Yet on July 15, police had a lengthy armed standoff and roadblock because a disturbed man was firing a gun from an apartment house in Northeast Portland. Finally, after many hours into the battle, tear gas was used. Well, as the wife of a Portland officer, I can tell you that each incident sends waves of fear and heartache through not only the officer's family, but also the entire police force family. Portland's officers work in the most populous Oregon city with the most crime. I was struggling with this until I realized that it's all about money.
Photo radar is a cash cow.
Property crimes are a cash drain. All this being true, there is still something wrong with a society that says exceeding the speed limit is a more serious offense than stealing from your neighbor, a business or a credit-card company. It angers me to think that there are thieves out there not paying for their crimes because some mom in a minivan is doing the paying for them. The first time, two years ago, he crippled her for life. He got 90 days in jail on third-degree assault.