Banney Fife, the inept police officer from the Andy Griffith Show, is alive and well in Orem, Utah and it appears Goober, Gomer and Floyd the barber are on the police oversight committee there.
In early July "Barney" spied a lawn in Orem which violated a city ordinance prohibiting derelict foliage (it was not watered and as a consequence - dead). He attempted to give the owner a citation for her fiendish act of defiance when she got scared and tried to go into her house. The officer grabbed her and tried to handcuff her; he wasn't going to let this lawbreaker get away from him. In the ensuing struggle she hit her face on her steps and was bleeding. "Barney" didn't let this deter him from seeing that justice was served. The elderly homeowner was removed to jail as all criminals should be.
The reason I bring this up now is that the officer (his real name isn't Barney Fife, but this really did happen in Orem, Utah and there really is a numbskull on the Orem police force who did these things) had this incident reviewed by an oversight committee today. They (Goober, Gomer and Floyd) found that the refusal of the lady to cooperate was the aggrevating factor in the incident and the officer is free to go back on active duty tomorrow.
The people of Orem can rest easier knowing that their town is being watched over by such a public servant. The weeds may grow wild and people may unwittingly resist the law elsewhere, but not in Orem. For the rest of us remember this next time you think about stopping for gas in Orem or attending an event there. Ask yourself if there is an alternative where you won't risk being shoved to the ground and taken to jail because you didn't pick up your candy wrapper fast enough for the Man.
And I am sorry for impuning the character of Barney Fife, he was inept but he did know enough not to push old ladies around.
Alex Rossi
In early July "Barney" spied a lawn in Orem which violated a city ordinance prohibiting derelict foliage (it was not watered and as a consequence - dead). He attempted to give the owner a citation for her fiendish act of defiance when she got scared and tried to go into her house. The officer grabbed her and tried to handcuff her; he wasn't going to let this lawbreaker get away from him. In the ensuing struggle she hit her face on her steps and was bleeding. "Barney" didn't let this deter him from seeing that justice was served. The elderly homeowner was removed to jail as all criminals should be.
The reason I bring this up now is that the officer (his real name isn't Barney Fife, but this really did happen in Orem, Utah and there really is a numbskull on the Orem police force who did these things) had this incident reviewed by an oversight committee today. They (Goober, Gomer and Floyd) found that the refusal of the lady to cooperate was the aggrevating factor in the incident and the officer is free to go back on active duty tomorrow.
The people of Orem can rest easier knowing that their town is being watched over by such a public servant. The weeds may grow wild and people may unwittingly resist the law elsewhere, but not in Orem. For the rest of us remember this next time you think about stopping for gas in Orem or attending an event there. Ask yourself if there is an alternative where you won't risk being shoved to the ground and taken to jail because you didn't pick up your candy wrapper fast enough for the Man.
And I am sorry for impuning the character of Barney Fife, he was inept but he did know enough not to push old ladies around.
Alex Rossi
2 comments:
First, thanks, Alex for the Barney Fife story. I hadn't heard that one yet.
Secondly, Max, nice letter to the editor in the Tribune today. This is the second time you've sent one in and I've thought "hmmm... sounds like something Max would say" then checked the name to find it was really you indeed.
I'm sure Alex says "Your welcome", and thanks for the compliment on the letter to the editor. It was an issue that just occured to me the other day.
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