a friend of mine sent the story below to me and i just had to share it.
A Chicago police officer allegedly turned a $132 speeding ticket into a pick-up opportunity when he later tracked down the female driver and asked her out, saying the least he could do for the money he cost her was to treat her to dinner, according to a lawsuit the woman filed in federal court.
Evagelina Paredes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Chicago, accusing police officer Chris Collins of violating her privacy, according to the Associated Press. She alleges that after she was ticketed on Oct. 22, Collins searched for her address in the motor-vehicle database and left a handwritten note on the windshield of her car, which was parked outside her apartment in the Chicago suburb of Stickney, asking her out on a date.
In the note, a copy of which appeared was included in the court documents and was obtained by the Associated Press, the 27-year-old police officer tried to woo the female driver with humor and a seemingly heartfelt plea.
"It's Chris … that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you that ticket. … I know this may seem crazy and you're probably right, but truth is I have not stopped thinking about you since. I don't expect a girl as attractive as you to … even go for a guy like me, but I'm taking a shot anyways."
"I did cost you $132 - least I can do is buy you dinner," the note reportedly read.
The scenario is not that far off from the "meet-cutes" of Hollywood romantic comedies. In the 2011 hit "Bridesmaids," Kirsten Wiig's character starts a relationship with the traffic cop who let her out of a ticket for a broken taillight.
Arguably, it's a lot less "cute" when it happens in real-life.
Paredes claims that the note caused her to "suffer great fear and anxiety." In the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified payments in damages, saccording to the Associated Press, she alleges that Collins used his position as a police officer to "manipulate" her into going out with him. Collins declined to comment to the Associated Press
I blame a pop-culture-centric society for this one. People are under increasing pressure to make their love lives as fantastic (as in " like a fantasy world", not as in good or desirable) as they see in Hollywood and on TV. You can be considered boring, unimaginative, and worthless for a date or god forbid a proposal that doesn't meet people artificially-elevated expectations.
ReplyDeleteYes its wrong that he used his position and official resources to track this girl down. But we wouldn't have felt the need to do so if expectations were set by real people rather than out of touch screenplay writers.
Happy birthday, Mollie!! :)
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