Joshua Cates

Review of Norman Police Department

The second month after my move back here from Arka...

The second month after my move back here from Arkansas, I got pulled over for supposedly speeding, 60 in a 50 near the OU campus. The officer was nice to me, understanding my anxiety, but still wrote me a ticket. I was alright with it, as I figured if it was paid, no big deal. BUT... Then I saw they were pulling literally EVERYONE over that they could catch. Random cars left and right (I think I remember a nice Camaro among the mix.) What made it worse? Cop on a motorized bicycle (or as they call it "motorcycle"), standing there watching it all. I was tempted to take pictures and record everything and report it, but not like it would have done anything, given how corrupt our government already is (thanks, Al Gore!). The ticket was later paid and the worry was gone... or so I thought. I got another ticket from Moore, but the officers in that area were merely just looking for someone to harass, and guess what? I was the lucky winner of that prize, but that's a story for another day and another cup of coffee. Then the second ticket from Norman (3rd total since I've been here) was a major rub-salt-in-the-wound moment. You ready for this one? Yeah? Alright, here it is: I was cited for doing 48 in a 35 on my way back from a job interview, but every car around me was doing the exact same speed, which led me to believe they were looking to make a profit off of me, let alone profile me for having an out-of-state tag and a modified Astra (amazing how the imports draw so much attention, amirite or amirite?) Looks like I'm succeeding there, at least. Furthermore, both times I was cited?First one, I was doing 55. Second one was 40. So here's my dilemma: I'm sitting here scrambling to find a job so I can put money in YOUR pockets because I can't afford an entire court case. Maybe instead of citing innocent citizens for crimes they didn't commit, try a more constructive and constitutional approach. In today's world innocent people are scattering like cockroaches in a high school cafeteria, or shaking like a chihuahua at the sight of a single police cruiser. The widespread paranoia is unbelievable. At this point I've been convinced that even our protectors cannot be trusted. So one star for the cop who was nice to me, but as for the others, I stand firm on my beliefs that our world is a metaphorical hurricane. It was exciting at first, but ultimately, it's bound to end in disaster.