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| LRPD Officer Sims is shown in one of the lawsuits exhibits. |
A group of Little Rock Police Officers assigned to a special
unit that poses as down-on-their-luck street corner solicitors to issue
citations to violators for no seat belt and texting while driving, has filed a
lawsuit against the city over funds they collected posing as beggars.
The group of officers jokingly called the Hobo Squad, claim that the city demanded
that they turn over the coins and currency tossed at them by charitable
citizens to the city. The officers claim
that they are entitled to the funds as hazard duty pay because of the nature of
their work.
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| Cash collected by the cops while posing as hobos. |
Mark Sims, one of the plaintiffs in the suit who uses the
street name “Skid Mark”, claims that city officials “have no idea of the crap
we go through standing out there holding a cardboard sign trying to keep
drivers safe”. Sims went on to say
“people say all kinds of nasty things to us and toss stuff at us”. “It’s not a
pleasant experience at all” added Sims.
We caught up with Little Rock mayor Mark Stodola at a recent
event and when asked about the suit he stated , “these officers are trying to
supplement their city salary in violation of our personnel polices”. Stodola further stated, “you would think that
the kind people that give them the remains of an egg McGuffin [sic] or sausage
biscuit would be more than enough to compensate them for the alleged abuse they
encounter”.
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