He didn't learn his lesson

One really has to admire attorney Eric Bryant. The Portland, Oregon resident, who successfully managed to give a parking citation to Portland police officer Chadd (Too Many Letters) Stensgaard after catching him parking his cruiser in a "no parking" zone while not on official business, has busted Stensgaard again, this time for parking in a "government vehicles prohibited" zone downtown, presumably while not on an emergency call this time as well. Bryant also has nabbed Lt. David Rader for the same violation.

I don't know (or particularly care) why Portland has a "government vehicles prohibited" zone. I've never heard of such an animal, though I'll make a stretch here and assume it's there for a valid reason. I do know, however, that if Mr. Bryant parks in a "no parking zone" he most likely will be ticketed and/or towed. The same penalty should therefore apply to officers not on an emergency call who park their city-supplied vehicles in that government car no-no zone.

"Sgt. Brian Schmautz of the Portland Police Bureau says a long-standing informal agreement police have with the city allows officers to park wherever needed while on duty. The agreement is expected to be put in writing."

I suspect that "informal" in this case means "We let the cops do whatever they want, but now that someone's filed a valid complaint, we're going to have to justify our illegal behavior by drafting a formal written policy that allows it".

It's kind of nice when one gets to rewrite the rules whenever it suits their fancy in order to make things more convenient for them, isn't it? I mean, how dare the peasants expect their overseers to have to find a legal parking space, just like they have to do when conducting business downtown?

Again, emergency calls are a completely different animal. I don't think it's too much, though, to expect a police officer who's testifying in a traffic case or performing some other non-urgent task to have to comply with the same rules as the general public.

Congrats to Mr. Bryant for holding his city's cops to the same standards that he must follow. I'm starting to think that he must not even own a car, with all of the official "friends" he's been making around Portland lately. If he does has one, it's got to be the safest vehicle in town, as the entire police department must be intently watching just where he parks, if you get my drift.