[mrein3]

How I would handle it:
I'm sorry officer. Yesterday I was doing some simple brake work. One thing lead to another and I needed to replace some parts that weren't available. The local parts store assurred me that my parts will be in today and I will make sure I get the job done by sun down. I'm terribly sorry. It won't happen again.

I'll bet you $10 to a dime that even some of the Barney Fifes I've ran into would have said fine, don't let it happen again.

Remember, those cops out there have to weigh your best interest (not having to put it back down on tires and push it into the drive way) against the best interest in the general public. Usually the general public wins over one guy who's truck is on jack stands.

Now regarding that drop off spot. Most of these schools today have some policy wonk who has never even seen that school writing some policy about where and when you can drop a kid off. A friendly call to the school office regading drop off/pick up policy might fix that problem - unless it isn't a problem at all but just sour grapes over the police man stopping.