After a short article appeared on a crackdown by Howard County police of people illegally parking in handicap spaces, a reader sent in a picture of a cop allegedly violating the very law her agency was targeting.
The reader noted that the officer had parked her marked cruiser in a handicapped space at a Barnes & Noble and was seen drinking coffee.
The Columbia Flier and the Howard County Times published the picture and sought comment from a Howard County police spokeswoman, who said the officer had responded to the Ellicott City store after workers there chased out a suspected thief. The officer was writing a report.
But the spokeswoman noted that officers are allowed to park in such spaces only in an emergency. While the officer was on official business -- she can drink coffee and write a report -- this wasn't exactly an emergency and she did have other alternatives.
It would've been better had she parked anywhere else in the lot other than using a handicapped space.