Howe Ave Park Off Leash Dog Park — Attraction in Sacramento

So I'm trying to comprehend a situation that happened on Halloween. With Jax being sick I'm trying to be especially diligent in taking him to the park to run and play catch before his surgery.   I've been taking my dog Jax to Howe Avenue park for YEARS. One of our favorite things to do is play fetch in the baseball field. There is a dog park there but as I'm sure most dog owners know, not all dogs are created equal. I always cleaned up after him, in fact I've never even seen him potty in the field. Because of halloween, there was almost NO ONE around. I thought it was the perfect night to visit the park.  We were having a great time tossing balls and running together until a police officer drove out into the middle of the field to approach me. He told me I was violating the rules of the park for A. Being in the field with my dog and B. Allowing him to run (to catch a ball) without me holding his leash the whole time. He took my license and after a bit he came back and told me he was going to give me a warning. I told him thank you and ask what his name and badge number was? He paused for a moment and said "sure, I'll write you a citation". I was confused and told him I didn't understand why he decided to cite me after asking his name. He had nothing to say to me about that. He had no explanation. I always ask officers their names in any situation. I've had literally no run-ins with the law (except for speeding) and I knew I was in the wrong then. But this time I was LITERALLY doing nothing wrong except for violating a rule I never even knew existed. This experience has me upset and disappointed that with all the drug use and drug selling going on in that park, he chose to confront me when all I was trying to do was have fun with my dog. I told the officer that I had been playing in that field for years and have never had anyone complain to me or warn me. I know he told me he was going to warn me but because I simply asked what his name was, he cited me out of spite.  I have no idea how much this ticket will cost but I plan to fight it. I just feel like this was unfair and unprofessional.

Update : the...

THE RANGERS ARE A BIT AGGRESSIVE. 😎🤣

I train youth athletes all around Sacramento, Elk Grove, and Roseville. I chose this park as a halfway point for the athletes and I.

While setting up, an officer/ranger pulled into the grass in front of a parents car (police lights on during the day) and immidiately started writing a ticket.

When the parent asked what he was doing, he said the tags were expired. The parent stated that they were paid but didn't arrive on time do to address change and had the proper notification in his window as well as paper work to prove so.

The officer declined the documents and wrote the ticket out. This was unnecessary and lame. With the amount of drug addicts and deals happening, why choose to...

To be really honest, I've lived in Sacramento for over 30 years, and Howe Park has been a "No Go," not the best part of town, so I'd never come here. But my wife had a doctor's appointment close, so I decided to check out the dog park I never knew it had. It's old and not well maintained. That said, i had a very nice time there. I ha e 2 large cane corsos that are very well socialized and well behaved. They had an absolutely wonderful time playing with 4 tiny little dogs. All the dogs we're very good and the people we're very nice. I'll surely be back when im in the area. But still, please be mindful of your surroundings. That area is a...