Emergency response overkill on the Costa del Sol, Spain

You know things are quiet when this kind of thing happens. Roughly 25 emergency vehicles responded to one little crime this afternoon, at high speed, with sirens blaring.

There I was, crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing, minding my own business, when bee-bah-bee-bah, I nearly get wiped out by a police tow truck. I scrambled to the pavement safely, wondering what kind of emergency tow could possibly be required that needs sirens and such high speed?

Read more ...

Catalan cop jailed for revenge on tow trucks after own car towed

A policeman in Barcelona had his own car towed away, not once, but twice. He decided to get revenge by fining four municipal tow trucks for allegedly jumping red lights, and now faces a jail sentence and fine for his crime.

On Monday the prosecutor asked for five years in prison for an agent of the Guardia Urbana (urban guard) in Barcelona who had falsely accused four tow trucks of skipping a red light, purely in revenge for his own parking offenses. Turns out he had parked in front of his own home, where parking was illegal.

In court on Monday the accused agent, Francesc C.O., alleged that he did not remember anything because he was sick, and that shortly after the events in question, he was receiving treatment for depression. He said that he was in a difficult emotional rut, after breaking up with his partner.

According to the prosecutor, the accused had acted in retaliation because the municipal tow truck had towed away his vehicle in November 2010 and February 2011 due to illegal parking.

The court stated that in revenge, the man had filed a total of tour penalties against municipal tow trucks between December 2010 and February 2011, accusing each of skipping a red traffic light, despite the fact that this was not the case.

In fact, it turns out that some of the tow trucks were actually parked in garages on the days that the fines were given, while other tow trucks were in a totally different area of the city at the time written on the fine document.

The prosecutor asked for five years imprisonment and disqualification of the agent, for continued perjury in official documentation. It was found that his performance attacks "the public trust" and "confidence of society" as well as the "evidence" of public documents.

The resulting sentence was 18 months in jail, a suspension for a year and a half and a fine of 450 euros.

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/353515