Police Too Busy to Do Their Job?

Why Don't Police Enforce the Safety Laws?
BOTH Police and TTC NOT Doing Their Jobs!

TTCnotices Official TTC Tweets Westbound 506 Carlton streetcars are holding near Bathurst due to a collision.  (a tweet about 5:30pm on Monday, May 30)

.... So why is this meaningful?

Because about an hour and bit earlier,  Monday May 30, I was on another westbound 506 Carlton streetcar when an expensive white car (Mercedes? Licence number 130XK129) zoomed past the streetcar almost causing a car-streetcar collision because the car driver decide he could cut in front of a moving streetcar who would be forced to stop. The same car then sped through a red light ahead of us.

Less than half a block on, a Toronto Police officer stood chatting with construction workers as he watched the car zoom past.

.... So why is this meaningful?

Because Sunday night, May 29 at 7:03pm on a Queen West Streetcar (#4235 westbound) just east of Beaconsfield, when the same expensive white car (Mercedes? Licence number 130XK129) zoomed past the fully stopped streetcar, with open doors, almost hitting a passenger stepping off the curb to board..

A few seconds later we passed a stopped police crusier with 2 officers just sitting inside. No radar trap, guess they were on a break. Following the white car as I had several stops to go, I saw it suddenly make a right turn (no signal) down a side street. Definitely no police car in pursuit.

(Note: I have made repeated suggestions to the TTC that they need to crackdown on cars ignoring stopped streetcars, giving ideas like external mounted photo radar and swing out stop signs like school buses, but it has been a total waste of time. Emails direct to TTC CHair Karen Stintz are ignored)

.... So what else about this topic?

My local Tim Horton's on the southeast corner of College and Lansdowne has a clearly marked DISABLED PARKING ONLY near the entrance to the coffee shop. I regularly see people without disabled stickers park there. Even when I point out they should not do that ($400 fine I think) I am told to F-off by the offenders. Staff there frequently try to get people not to park there but are routinely ignored.

Last Friday night, May 27 in late afternoon TWO Toronto Police cars pulled up, FOUR officers went in to get their coffee (no donuts). As I was leaving, I saw yet another non-disabled stickered car parked in the offending spot. Since the officers were leving, I pointedly and clearly asked them to ticket the car. Aside from one officer asking another (there were 3 others), "Hey You got any parking tags?", the whole thing was ignored. Both teams got busy rearranging their trunks, sat in their cars and had coffee briefly before they both just drove off in different directions. No sirens, emergency call that I could see.  I took a few cellphone snaps of the police, crusiers and offending vehicle

While the 4 police officers were 'busy', the driver of the car, a young woman, came out and made to drive off. I stopped her, saying "Boy You were lucky. It's a $400 fine and police are coming to ticket you". The bizarre response was for her to pull out of the space, then pull back into it for about 3 minutes (waiting?), then she pulled out and drove off.

If police don't want to do the basics of their jobs (is it beneath them?) why do they deserve the regular whopping pay increases?

- Disgusted.

See also:
Paid Duty Policing Costing Taxpayers Millions

* Update : Mayor Ford takes on 'Handicapped Parking Issue' http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1013603--ford-wants-to-get-tough-on-handicapped-parking-violators