LeBron's Instagram boast makes trouble for police

Stars have always enjoyed special privileges.

The best tables at restaurants, the best tickets to movies, goodness, they might have even shared girlfriends with presidents.

The endearing thing used to be, though, that people only heard about it years later, when someone like Kitty Kelley wrote about it.

These days, stars are just like everyone else. They tweet and they Facebook. They need not merely to show off, but to do it in real time.

They have their phones with them, and they're going to show you how great their life is. Right here, right now.

And so it came to pass that the Miami police department had to admit that it broke its own policies.

If that last sentence seems like a sudden leap, please let me take you on a fast break.

Last Friday, LeBron James and his fiancee were late for a Jay Z-Justin Timberlake extravaganza at Miami's Sun Life Stadium.

So either James or someone on his behalf, decided to make like Moses and ask a higher authority to part the waves.

Suddenly, James' car enjoyed a clear passage, as the psyllium husks of Miami police escorted him up the wrong side of the road, so he wouldn't miss a beat.

One imagines this isn't the first time that a star has enjoyed a favor from the local police.

But, as CBS Miami reports, James decided getting the favor wasn't enough. He posted a cute little Instagram movie to show us all how lovely it is to garner such bonuses.

He captioned it: "They treat us so well! Needed it cause traffic was nuts!!"

Naturally, everyone in Florida would like the police to treat them so well. But not everyone is LeBron James.

How odd, though, that James didn't consider that his post might cause the hand that was feeding him to be bitten.

For Miami police have been forced to admit that this action was entirely against policy.

Major Nancy-Perez of the Miami-Dade Police told CBS Miami: "It was just one officer who was doing his job. He was radioed. He was asked to do something and that's what he did, but unfortunately our department does not authorize us, in any way shape or form, to go in the opposite road against traffic."

It's noticeable that she didn't mention who might have radioed this enthusiastic officer, nor whether he was a Heat fan.

Reactions from normal human beings have been mixed. Some thought it an abuse of privilege and an awful use of taxpayer money. Some thought it reflected a terrible sense of entitlement.

But more than 88,000 people "liked" his Instagram video.

Many of those reflected the view of CarlosThing1 (not, I am sure, Anthony Weiner's latest moniker): "Boss!!!!!!!! I would have done the saaaaame thing, people bringing the taxpayer issue up, psshh what about all the money he makes the city by just bringing his talents to south beach!!!"

While one police officer may get a rap on the knuckles (and, who knows, a couple of free tickets to a Heat game), many seem to think there's nothing wrong with James' boasting posting.

Fans live vicariously through the stars. A live post brings them closer to the action. Fans behave just the same way when stars go on vacation, eat nice food, or dance the night away.

For them Instagram is instant gratification, whatever the star happens to be doing.