reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...

This is a direct result of our education system, you probably never met the board of education. For people that lay their life on the line everyday deserve a large measure of respect. Your anger is misdirected, it should be direceted towards the people that made the law, but what would you have said and to whom if you could not find a place to park although all the meters were overdue without tickets. I do feel your pain and in these harsh times it is easy to make someone a scapegoat and it can work both ways. TO LIVE IN A SOCIETY DOESN'T MEAN SIMPLY LIVING SIDE BY SIDE WITH OTHERS IN A MORE OR LESS CLOSE COHESION, IT MEANS LIVING THROUGH ONE ANOTHER AND FOR ONE ANOTHER.-PAUL EUGENE ROY.

February 4, 2011 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

EmporiaRocks (anonymous) says...

"He didn’t ask me what the initials stood for."

OK. What do the initials stand for?

February 4, 2011 at 11:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

newtoemporia (anonymous) says...

You received tickets because of parking violations. Then, you were angry, because you were caught and fined and wrote on the memo line. It's not the city's faulty ... why "fu" someone at the city because of your choice? The police officer told you to stop writing it on the memo line. Stop writing it. In the future, be aware of your parking situation and you won't have to pay another ticket!!

February 4, 2011 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

I think the anger should be directed at yourself for parking illegally. You got caught and you need to pay the fine.

That being said, I don't think the police should be calling you for writing that on the check, regardless of how immature it was.

February 4, 2011 at 11:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

gooseylucy (anonymous) says...

An old saying comes to mind. "Better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt."

Wow......why would you want to publish this in the paper and show everyone your ignorance and lack of class??? Just pay your dang ticket and learn from your mistakes. Wow.

February 4, 2011 at 11:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

netloafer (anonymous) says...

Newtoemporia

Tonja does appear to be paying her fines. While I don't advocate what she wrote in the memo section I think she has a point. I don't believe the police have the authority to tell her to stop writing what she did. I pay my property taxes twice a year. I write checks. I've never written anything in the memo, but I've thought a couple of times of inserting "I protest" in the memo section. I don't think any city official would have the right or authority to sic the police on me and tell me not to write subversive stuff in the memo section or threaten me with disorderly conduct. If we ever get to that place we'll need to apologize to Hosni Mubarak and his police.

February 4, 2011 at 11:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Quack (anonymous) says...

Well, she has a point perhaps.. She may not be to bright for putting it in the paper, but, It is her check, her property, she is simply sending it to pay violations, and state her opinion in a non-vocal way, but when the City processes the check, it will go back to her bank, then held for her, or returned to her as her property. She has a point about protected speech, in light of our neighbors to the north going all over the world with their hate speech. And given all the time complaining about city budgets, shouldn't we question an officer spending so much time stalking someone because of initials? What if she had put g.d. on the memo? Good Day!

February 4, 2011 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )

johncanyon (anonymous) says...

F.U. Could stand for many things..

FU Forget You (polite form)
FU Smoke (aviation meteorology)
FU Fuse
FU Follow-Up
FU Freie Universität (Berlin, Germany)
FU Fluorouracil
FU Fordham University
FU Florida University
FU File Upload
FU Future Use
FU Functional Unit
FU Furman University (Greenville, SC)
FU Foul Up (polite form)
FU Fairfield University
FU First Union (US east coast bank)
FU Fisk University
FU Franklin University (Columbus, Ohio)
FU Forretningsudvalg (Danish)
FU Friends University (Kansas)
FU Finlandia University
FU Fine Used (philately)
FU Follicular Unit
FU Felix Unger (The Odd Couple)
FU Field Unit (US DoD)
FU Fatih University (Istanbul, Turkey)
FU Fire Unit
FU Fire & Update
FU Flight Unit
FU Forever United
FU Formula Unit (chemistry)
FU Fixture Unit (plumbing)
FU Fun University (That 70's Show)
FU Flasher Unit
FU Freaking Ugly (polite form)
FU Functional User
FU Forward User
FU Firing Unit
FU Forensic Unit
FU Freidman Unit (political slang/meme for six months)
FU Fiscal Unit
FU Forever Unchained
FU Flamingoz Unlimited (website)
FU Feati Universtiy
FU Farmacias Unidas (Guatem
FU Frequent User

Just make sure you do not use the letters F.O. Anyone who has watched Smokey and the Bandit knows what the letters F.O. stand for.
I agree..Police harassment over this is pretty extreme.

February 4, 2011 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

neighbor (anonymous) says...

Forgive Us?

Fine University?

Fee Unit?

I would have suggested to the officer that there are criminals that were more deserving of his time and attention. If the clerks at Municipal Court are thinned skinned enough to be bothed by FU written on a check memo line, perhaps they should find other work.

The Officer calling her at work, way overboard considering the reason for the call. I would hope that the Supervisors discourage this kind contact over such petty matters.

February 4, 2011 at 12:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justaflushaway (anonymous) says...

wonder what the hell would happen if you wrote"""for sexual favors"" I a few times have put that in the memo,, its my checks its my money they will get,

What would happen if you paid the tickets with a five dollar bill with FU on it, how many people are they going to track down to find out who's initials they belong to. Fred Utrillo

what a damn waste of cops, gas, wear on vehicles, but they dont try to get the PUNKS who spray painted the mural and other things in town. SMITH have you lost complete control of the police deptment, or was this your idea, before you do stupid crap like this again, maybe you should think that the world will find out about it, bet you wished now it didnt happen don't you, Fred Utrillo

February 4, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

I can see Tonja's point, to a point. While I am happy to hear that she is paying her tickets, I don't approve of her particular notation. However, I do believe she has a right to put anything on the memo section she wants. I most definitely do not approve of a police officer wasting his time and the city's time to hunt her down both at home and at work to warn her not to do it anymore. This is harassment.

Chief Smith, sounds like you need to get involved here. Maybe there's some traffic this guy can handle for awhile. And what's with the judge down there? I guess he'll know about this now.

Tonja, you've set yourself up for more parking tickets I'm afraid.

I'm with neighbor on the clerks at Municipal Court. C'mon ladies, don't you have a lot of work to do? What would you ladies do if you worked at District Court where there are some real doozies? Get back to work and quityerbitchin.

February 4, 2011 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

positivethinker (anonymous) says...

The police went to her home and when they didn't find her there, she was called at work? What an unbelieveable waste of time over a couple of letters that threatened no one.

February 4, 2011 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

I'd say somebody f. u.

FOWLED UP !

February 4, 2011 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

HenryVIII (anonymous) says...

I agree with Tonja. That cop needs to stop harassing her. I'd file a complaint if I were her.
Better yet, she should order custom checks with the letters 'FU' in the background. That'd show 'em!
Personally, I order checks with little kittens in the background because I find them very offensive. That way, when I pay my parking tickets, the person who deposits them has to stare at those hideous kitties! Take that, establishment! I can't wait for the day a cop calls me and says to stop sending checks with kittens on them. I'll start sending pictures of cute little kitties to his house to scare his family! Fear the kitties!

Honestly, how many people should even see the check? Two? Should the person cashing the check really be showing it off to every cop in town? What if her SSN or DL# is on there? (Remember when people used to do that?) Did Tonja give them permission to tell the whole world what was written on her checks? It does have her routing number and bank account at the bottom. Heck, that's all you need to buy stuff online! Is there a lawsuit here? Invasion of Privacy? Harassment? I'm sure a lawyer could find something to get the cop off her back. People can put whatever they want in the memo section of their checks. With hardcore cops like the one stalking Tonja, I sure hope nobody has a legal moniker of "F.U."! Imagine the call that poor fella would get after all the cops saw his signature on his check!

I think the Gazette should find out who really called her and why. Doesn't he have better things to do? Who decided that "FU" is bad? My favorite for the memo line is "For a good time." ;-)
'enry

Go Team Tonja!

February 4, 2011 at 2:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

TexasGirl (anonymous) says...

'enry, most days you tick me off, but today you're cracking me up! Thanks for the laugh! Fear the kitties!

February 4, 2011 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

newtoemporia (anonymous) says...

"isn’t it my business and freedom of speech right if I want to put initials or words in the memo line of my checks?"

Whether we agree or disagree, we would only be able to provide our opinions. An attorney would be able to advise you of First Amendment and harassment laws.

netloafer- I never said she wasn't paying her tickets. Just to be aware of her current situation to avoid another ticket.

I found this article:

A Detroit-area computer programmer who wrote three curse words on a personal check to pay a parking ticket was given a choice: apologize for scrawling profanity on the check he sent to the court to cover the parking ticket, or have a district judge pursue court charges, reports The Detroit News.

Rob Militzer, who received a ticket for parking illegally on a street in May, said he didn't want to be subject to court costs and fines and maybe even jail time — he could have faced 30 days in jail or $250. So, while not really saying "I'm sorry," he said he regretted that the court took offense at the words "bullsh** money grab" on the memo portion of the $10 check and agreed to write a fresh check.

February 4, 2011 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

apierich (anonymous) says...

If they are so upset about this being written on a check, what do they think of Friends University of Central Kansas? Think of those initials, and that is a christian university. It's not like this city has an ordinance that cursing in public is against the law and punishable by fines. I remember hearing a few years back about a guy who was given a ticket because while white water rafting, I think in Colorado, people heard him screaming profanity from the raft in a county where public cursing is illegal. Also makes you wonder, does the cop or person who sent the cop out use this type of speech ever?

February 4, 2011 at 3:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sandman (anonymous) says...

Tonja, thank you for paying your parking ticket and helping our economy. Also, nice to see you noted on your check what it was going towards, "Fine Usage", good book-keeping!!!!

February 4, 2011 at 3:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

LOL 'enry. Fear the kittie. I keep looking for some underlying meaning there. I don't know if I trust you 'enry. LOL

After reading all your posts, I'm beginning to wonder if there might be a list someone has collected of all the personal memos people write on checks used to pay fines and taxes. I'll bet they are doozies, especially the double entendres.

February 4, 2011 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...

I found the top rated answer on this helpful:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...
" 'If it is just you and the officer, I would expect him to have a high tolerance for inappropriate behavior. If there are others in the area, that is a different matter. Especially children, elderly, or someone who actually complains about your behavior. You could be charged with disorderly conduct, or disturbing the peace.'
Source(s):
16 years law enforcement"

I can't find Kansas or Emporia laws, but if this is any indication, the officers have to make a judgement call. If others have complained about it (whether city clerks or bank employees), it seems to qualify as disturbing the peace.
Tonya, I (and other citizens) pay the officers in this town to enforce our laws, including your driving/parking. If you don't like it, tough. They represent me. Get over it. Park legally or quietly accept the consequences that you are quite obviously aware of by now. Your check helps reimburse for the time we paid that officer who had to issue your ticket on our behalf. Seems fair to me because we wouldn't have to pay them to patrol and issue tickets if everyone obeyed the laws.
Seriously, quit cussing at my messengers/enforcers.

February 4, 2011 at 4:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Well, one could look at it this way, it cost the City/taxpayers upwards of, Oh, maybe $500 dollars to find someone and tell them to stop, writing something, that they don' t know what was meant by it anyway, only what their mind, thought was meant by it ?

Geez, more waste of City/Taxpayer funds and possibly while they were doing this a " Real CRIMINAL " may have gotten away with commiting a " REAL CRIME ", while they were looking for a f.u. writer ?

I believe that this just proves my point of , Priorities are not where they should be !!!

February 4, 2011 at 4:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ksnewsie (anonymous) says...

Seems to me a government employee who has the time to call a citizen and "threaten" them with a citation for disorderly conduct over something written in the memo section of a check is a city employee with too much time on his or her hands.

I'm with Meth on this one...

February 4, 2011 at 5:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

fuggetabodit (anonymous) says...

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge?

(Good Van Halen album, even with Sammy Hagar -- Right Now!)

February 4, 2011 at 6:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

flyboy32 (anonymous) says...

Interesting how all of you just assume that everything happened just as this person said, never making allowance for the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say. Is this another Gazette attempt to stir the pot? Why didn't they check with the police department to find out what happened and why there was contact made?

I'd be interested in hearing the other side of this story.

February 4, 2011 at 6:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

marko (anonymous) says...

maybe ticket some folks for writing cryptic messages in spraypaint on buildings and public property

February 4, 2011 at 6:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

Many people code their accounts payable in the memo section of the check for accounting purposes. The codes used are for the person writing the check or their accountant.
The letter F could stand for many things, Funds, Finances, Future, Fines and the list goes on. The Letter U might mean Unfunded, Unformulated, Unexpected, and so on.

For anyone to see two letters in the memo section of a check and automatically assume the author was wishing them sex needs to get over themselves. Take some antibiotics and clean that dirty mind of yours. :-)

February 4, 2011 at 6:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Pinkpintopony (anonymous) says...

Tonja,

The Police Officer was probably following the orders of a superior. It's not the Police Officers fault that you choose to park illegally and then you're immature about it. Someone told him to find you and he did. ( I'm sure he was hoping for a more meaningful task) If it had been just one check, perhaps no one would have noticed....but you say "checks" so that leads me to believe you habitually break the parking laws. I would say that you don't have much of a case here.

Meth...where do you get your figure of $500.00 to track this idiot down?

February 4, 2011 at 7 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ksnewsie (anonymous) says...

Flyboy, I'm really hoping that Tonja is making this stuff up. I don't want to believe that someone in a position of authority in Emporia would stoop this low.

Gazette, perhaps a follow-up story is in order.

February 4, 2011 at 7:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

netloafer (anonymous) says...

newtoemporia

The payment of the violations isn't all that important to me. What is important is the notion that a government employee can harass and intimidate a citizen.

If things happened as the letter indicates our municipal government and police department are way off base.

I'll say it again. The government has no moral authority or legal authority to do things like this. If they do then we have become a police state.

The people in Detroit may accept it. I hope the people of Emporia don't. I hope you don't, either.

February 4, 2011 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mslater (Matt Slater) says...

Tonja,

It seems to me that in the last 4-5 years the city has become a real stickler on any kind of dissent. My guess is 10, 15, or 20 years ago this type of thing would have been laughed at and dismissed, but not so much anymore.

I feel your pain on parking tickets. The guys who give them are a-holes, but hopefully soon they won't have jobs anymore. In 2009, I spent close to $500 on parking tickets, because I lived downtown, had to park on city parking lots, and worked nights a lot. Because of that, I too would like to extend a great big f-u to the same people Sonja did.

February 4, 2011 at 8:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dj2879 (anonymous) says...

I have to tell you that as a former bank employee, we actually got a kick out of the "for sexual favors" memo lines. Especially when we knew both customers fairly well.
Of course, we had a sense of humor, sadly it's apparent not everyone does!

February 4, 2011 at 8:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

break'n the law
break'n the law
uhh huh huh.

February 4, 2011 at 8:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

allintogether (anonymous) says...

Obeying the parking laws is the best revenge. You deprive the city of revenue, you keep your money and you avoid getting called at work by role crazy cops. What Ms. Davis wrote on her memo line is very American. Our healthy irreverence for "authority" is what makes us awesome. If Ms. Davis committed a crime then the officer should have cited her appropriately. Otherwise, cram it with walnuts officer "Too much time on their hands". Great, now I am going to get a call at work. Heh heh.

February 4, 2011 at 8:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

booker5m (anonymous) says...

Way back in high school there was a shop next to Genes quick lupe you could buy art work ;) Kids would put these in the back window of their cars and were forever getting stopped and told to take them or get a ticket lol

February 4, 2011 at 8:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

radioGaGa (anonymous) says...

Tonja

Here is a super simple solution for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvtLKu...

February 4, 2011 at 11:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

neighbor (anonymous) says...

EPD is known for arresting and jailing people for disorderly conduct because they were cussing at locations where the Police had been dispatched to. It's a quick solution to a problem when two or more people are involved, just cuff em, stuff em, dump em off at the crossbar Hilton and let the courts sort them out.

This subject shows me just how much Americans have embraced communication technology and it's lingo. For it to be rude and offensive, wouldn't it have to be FY! instead of FU? :)

February 5, 2011 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

LAZER (anonymous) says...

Do you mean to tell me...that our Police Department doesn't have enough to do, so they actually get in a Taxpayer-Paid-For-Car...and drive out to someone's house? And, they get paid to do that? For someone writing FU on a ticket that contains the fine money?
Now, if they were told in person to F U Yourself, that, perhaps, is another matter.
Hell...Emporia Police, just take the God Damned Money out, mark it paid, and be done with it.
Jesus Christ!

February 5, 2011 at 4:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

hatedit (anonymous) says...

I no longer live in Emporia....THANK GOD!! it use to be a nice town in the 80's but really went to He&$. Anyway, I agree about why the heck do you still keep getting tickets? But look at it this way. I mean look.... the cops in Emporia are bored!!! They don't have anything better to do. They sure didn't when I lived there. I live in a big city now and the cops wouldn't think of bothering themselves with such trivial stuff because they are actually out doing their jobs fighting crime etc...I can't tell you how many ridiculous things they put me through while I lived there...actually I can. How about the minute I arrived in town with TEXAS plates they stopped me everyday and wanted to know how long I had been in town because I better change my tag at 30 days. Or the time my boyfriend called the police because an underage girl kept coming up to own apartment drunk and was hitting on our 21 year old friend. Know what happened???? My boyfriend ended up being taken to jail and not a thing happened to the drunk 14 year old. My boyfriend got in a heated discussion with the officer after the focus went from the drunk teen to our card game we were having with of age adults. When I was in high school their a cop arrested my friend for calling him Ossifer-just being a silly 16 year old. Yeah those were good times by bored cops!! Tonja, no joke they will be on your rear now I wouldn't jay walk or litter etc...they should send some of your cops to Dallas and see how they fare ....or do yourself a favor and move like the smart ones do...like your cool sister did. Maybe if Emporia cops had been doing their jobs, insead of lame stuff like this, like cleaning up that town and not letting it turn to crap.....people wouldn't be high tailing it out of there. Its funny I know 15 friends form highschool that left to much larger cities in lue of remaining there. INTERESTING!!! anyway, HOWDY!!!

February 7, 2011 at 6:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

justthefacts (anonymous) says...

Well, go ahead and disrespect the cops without knowing the whole story. I mean after all, they are just the ones who answer the shots fired calls, the domestic calls, and prowler calls. Just keep that in mind the next time they can't get there quick enough. And no, I'm not a cop and not related to one.

February 7, 2011 at 8:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

hatedit (anonymous) says...

justthefacts>>>ummm maybe they don't get there quick enough because they are doing stupid crap like tracking down someone for two days for putting fu on a check!!

February 7, 2011 at 10:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )