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I am embarrassed for the Sandpoint Police Department.

I believe in law and order and the consequences that follow when laws are broken. And I must that the Sandpoint Police Department certainly went above and beyond at the Lost in the ‘50s parade. In fact, they went so far as to have officers patrolling on foot up and down the parade line on 1st Street, pulling people over, and issuing citations for serious offenses like no seat belts and chirping their tires.

As they say on one of my favorite ESPN segments, “Come on, man!” Yes, technically traffic laws were being broken, but come on, man! Most of the drivers I saw cited were driving cars that were never going to be on the street except in a parade anyway. Nobody was driving more than 5-10mph or endangering themselves or the public. It’s a parade for pete’s sake!.

If I had been a parade participant, I would probably not come back whether I had been cited or not. My guess is that some of this year’s participants will not be back for that very reason. I heard similar sentiments expressed by other parade goers. Thanks, SPD! That’s exactly what this little town needs; law enforcement so anal retentive about enforcing traffic law - DURING A PARADE! - it turns people off and potentially stifles our economy.

Sandpoint Police Department, you should be ashamed of yourselves and offer a public apology to parade participants and spectators.

MARK MAYNARD

Sandpoint