[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by Billcat

And, if the cop is really concerned about jaywalking, a polite warning is usually the worst outcome.

About the only time I've ever seen a cop get upset with jaywalking is when a fellow did some very unsafe jaywalking with his children. The cop's theme was pretty much "get yourself killed if you wish, but don't endanger the kids." No ticket, just a stern warning.

That was precisely my point.

OK the guy crossed where he shouldn't have. The policeman told him. He thanked the policeman for the info, although he didn't know at the time that he was a policeman. Why on earth should it have escalated into the prof having his legs kicked out from under him and half a dozen policemen to arrest him? Did it really need so many to pin down one puny little professor? Was it his upper class English accent that caused such a furore? It seems that it would have provoked a few AccyWebbers to join in if they'd had the chance. Is that a form of snobbery in reverse?