It is the second statement — implying the officer opened the vehicle and locked it without the owner’s permission — that has raised red flags.
“Not only is it a violation of your basic right to privacy, and not only do they not have the right to open your car without probable cause or permission, but what if they lock you out of your own car? How do they know you didn’t leave your car unlocked for a very good reason?” said Marjorie Esman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana.
Guggenheim’s note is part of a new community policing initiative to prevent crime and educate the public on how best to protect their vehicles, said NOPD spokeswoman Officer Shereese Harper.
I leave my car unlocked on purpose. I do this because I've learned the hard way more than once that protecting the $5.00 in stray nickels lying on the floor is not worth the trouble of having to replace a broken window. Instead I just make sure not to keep anything valuable in there and leave it open so people can help themselves to the lint and change if they like. The car itself, well, nobody is breaking in to steal that anyway.
The last straw came a few years ago when somebody split the driver's side door handle leaving it permanently damaged. Now the only way to access the car when the windows aren't rolled down is to climb in through the passenger side and open the driver's side door from the inside. This isn't too inconvenient when I've got someone riding along who can get the door for me but it's annoying when I'm by myself and a serious pain in the ass when it's raining.
Anyway since I'm down to just one functional door, and I don't entirely trust that one, I like to leave it open. If Serpas comes behind me and locks me out, I hope he's ready to lend me his BATmobile for the rest of the day.
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