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mfaith91
Contributing Member
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
Posts: 1885
Location: Brandenburg, KY
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 Posted: Fri 15-Aug-2008 10:03 Post subject: |
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(continued)
they don't "legally" qualify as over the limit- but I'm still going to get them off of the road.
And since we are on the subject of being under the influence... How's about cell-phones, Satellite Radios, CD Players, and heck... even the in dash DVD players????? &*$? If your eyes are off of the road 5 seconds.... you've travelled a long way without eyes on the road....
We weren't on this stop. We can't second guess the officer in question. At first glance- I say professional suicide for the AO... but on the "other side of the coin" it could also be political suicide for the FOP Pres.... If he truly was over the limit. But this only made the headlines because he was a cop... what about all of the other DUI's?
Mike |
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angrypossum
Member
Joined: 31 Jan 2008
Posts: 48
Location: Tulsa, OK
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| Posted: Fri 15-Aug-2008 10:28 Post subject: Re: |
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| AdaFire38 wrote: |
See? You just don't get it.
If he said in his original post that he gave everybody a break... that would be one thing. To give a guy a break because he eats with him... goes out to movies.... whatever.... and because he is scared what his co-workers will think of him... that's another.
I think it's a real damn shame that you have the balls to arrest normal joe blow and then protect your own. If you're going to give your friend a ride home... give joe blow a ride home also.
Oh and by the way.... I'm not looking for breaks from any of you... If I'm speeding... fine... ticket me. Whatever.  |
If you would pay attention to his previous post he stated:
| Jasen Hatfield wrote: |
| i am all for giving breaks, especially to those i work with, and at times to strangers. |
So he does give normal joe blow a break. And I can personally say I have given civilians a ride home when I could have arrested them!
ITS ALL ABOUT DISCRETION! If you want to enforce all laws 100% of the time, get a LE job and then do it. But don't sit there and give someone crap for exercising the discretion they have been given! |
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mcpd2025
Frequent Poster
Joined: 08 Aug 2006
Posts: 1095
Location: Montgomery County, MD
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| Posted: Fri 15-Aug-2008 10:44 Post subject: |
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Ultimately the goal of our criminal justice system is to protect the public and prevent further crime. In Maryland, your first couple DUI convictions will not result in jail time. Your first will be a probation before judgement, your second will be a probation and fine, your third will be probation and a heavier fine, around your fourth conviction will start the possibility of jail. That is the sad truth of the criminal justice system in Maryland.
It is the obvious intention of the District Court of Maryland to prevent future DUI episodes rather then punish the offender. Most people do not stand to lose their jobs or get suspended because of a DUI arrest. The guy the works at McDonalds, the guy that works for the phone company, the owner of a restaurant, the CEO of a large company will not face sanctions at his job for making the mistake of driving under the influence.
A firefighter could get fired, demoted or taken off the road. A military personnel could get kicked out of his/her respective branch of the military. A police officer could get fired or otherwise punished with a conviction.
If the intent of the judicial system is to prevent a future episode, and you know the person involved and you could sit down with them the next day and have a long and serious talk with them that would do the same thing, I don't really have a problem with it.
I don't think that a cop, FF or military should get a free pass and pretend it never happened. You need to deal with the situation in one way or another.
For me, if someone puts their life at risk everyday to help others, they probably deserve the benefit of the doubt once and a serious heart to heart talk to prevent it from happening again. But like everything else, it should involve discretion.
I also see AdaFire38's point of view on this though. What if I give my buddy a break today and have a talk with him and he pretends to listen to me and says he'll change.... then goes out and does it again and kills someone. How much am I responsible for that because I didn't arrest him the first time? |
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Jasen Hatfield
Contributing Member
Joined: 04 Sep 2005
Posts: 213
Location: Hamilton, Ohio (Butler County)
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| Posted: Fri 15-Aug-2008 16:19 Post subject: Re: |
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| rwo978 wrote: |
There's been plenty of .08s to .10s I've let go (in a taxi, they're not driving). As they say, there's bigger fish in the sea. If after the SFTs I don't have enough clues, they walk. Have I arrested .10s and less, yes. Even had one who I thought was hammered who was only an .06 or .07. It's all officer discretion. So if it's an officer and I would have let them go anyways, who cares....
Have I stopped officers and FFs on Tstops. Yes. Have I cited them, not many. If I immediately recognize them, no cite. Professional courtesy. I giev plenty of warnings to the regular public anyways, so what's the difference. OTH, there's some depts who's admin has said if you stop another officer and you recognize them, automatic cite. I don't think that's right if it's for something petty that you wouldn't have cited for anyways.
Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I've arrested FFs for stuff to. Once for driving under suspension and the other was for warrants.
It's all in the totality of the circumstances. Each incident is different. We can't say now what we would or wouldn't do cuz we just don't know how each incident is going to play out.
I think all Jasen is trying to say is Professional Courtesy. |
when it boils down to it, that is all i am trying to say. i have given several rides home to civilians who may have had to much to drink, i got them off the road that night, and i can get a good nights sleep knowing that. angrypossum is right, you cannot enforce every law all the time, its not possible.
mike is right, you have to depend on the people you work with in the public safety field. and yes, what other people think of you, regardless of it being right or wrong, affects how you will ultimately do your job in a stressful situation where someone could get killed.
adafire38, i feel just as strongly about this as you do, we are just on opposite sides of the spectrum. i am sorry that somebody close to you was killed by a drunk driver, that is a terrible, senseless loss of life. i dont want you to get the impression that folks i cut breaks to i let drive down the road, i don't. in all actuality, i can probably count on both hands how many people i have taken home in the many dui stops i have had, and no i have yet to stop a cop or fireman driving drunk. i am going to leave this post alone as well, i see both sides of the coin. and oh by the way, i catch ya cruisin thru butler county,ohio sometime exceedin that speed limit would i write ya a ticket, the answer is no. |
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whackersanonymous
Frequent Poster
Joined: 03 Jul 2006
Posts: 1268
Location: UVM Northern Vt
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| Posted: Sat 16-Aug-2008 20:24 Post subject: |
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| I have had two close friends killed as a result of drunk driving, one did it himself and the other was killed with his girlfriend. I have no compassion for drunk drivers. I can understand it may be a mistake but it could be someones last mistake. The officers did a good job. I would never allow another officer to endanger anyone, I was a cop before i started college and I was willing to take certain things into consideration but something like this is not my problem, i didn't put the drinks in your mouth nor did I put you behind the wheel. |
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