Letter: Too Many Police in Little Ole' Manassas Park?

Jamie,

I am the guy that called you about a Manassas Park police officer stopping us for speeding and calling me a liar after I asked her to consider that I was taking proton treatments at Hampton University and it was causing me the awful side effect of urgency.

When she pulled us over, the first thing I asked was her permission to exit the car to use the bathroom because I could not wait. We were speeding and all I did was try and explain to her why my son was in a hurry. She told me to go back to the car which I did. She then came to the car and told my son that she would have given him a warning if the other guy (bending over and looking at me) hadn't came to her car and lied to her.  

First point: I expect to be treated with the respect that I show and I reckon having cancer and being called a liar has stuck in my craw. I called different officers who all promised to call me back and none did. I have tried to speak to the chief on several occasions with no luck. I filed a formal complaint and did not get an offer of any sort of reply until I demanded one and now they say I am to get one? How does a town of 14,000 over a 2.5-square-mile area afford so many police while they have a part-time mayor. Could it be with speed traps?

We were on our way to Leesburg after the ticket incident and the salesman there said, "Yes, watch out for that little town. It's known for speed traps." Another lady told us to avoid the town. This would seem to be true. Before we could get off the lot the officer who pulled us over had pulled over someone else. I hope everyone being stopped is not being disrespected, as this was a disgrace. I have filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see how many tickets are issued there and the ratio that are written to out-of-state travelers. In the chief's mission statement he mentions that residents are to be shown respect, but what about non-residents?  

After I receive the information I have requested I will work with the DMV and AAA to check and see if motorists are being abused and try to break up the play house that pays for 50-plus officers. The mayor said there were not that many officers and I told him I got my information from the Internet and recalled the story of the man that had been tased while handcuffed by these 50-plus officers.  

Why so many police? How do you all pay for them? Do they become a nuisance finding something to enforce? This may be a question for the next election. Maybe these jobs are to form a police state in your little town and give some enormous authority!

Melvin Kessler