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Uproar over image of police officer seemingly breaking distracted driving law

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[A picture of a London, Ont., police officer talking on his phone while driving is causing uproar online / Natasha Anseeuw/Facebook]

A picture of a police officer talking on his cellphone while driving is creating quite a stir, especially since it turns out the cop wasn’t in the wrong.

The photo of a London, Ont. officer shows him with one hand behind the wheel of his police car while the other holds a cell phone to his ear.

“Londons (sic) finest talking on his cell phone while driving!” reads the caption of the picture. Natasha Anseeuw, who told the London Free Press she was passing through the city when the picture was taken, uploaded the image to Facebook.

Anseeuw had her passenger take the picture, as she was driving at the time. Using your phone while driving is a fineable offence in Ontario, and the driver can be penalized with three demerit points and a ticket of up to $1,000.

But while most people need to be use hands-free devices while driving, the same doesn’t apply to officers.

“There is an exemption for law enforcement officers when it comes to hand-held devices in relation to using them while on duty,” reportedly wrote Const. Sandasha Bough in an the online post. Others who are exempted from the cellphone law include certain government officials, park wardens, conservation officers, and emergency workers.

Bough adds that London police are permitted to use hand-held devices when they’re dealing with a complainant.

Reaction online was swift, with commenters asking why police were not leading by example.

“Yes, we’re trying to multi-task and we do it on a daily basis,” Bough says. “But we still encourage our (officers) to pull off the roadway and park their vehicles.”