Snoop Dog Ain't Got Nuthin' on Me

[Dave1982]

So does that mean they have to pay their parking tickets before they get their cars back?

Almost certainly. Heck, I'd be willing to bet that the one with 17 outstanding tickets would probably have qualified for a tow even if he *did* have a permit (assuming that Argabarga's company knew about that, of course).

[Shalom]

A question to all readers, has anyone ever got into trouble from a SC calling the cops on them for doing their job?.

Happened once, back in the late '80s. I was installing a lock for a customer in an apartment building. The guy said he's going to take a shower, and he'll pay me when he comes out. So I'm working there, with my tools scattered around, and someone walks in the front door. I see him glaring at me, but he doesn't say anything, just watches me for a minute and then goes upstairs.

A couple minutes later, the phone in the apartment rings. I'm not going to answer some random customer's phone, and the guy's in the shower, so nobody picks up.

A couple minutes after that, I look up to see a cop eyeballing me. Apparently this guy had thought I was a burglar and called the police. Fortunately I had a copy of my locksmith license taped inside my toolbox (this was before they went to the card-sized licenses, and the original had to be posted at my place of employment, but I thought it would be a good idea to carry a copy anyway. Good thing, as it turned out) and a copy of the work order with the shop's name, address and phone number on it. As we were straightening that out, the customer came out of the shower and vouched for my presence.

So I didn't get in any trouble, but the potential was there.

(I still have my locksmith license, but I don't really do that for a living anymore.)

edit: I just realized there wasn't any SC in this story, so it doesn't really fit your question. The customer was fine, and the upstairs neighbor was acting in what he figured was the customer's best interest. He might have been a bit of a moron, because what kind of burglar would be breaking into someone's apartment in broad daylight, and then sit there with the door open fooling around with the doorlock for a half hour after that, rather than cleaning the place out and getting gone, but his intention was good. It was more amusing than anything else, at least in hindsight.

[Jetfire]

I think it'd be hilarious if you not only offered the use of your phone, but pulled out a phonebook or called Information to get the non-emergency police number, dialed it, and handed the phone to the SC.

I wouldn't give the SC anything that I wanted to get back. So just put the phone on speaker mode and let the non-emergency cops talk to him and you at the same time.

[Argabarga]

Actually, this guy most likely doesn't have anything illegal in the car, he's just one of those folks who can't resist the urge to fight authority.... whatever it is.

That and he's probably figured out that me being around means all those grand plans he had for those 30+ person parties this summer are being torpedoed before his eyes because now the parking won't be free and plentiful like he assumed, so he's trying to chase me off by being a nuisance... which doesn't work.

I know because we just broke up his first party of the year last night, with him whining and moaning and bitching about how "weak" it was that I was looking for permits while all his buddies scattered at the sight of the truck

[Marmalady]

all those grand plans he had for those 30+ person parties this summer are being torpedoed before his eyes

For which I have no doubt a lot of the other residents will be extremely thankful to you.....

[Mr Hero]

(I still have my locksmith license, but I don't really do that for a living anymore.)

What if someone needed you to undo a chastity belt?

[Marmalady]

What if someone needed you to undo a chastity belt?

Don't tell me you've lost the key again?!

[dalesys]

Don't tell me you've lost the key again?!

Well, when ya reach a certain age, ya fergit what things is for, an if ya don'ts know what it does, ya throws it away.

[Shalom]

What if someone needed you to undo a chastity belt?

Oh, that I'd probably do for free.

[Pixilated]

I've been dealing with customers since the late 1970's-early 1980's.

I get threatened with the Attorney General/Police/FBI/Better Business Bureau/"the papers"/Illuminati about once a month.

*snip*

The Illuminati? Really?? That sounds hilarious.

[Redbeard]

-Well, what if they said you could come into MY apartment and snoop around?! Would you do that?!
-That’s just silly sir, there’s no reason for me to have to do that to check for parking permits

And we have a winner!
Slid right by him with that one, did you?

[Jester]

-Well, what if they said you could come into MY apartment and snoop around?! Would you do that?!

Actually, depending on the lease, the landlord might well have the authority to do just that. Not to send someone in to his apartment to snoop around, mind you, but to fix something that is broken, to check to make sure everything is as it should be, to do inspections of the apartment, for emergency purposes (broken gas line), etc., etc. Most leases I have signed as a tenant included provisions for having the landlord or his/her authorized agent enter the premises without permission or announcement, though of course usually they would check with the tenant first.

So even on this point, clearly misdirected at a tow truck driver, this guy was probably also wrong.

...have your landlord write him a letter or speak to this tenant directly advising him that you have the authority to search cars...

I feel the need to point out that Argabarga is not actually searching cars, he is merely checking them for the proper parking permits. After all, the landlord does have the right to have parking in the lot enforced, but has pretty much zero legal right to actually have cars on said lot searched. On that one minor point, the idiot harassing Argabarga was correct....Argabarga and his coworkers have zero right to search anyone's cars. Which is all well and good, because that is not what Argabarga and his coworkers are doing anyway!

I think it'd be hilarious if you not only offered the use of your phone, but pulled out a phonebook or called Information to get the non-emergency police number, dialed it, and handed the phone to the SC.

Better yet (since I would never hand my phone to a stranger, let alone an asshole giving me shit for doing my job), simply say, "Certainly sir. Feel free to call the police. Their non-emergency number is 305-809-1111." (Yes, I know the Key West PD number off the top of my head. I see it all the time on their cars!)

Yes. My guess would be he's got something in his car that he wants to protect. Which suggests criminal activity.

My guess is that that is not the case, but this is simply an overamped yahoo who is a bit paranoid in general.

That and he's probably figured out that me being around means all those grand plans he had for those 30+ person parties this summer are being torpedoed before his eyes because now the parking won't be free and plentiful like he assumed, so he's trying to chase me off by being a nuisance... which doesn't work.

I know because we just broke up his first party of the year last night, with him whining and moaning and bitching about how "weak" it was that I was looking for permits while all his buddies scattered at the sight of the truck

And then there's always this possibility as well.

Which shows me the guy has no idea how to throw a party and not cause issues.

I used to do this all the time in my twenties. DAYS before the planned kegger, my roommates and I would go around to all the neighbors and tell them, "Hey, look, we're the guys over in Unit 3.14, and on Friday, we're having a party. Feel free to come by, and if it gets too loud or we are disturbing you in any way, please let us know directly rather than calling the cops. Here's our number." And rarely did we have any problems.

Also, if I lived in a complex with restricted parking, I would tell my friends who'd be coming over for the party, "Look guys, you can't park in the lot, but you can park over on Spence, Cedar, or Terrace." Why? Because (A) I wouldn't want my friends to get ticketed or towed, and (B) because I'm not (that much of) an asshole.

[Argabarga]

That's pretty much it, I'm getting a bit better at reading the vibes people give off as I get older, and the vibe coming off this guy (who looks to be about 22 - 23) is

"I can drink more booze than YOU can and get more chicks than YOU can, therefore I'm a badass, ergo, YOU can't make ME do anything!"

It's always fun to see them try and shoehorn that attitude, which was such a winning one amongst his peers in high school, into practice in the real world where people, most importantly, the ones who make and enforce the real rules that matter, just don't give a flip. And the party was the typical there-will-be-cops affair. Loud music, enough guest to cause a fire code violation, the events spilling out into the lawn, and the parking lot so people would have to drive AROUND the group, hoking your horn to get them to move only got you a middle finger... playing baseball with beer cans... the kind of party I LOVE to break up and feel NO shame at all over.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Can the reenactors wear pirate gear?

I'm thinking more along the lines of dressing up like the Blues Brothers.

Now that would give that guy a good reason to pee his pants.

[AyreBiskits]

Argabarga, you're my hero
I just love your stories of pwn