting enough change in the meter to cover the time I will I be on campus. This particular day was no exception. After class, I was walking back to my car when I saw the cop.
He drove past me, past my car and to the end of the street where he turned around. I made it to my car as he was getting out of his, and I immediately apologized about the expired meter.
I assumed that since I had gotten there before he started writing a ticket, I was good to go. I was wrong.
What was the cop's response? The meter was red, and therefore it didn't matter that I was leaving - he was giving me a ticket.
I was fuming. I thought there was no way I could ever be angrier than I was that second. That is, until the next day.
Imagine the exact scenario as above, 24 hours later. When I was about 20 feet from my parked car, the same cop pulled up to my expired meter.
"Round two?" I asked him. The cop said the same thing as the previous day, whipped out his handy little ticket machine, and wrote me another ticket.
Then, to rub it in, he began to lecture me about buying a parking pass and how he is just trying to save students money.
I'm sorry, but I have to call B.S. on that one. Especially after finding out what the Chico Police Department's policy on parking tickets is.
Each officer is allowed to use their own discretion when writing parking citations, said Sgt. George Laver in an e-mail.
The standard for giving a ticket is whether the officer has pushed a button on the citation machine.
If they have, the ticket will be issued. Even though the officer may have pushed a button, I don't think that's why I got both tickets.
I think I got the tickets because the officer stereotyped me as just another rowdy, obnoxious, riot-starting college student. But what if all cops were thought of as rude assholes, trying to assert their authority?
Is that a good trade-off? Even though I don't want to, I have to say, "No." I'm positive that all cops aren't like this, and Laver confirmed that for me when I wrote an e-mail questioning meter tickets practices. He was helpful and polite - both things I think cops should be.
I know that the majority of cops see their jobs as a duty to protect and serve the public and not a way to nickel and dime them.
What I learned the most over those expensive two days is how one person's actions can define what people think of the whole group. I want to believe the actions of other students don't reflect on me, but I'm wrong.
When I tell someone I am from Chico State, the most common reaction is an immediate lift of the eyebrows, a small chuckle and a "party school" remark.
I always respond by asking, "Do you know where there are thousands of students packed in a town who don't have parties?"
I still haven't gotten an answer.
I'm sure I'll get the same roll of the eyes and underhand comment at my next job interview when I say I'm from Chico State. But at least if that happens, I know I'm in the running for a job.
After all, I have to get one to pay off those parking tickets.
Ashley Larson can be reached at
alarson@theeorion.com
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