(Image source: Flickr/thepismire)
BY EMILY SPAIN
ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT
You're watching multisource U.S. news analysis from Newsy.
A Chicago cop tried to get a date, but ended up with a court date instead.
Officer Chris Collins gave a woman a speeding ticket, and later tracked her down and left a note on her car asking her out to dinner.
He got Evangelina Paredes’ address by going through state records and says his intentions were not ill-mannered, he just wanted a date.
WFLD points out how his harmless date proposal got him in trouble.
“Sitcom star Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered in 1989 by a killer who had used her California driving records to locate, then stalk her. Five years later, Congress passed what was called "Rebecca's law," prohibiting the unauthorized release of information from motor vehicle records. Now, a Kendall county woman, Evangelina Paredes, is using that law to sue Stickney Police officer Christopher Collins. ”
Collins left the note on Paredes car two days after he pulled her over... here’s some of what it said:
“...it’s Chris I’m that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you that ticket on Saturday. I know this may seem crazy and you’re probably right, but truth is I have not stopped thinking about you since ... Listen if I never hear from you I understand, but hey I did cost you $132 least I can do is buy you dinner.”
So, is this cop creepy or cute? Paredes says she started suffering from anxiety and fear because of his letter. A writer for Bangstyle is on Paredes side and says definitely creepy.
“He didn’t ask her out upon issuing the ticket–oh no, he tracked Peredes down after the fact, offering to treat her to a nice dinner. Creepy creepy creepy! Needless to say, this... scenario did not charm Paredes in the slightest.”
A writer for the Chicagoist gives him a little credit, but also says it’s kind of a predictable.
“How chivalrous. Then again, we were always under the impression that capturing a cop’s interest would get you out of that ticket on the spot.”
A blogger for ABC compares the cops futile attempts to a romantic movie, but notes things didn’t go as smooth for Officer Collins off screen:
“The scenario is not that far off from the ‘meet-cutes’ of Hollywood romantic comedies. In the 2011 hit ‘Bridesmaids,’ Kristen Wiig's character starts a relationship with the traffic cop who let her out of a ticket for a broken taillight. Arguably, it's a lot less ‘cute’ when it happens in real-life.”
In the suit filed Friday it accuses Collins of using his authority as a cop not to protect the public, but to attempt to manipulate the plaintiff into going on a date.
Transcript by Newsy.
