Parking rules don’t apply to cops on job
Armed response to panic alarm at Rubis on Walker’s Road
(CNS); Officials from the RCIPS have made it clear that the usual parking rules do not apply to the police when they are responding to a 911 call out. Noting that officers are allowed to park in the safest closest space to the scene of any potential crime, the RCIPS hit back at accusations on social media that the police are disregarding the rights of the disabled by parking in a blue spot. A photograph circulated Friday purporting to display a police vehicle illegally parked in a disabled parking slot, but an RCIPS spokesperson said there was no verified information with the picture, which generated unfounded negative speculation based on the assumption that the police were parked illegally.
“We have determined that this photograph was taken during the response of armed officers to a panic alarm at a Rubis gas station on Tuesday, 11 July, around 8:15am. The panic alarm had been triggered accidentally, and there was no actual criminal incident taking place,” the RCIPS stated in a response to the posting. “However, in responding to the call armed officers used the closest available space in order to access the scene in as safe and quick a manner as possible.”
The RCIPS pointed out that the picture shows the blue light in the police car is flashing (circled in the phot above), signifying that the vehicle was involved in an emergency response.
“We would also like to direct the media’s attention to Section 68(d) of the Traffic Law (2011), which exempts those (police officers and other emergency personnel) responding to emergency calls from traffic laws,” the RCIPS noted.
Niether does talking on the phone and driving driving drunk and leaving the scene of and accident speeding in their private vehicles.Allowing their fellow countrymen to violate all of Cayman traffic laws whilst turning a blind and deliberate eye. Cayman is in a real mess Yo!
Can you imagine a scenerio involving shots fired, civilians being killed in collateral damage by police and only for headlines to read manslaughter rules do not apply to cops on job?
How can examples be set to adhere to the law when excuses are made that excempt any responsibility for breaking the laws?
There is no one who is above the law and no good reason to break the law no matter what. This is the mentality governments have instilled by way of force and one day the system will come back to bite them.
This whole parking violation issue is crap anyway. What are police officers, who are few in number anyway, being used to enforce private parking violations? Most blue spot parking is on private property and therefore should be the responsibility of the land owner to enforce the rules governing disabled parking by ticketing, clamping or towing offenders, as in the UK.
The law needs changing to force private land owners to take responsibility for their own property and their obligations to disabled people.
Cayman needs a dedicated parking enforcement unit to realease cops from less serious parking offences, that’s not to say police ignore them, they just don’t get directly tasked to go write a ticket.
Anybody who thinks police can’t park in any space during an emergency is obviously a moron who has never needed urgent assistance from them. Using a blue spot to a collect pattie, pay a bill or pick up kids doesn’t amount to an emergency, it only serves to make your lazy asses fatter.
You must be new to the island , not so long ago their was private clamping companies but a certain member of the LA got clamped and made the rest of them vote to make it illegal to clamp cars.
Criminals and supporters of wrong doing are people too.
The POLICE is dammed if the DO and DAMMED if they DON’T…..
I agree park the car any where it could mean life or death. If the person is handicap then sit in the car and wait or find another parking spot. I am so angered at stupidity
You can clearly see they have literally pulled up at the front door and jumped out. Whoever took the photograph must have seen that and the blue lights. Social media at it’s worst.
How can an example be set to follow the law by which excuses are made that exempt any responsibility for breaking it?
So if you or a member of your family was being attacked and someone called 911 would you prefer them to come to a halt as close as they can and come to your aid or should they drive around in circles looking for a parking spot first.
I would prefer if they launched the helicopter into the air flying speeds in excess of 170mph, coming to a swift halt 50 feet over the position and rappeling on to the ground armed and coordinated in effort to save me or my family but, parking sideways with the ass end out in a handicap zone will have to do I guess.
Wow, did you read the article?
Blue Spot FB page is a violation of privacy
Says the sort of selfish person who parks illegally.
Nothing done in public is private!!!
There is no violation in public spaces
In this particular incident the actions of the RCIPS were justified. Despite a high probability of a false alarm the officers must respond assuming the worst. And that means arriving with haste and positioning the vehicle tactically, if warranted.
However this does not mean police parking in a blue spot while responding to a call is always justified.
The RCIPS responds to calls for service that are true emergencies as well as calls of a far less urgent nature. Surely the standard must not be “any potential crime” to have officers disregard traffic laws!? I should hope the police would at least ascribe to a potential violent crime or a crime with a suspect still on scene standard, or something similar with a bit more teeth?
And the 911 center likewise receives calls for service that are true emergencies as well as calls of a far less urgent nature. A standard of “a 911 call out” is again inadequate. For a robbery call, by all means proceed safely but in a manner that does not necessarily comply with all traffic laws governing speed and such. But not all 911 dispatches are true emergencies.
For example, the language espoused in the RCIPS press release would seem to support RCIPS officers parking in a blue spot when responding to a complaint of counterfeit currency having been passed at a grocery where the suspect is no longer on scene. Sure it is a crime. And it may have been called in to 911. But such an incident lacks the urgency to justify anything but a response in compliance with all traffic laws including blue spot parking.
The police stated clearly that they are exempt when responding to emergency calls, they did NOT say they can park in a blue spot when they are just working on regular calls. Read the response. They referred to the traffic law that says that they are exempt when responding to EMERGENCY calls, period. It is the way that CNS loves to mischaracterize the content when writing what they consider to be snappy headlines that is the cause of your confusion, not the police.
What is the special rule for fat peop,e buying snacks? Why are they allowed to park their flatbeds in disabled spots. It always seems to be flatbeds.
Anyone from social media care to respond? Seems like a reasonable response from the RCIPS. Particularly if the lights were flashing then it looks very close to a malicious post.
Still a crap parking job, half way in the spot, ass out in the road.
Unbelievable!! I can’t believe that a member of the general public has complained that RCIPS has parked “illegally” whilst in the course of their duty. What is the matter with these people? You need a job! You have too much time on your hands. Spend it wisely, helping the Police to bring these criminals to justice not looking for stupid things to complain about. RCIPS have enough to do dealing with the escalating serious crimes without trivial things like this.
People have reported it as the police have been caught out many times for parking illegally whist not on an emergency call.
How long did the police leave the car there? once the call was established to not be an emergency or needing imidiate attention prehaps the copper could have moved the car?
Get a life, and a whole lotta common sense.