Colorado man ticketed for broken windshield in parking lot of auto glass repair shop: 'Definitely a bummer'

A Colorado man was ticketed for having a broken windshield while on his way to a repair shop.

Nick Berlin said he made an appointment to replace the windshield a day after vandals threw a rock through it, and he was pulled over and ticketed in the parking lot of the auto glass shop, reported KUSA-TV.

"I got a ticket for something that I was close as I could be to resolving," Berlin said.

The ticket shows an officer cited Berlin just minutes after his scheduled appointment Aug. 19 at Absolute Auto Glass, as baffled workers watched.

"We were just standing here in our door and were ready for his appointment, and all of the sudden we see a cop out there writing the guy a ticket," shop owner David Sprague said. "We were pretty astounded to think that was what happened."

The shop owner claims Berlin had "plenty of visibility on the driver side," but the Adams County deputy ticketed him anyway.

"I don't know if he's a no-nonsense kind of cop," Berlin said. "It was definitely a bummer."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado said the incident demonstrates that many law enforcement officers see their role as ticketing rather than protecting public safety -- and that can erode public trust.

The Sheriff's Department declined to comment on the citation but explained that ticketing officers are given discretion when issuing citations.

Berlin said he intends to fight the $46 ticket in court, but the shop owner promised he would pay the fine if the citation isn't dismissed.

Watch this video report posted online by KUSA-TV: