Even a police officer can get a parking ticket.
That was the case last week when a McMinnville police officer was given a parking ticket for taking up two spaces on Court Square.
“He made a mistake,” said McMinnville Police Chief Bryan Denton. “Nobody’s perfect. It was 8:30 a.m. He said he had to take some paperwork into City Hall. He was going to be right in and right out. That’s not an excuse. It looked like he parked over the line into a second parking space.”
A cellphone picture was taken of the officer’s parking mishap and sent to Warren County Commissioner Michael Shane Wilcher, who posted it on Facebook.
“One of my officers brought it to my attention,” said Denton. “I saw the pictures and I figured out who the officer was. With all the emphasis we have given lately on downtown parking, it’s a big deal for all of us to make sure we park appropriately. We need to be the leaders for that and practice what we preach.”
Denton says the officer was ticketed.
“I thought about it and decided we need to set a good example,” said Denton. “The officer was given a written reprimand and issued a parking citation. Everyone makes mistakes, but we’re held to a higher standard than everyone else. We’re supposed to set the example. We can’t have this happening.”
For his part in posting the pictures to Facebook, Wilcher said he was asked to do it.
“I didn’t take the pictures, but I was asked by a citizen to post them and start a discussion,” said Wilcher.