Finally Good Cops

CALGARY -- A man who called police to complain about young
people playing street hockey was even angrier after officers
picked up sticks and joined the game. "I was pretty choked,"
said Derek Salituri. "The teenagers ... were playing street
hockey and they were smacking the ball off of my car and my
wife's car."

Salituri said he feared for his private property and was upset
about the loud music the six to eight teens were listening to.

He said one of the officers phoned to say the teens had been
told "to be careful" and added that "if we were still concerned,
to move the cars or talk to the kids ourselves."

NO-WIN SITUATION

A Calgary Police Service spokesman said the officers were put
in a no-win situation in a hockey-mad city cheering on the
Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League final.

"We break up a street hockey game during the Stanley Cup finals
or we can tell them to be careful and let them enjoy the game,"
said Sgt. Darryl Vanaalst.

"All we can do is put on a friendly face ... and try to enforce
the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law."

The Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightening are tied 1-1 in the
best-of-seven championship final.

This story restores my faith in police services everywhere. Finally some cops that use their heads. Really, Salituri just wanted the kids to avoid hitting his cars. The cops came by and told them to be careful. What more could they do in the situation?

Salituri should have just moved the cars or asked the kids to move down the street a little, so as to provide more protection to his cars. As for the music, yes it's a pain, but there are bylaws about noise pollution. He should have waited until they were breaking the bylaw instead of causing trouble.

-Gary