Ticket tale a good 'Boston Legal'?

I was shocked to read about the East Dundee police chief's refusal to answer a simple question put to him by a reporter, "Did you or did you not reinstate a traffic ticket?"

The local prosecutors dropped the ticket, but now will have to prosecute it. Sounds like a politician, "I was against it before I voted to support it." Don't village officials, prosecutors and even police officers take an oath of office to uphold the laws? Perhaps the Kane County state's attorney needs to get involved.

In the meantime, I thought I would do some research. Section 625 ILCS 5/11-207 allows municipalities to adopt regulations not in conflict with Illinois Motor Vehicle Code and advises the municipalities use an ordinance. Section 625 ILCS 5/11-306 Traffic Control Legend c) 3 allows a turn on red except when by Ordinance or state authority. Where is the East Dundee ordinance?

I was reminded of the "Dukes of Hazard," when Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coaltrain laughed as they counted money from some unsuspecting citizen for some bogus infraction.

Perhaps the writers of "Boston Legal" would be interested in a storyline involving a traffic sign installed at an intersection of a state road by a local municipality that doesn't appear to comply with state statue.

Perhaps some of the questions asked would be: who authorized the installation of the sign and when was it installed, how many tickets have been issued since the questionable sign was installed and what was the outcome of each and every ticket, what did village officials do when they became aware of the issue, what did the police chief do when he became aware of the issue, and has the problem been addressed so the village is now in compliance with state laws?

The village board needs to stand up by removing the questionable sign, take control of the police department and dismiss all tickets. Perhaps a "thank you" to Don Rage for bringing this to their attention along with an apology would be appropriate.

Richard Landwehr

Elgin