Don’t let power get all up in your head. It’s tempting, sure, but a power trip only increases the chances of you getting called out for your megalomaniac actions.
Even if it is ignoring a sign that very clearly says “Tuesday,” but it’s actually a Monday and you still issue a ticket for a parking infraction. And then the lieutenant catches wind of this. And then you lose. And then people eat popcorn and see you suffer.
It’s interesting how much of a power trip you can get into whilst being on parking ticket duty
Image credits: Artem Makarov (not the actual image)
Whatever the case, people can still call you out by calling your lieutenant and then watching you suffer through fixing your mistakes
Image credits: Kindel Media (not the actual image)
Image credits: Kindel Media (not the actual image)
Image credits: Grouchy_Tap_8264
The ticket officer took a while, so the author of the post actually had to bring a lawn chair and some popcorn to watch the show
The story goes that Redditor r/Grouchy_Tap_8264 almost got their car towed and ticketed illegally by an officer who decided to enforce a “no parking” clause without actually considering (or caring to know) it’s in force from the next day.
So, taking absolutely zero guff from the officer, OP called up the lieutenant and told her what’s up. Soon, the higher-ranked officer showed up and made things right—the ticket-happy law enforcer had to revert all he had done, plus issue written apologies individually.
Commenters were all in support of OP. Not only did the officer deserve it, but they also approved of the lawn chair and popcorn combination for the fallout. This alone, in the eyes of some, felt like it’s no longer petty, but rather boss levels of revenge.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the post, who provided some context and pointed out the street and their then-home in Denver where it happened
Image credits: Google Maps
OP told Bored Panda that the story recently came up in a conversation with a friend of theirs, inspiring the post.
"I'd hope he learned his lesson (several other officers showed up along with lieutenant), so the general ribbing was complete," elaborated OP. "If he was someone capable of change, then he'd have had epiphany that he's not infallible and shouldn't be treated as such."
"However, if he held to the same obtuse attitude that led him to continue on when his error was pointed out, he'd have ended up being one of the awful officers."
Now, this happened a couple of decades ago. Considering how much rights and technology has advanced, these sort of instances of power abuse likely wouldn't happen these days. Or would they?
"I think there are people who abuse their power everywhere, and some are so certain of people cowing to their position—whether a boss, a teacher, a police officer, or a million other positions—that they believe they can abuse that teeny power with impunity; I'm always happy when they're reminded to play well with others in the sandbox," added OP.
And, honestly, considering the circumstances, OP thought that there wouldn't have been reason to go any further with how the petty revenge turned out. They explained that having the wrongs righted, saving both OP and the neighbors from unfair ticketing, as well as having the officer exposed in front of everyone, including his coworkers, felt appropriate.
OP continued: "Only thing to add was that we may have been a bit stoned at the time (it was college, and pot had already been decriminalized), so we had a small kick out of proving a point while also being a wee bit high. We may have also sung our own version of 'I Fought The Law' in the apartment only (not outside and not to taunt him) that had the lyrics 'fought the law and I WON.'
"I'm not saying I'm proud now of my smugness and a bit of gloating, but I did stand up a bit, and I'm still proud of very young me for doing so."
Folks asked for more information, which the author of the post delivered with great detail
Many were swayed by the lawn chair and popcorn combo in the end, which the author of the post admitted was a bit too much in hindsight
Yet others shared their takes and stories on the whole thing
