Cops save city's budget with jaywalking crackdown

In Portland, Oregon, jaywalking has long been a topic of public discourse. One former mayor and police chief was famously quoted as saying that jaywalking was the first step in a slippery slope ending at the water park of anarchy (note: I've embellished his sentiment but he did say it). But in the wild, permissive years of the Bush era, jaywalking tickets went the way of personal liberty and civil rights.

With the recession (and possibly with a great increase in the number of commuters taking alternative transportation?), jaywalking is back.

An officer well-known for the traffic tickets he efficiently issues to commuters was spotted handing out jaywalking tickets in downtown Portland; and last night a Twitter friend was cited for jaywalking in the trendy "Pearl District" during the First Thursday art walk. According to response from other friends and fellow Portlanders, this is not an isolated incident; many others had also been cited for crossing against a "Don't Walk" sign, or crossing in the middle of the street.