Posted On:
August 9, 2007
Professional Courtesy- Cops and DWI
I previously blogged about the concept of professional courtesy among law enforcement. I was prosecuting a speeding ticket against a citizen. My officer had pulled over two speeders at once.
One of the speeders was a police officer. That officer was let go with a warning. The other speeder was a citizen. The citizen got a ticket for speeding.
My officer told me that "Cops don't write cops tickets. It's called professional courtesy." I dismissed the case against the citizen.
Apparently professional courtesy does not stop at speeding tickets. Police officers in Washington state routinely escape DWI charges. SeattlePI.com has a great story on cops getting out of DWI charges in various ways. Evidence is lost, deadlines are missed, or charges are simply not filed.
If only all citizens were as lucky. Did I mention that I miss my badge?
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Comments
DATE: 8/10/07 1:42 PM
I think that the bad cops taking advantage of this and that the reason I am hearing about drug paddlers, drug traffic getting busted. But still people some how manage to get hands on drugs and they are not worried about Passing a drug test, since detox drinks and capsules which are available in market.
Posted by:
February 27, 2008 5:24 PM
DATE: 8/9/07 7:57 PM
Thanks for your comments. Prohibition and DWI enforcement have changed law enforcement for the worse. We enforce laws that do not make us safer. We instill distrust of the citizenry in our police. It's a system that we can change at any time.
Posted by:
February 27, 2008 5:24 PM
DATE: 8/9/07 7:38 PM
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Posted by:
February 27, 2008 5:24 PM
DATE: 8/9/07 7:42 PM
"Peace Officers are being replaced by law enforcement." Every once in awhile someone says something that changes the way I think about a subject. I have never thought about modern police practices in this light.Paradigm shift.Kirkissuesandholdings.blogspot.com
Posted by:
February 27, 2008 5:24 PM