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?