The following letter to the editor was published in the Beach Reporter newspaper (TBRnews.com) on Thursday, March 22, 2012 in the Letters section. The Beach Reporter has a strict 250-word limit.
Padding the budget
Today I tried to take my dog to the dog park but it was closed. He had been very excited so I was going to throw the ball around with him in Dominguez Park next door since there was nobody around. Next thing I knew there was a police office there who was eager to write me a ticket.’He then called in animal control and two other police officers who proceeded to get in my face, harassing me and threatening to arrest me and impound my well-behaved miniature Schnauzer for being off-leash.
I now realize my dog technically should have been on his leash and will of course follow this rule in the future. However, I think we have too many officers with too little to do if such a small issue attracts that kind of attention. I think the city should realize that if it takes four officers to give a girl and her dog a superfluous ticket, they need to reconsider their budget for law enforcement.
Officers are there to serve and protect, and the citizens of Redondo Beach should not have to worry about tickets that are designed to pad the budget, not protect them.
Ashleigh Teator, Redondo Beach
El Segundo Police Officers' Association (ESPOA) Exposed