Public Complaint No. 1729729999 - 602540633

Rialto Police Department

128 North Willow Avenue

Rialto, California 92376

+1 909-820-2550

https://rialtopolic…

Date of Offense

October 23, 2024

Complaint

Abuse of Authority

Statement

On October 23rd at approximately 11:25am I was written a parking ticket by officer Baxter for “parking in a handicap spot”, However I never parked in the handicap spot. I was dropping off my sister at work and the parking lot was packed and a truck making a delivery was blocking me from turning right, due to this I had no other choice but to turn into the handicap spot to allow myself to make a 3 point turn to turn around and exit the way I came in. As I turned into the spot I put my vehicle in reverse and I looked back to see officer Baxter parked behind me. He came up to my window asking why I had stopped there and I tried to explain to him I couldn’t fit my vehicle through the small space between the truck and island, leaving me with no option but to make a 3 point turn. He then asked me why I hadn’t left yet, mind you I hadn’t been in that spot for more than 30 seconds, I then replied to him saying I would’ve left but he was blocking me with my bike. He then wrote me a parking ticket when I had no intention of parking and I never did, to further that my vehicle was never put in park until officer Baxter approached my window.

Location

1310 South Riverside Avenue, Rialto, CA, USA

34.0774599, -117.3708726

California Public Records Act

§ 6250-6268

The California Public Records Act is a series of laws meant to guarantee that the public has access to public records of governmental bodies in California. In December of 2011, a Superior Court judge ruled that the California Assembly must also disclose budget records of individual lawmakers, after some California newspapers filed a lawsuit accusing legislators of flouting the state’s open records laws.

Public records in the California Public Records Act are defined as “any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.” There is a separate category of “purely personal information” that, although it may be in the custody of a government agency, does not fall under the act. Statute 6255 states a catch all exemption, “The agency shall justify withholding any record by demonstrating that the record in question is exempt under express provisions of this chapter or that on the facts of the particular case the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the record.”

Anyone can request public documents in California, and a purpose does not have to be stated. The California Public Records Act does not regulate the use of records obtained from public agencies. One should allow 10 days for an agency to comply with a records request.