Local Officer Arrested DUI

[thetragichippy]

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[BMTSoulja1]

I seen that.  Really sad.  I have NO respect for drunk drivers.  And you figure police officers are under enough fire during these times.  This guy just set them back substantially…. I wish this guy made a better decision before jeopardizing his livelihood.  

[thetragichippy]

1 hour ago, BMTSoulja1 said:

I seen that.  Really sad.  I have NO respect for drunk drivers.  And you figure police officers are under enough fire during these times.  This guy just set them back substantially…. I wish this guy made a better decision before jeopardizing his livelihood.  

Yeah, he just ended his career with one stupid decision

[tvc184]

DWI, not DUI 😀

[tvc184]

I have worked with at least four officers that  have lost a career over a DWI.

I worked with at least one more that was terminated for public intoxication.

I feel bad that they made stupid decisions but have no sympathy for the outcome. 

[bullets13]

23 minutes ago, tvc184 said:

I have worked with at least four officers that  have lost a career over a DWI.

I worked with at least one more that was terminated for public intoxication.

I feel bad that they made stupid decisions but have no sympathy for the outcome. 

It’s a rough job, and I understand why a lot of cops turn to alcohol.  That said, it’s not hard to drink responsibly, either with a DD or at home.  Cops, of all people, know exactly how bad drunk driving can turn out. It’s crazy to me they still do it.  

[thetragichippy]

I still have some questions…..

is professional courtesy a think of the past? 
 

Was he .08 or .09 or falling down drunk? 
 

my guess for an officer to arrest another officer in the same department, he was toasted….

[BMTSoulja1]

19 minutes ago, thetragichippy said:

I still have some questions…..

is professional courtesy a think of the past? 
 

Was he .08 or .09 or falling down drunk? 
 

my guess for an officer to arrest another officer in the same department, he was toasted….

That's what I was thinking...

[CardinalBacker]

1 hour ago, thetragichippy said:

I still have some questions…..

is professional courtesy a think of the past? 
 

Was he .08 or .09 or falling down drunk? 
 

my guess for an officer to arrest another officer in the same department, he was toasted….

I've known a lot of LEOs who relied on "professional courtesy" while continuously doing what this guy did the other day.  My guess is that it's probably not the first time that he did it, it's the first time he got caught... and likely not even the first time he got caught, but the first time he was arrested.

 

I always think about that DPS officer that arrested Beck from Beaumont PD in Jasper a few years back.

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The amazing thing was that the arresting officer probably lost his career, not Beck... Poor bastid is probably still working traffic at night in Terlingua.

[thetragichippy]

26 minutes ago, CardinalBacker said:

I've known a lot of LEOs who relied on "professional courtesy" while continuously doing what this guy did the other day.  My guess is that it's probably not the first time that he did it, it's the first time he got caught... and likely not even the first time he got caught, but the first time he was arrested.

 

I always think about that DPS officer that arrested Beck from Beaumont PD in Jasper a few years back.

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The amazing thing was that the arresting officer probably lost his career, not Beck... Poor bastid is probably still working traffic at night in Terlingua.

My guess there was a complaint, or he was so toasted, and maybe in public, the officer had no choice but to arrest. My guess is 24/7 video recording has had a toll on professional courtesy.

Things has sure changed over the years. When I was in High School, my running buddies and I would meet at the end of pump house road (that's what we called it, not sure it had a name) off of Proctor Street extension in Port Arthur.  It was in the middle of nowhere, or at least that is what we thought.  We had beer (we bought underage, had to know where to go), and when we had beer, we had girls.....lol. So here we are, 16 and 17 years old, 6-10 cars at the end of a shell dead end road drinking, having a good time. About 9pm, we see lights coming, it's the cops, we are SHOCKED.....make us pour our beer out and go home.  

The next weekend, we do it again.......and again, SHOCKED the cops came........lol....They made us do the same thing and sent us home. I tell that story to my Son to explain when you are young, you make stupid decisions and then repeat them......lol

Long story short, those cops could of ticketed us and made our lives difficult, but they gave us a break and eventually we learned......

[thetragichippy]

To our credit versus in todays climate.......

1.  We all said "yes or no sir" when questioned. 

2. We didn't yell "I know my rights"

3.  We didn't refuse to get out of the car or refuse any commands given......

 

that probably went a long way

[tvc184]

1 hour ago, thetragichippy said:

My guess there was a complaint, or he was so toasted, and maybe in public, the officer had no choice but to arrest. My guess is 24/7 video recording has had a toll on professional courtesy.

Things has sure changed over the years. When I was in High School, my running buddies and I would meet at the end of pump house road (that's what we called it, not sure it had a name) off of Proctor Street extension in Port Arthur.  It was in the middle of nowhere, or at least that is what we thought.  We had beer (we bought underage, had to know where to go), and when we had beer, we had girls.....lol. So here we are, 16 and 17 years old, 6-10 cars at the end of a shell dead end road drinking, having a good time. About 9pm, we see lights coming, it's the cops, we are SHOCKED.....make us pour our beer out and go home.  

The next weekend, we do it again.......and again, SHOCKED the cops came........lol....They made us do the same thing and sent us home. I tell that story to my Son to explain when you are young, you make stupid decisions and then repeat them......lol

Long story short, those cops could of ticketed us and made our lives difficult, but they gave us a break and eventually we learned......

Yes professional courtesy does still exist however breaks still exist across the board. I stopped a guy  one night going 85 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone on a motorcycle about 2 AM. There was no one in the vicinity and he quickly pulled over. I told him to slow down and he almost passed out.

If I am going to give a person I don’t know a break for 50 miles an hour over the speed limit, why would I give another police officer a citation for going 15 miles an hour over? I stopped at car one night speeding and then it went through a red light at about 30 miles an hour. By the time I pull the car over a few blocks away, it was pulling into the back of the hospital. It was a doctor on the way to an emergency so she was naturally in a hurry. The law on speeding actually allows doctors going to an emergency the ability to speed as if an emergency vehicle without receiving a citation just as it does for police officers. It does not give them the authority to run red lights and especially at 30 miles an hour. I did not write her a citation out of professional courtesy. It was early in the morning and there was no traffic and she could see that it was clear. Should I have written her a citation? I am sure there are people that are angry that I allowed her to go with a warning while they might have received a citation in the same situation. With discretion, that’s just the way it is.

Like in your situation, I and most other officers simply handle the problem at the same if given the chance. For every person arrested or given a citation they are probably 15 others that were given a break.

[mat]

It might be safe to assume a cop that is an irresponsible drinker may be an irresponsible officer in general.

[BMTSoulja1]

2 hours ago, mat said:

It might be safe to assume a cop that is an irresponsible drinker may be an irresponsible officer in general.

I’m leaning toward that assumption too…

[tvc184]

6 hours ago, mat said:

It might be safe to assume a cop that is an irresponsible drinker may be an irresponsible officer in general.

Not really. 

[baddog]

I have had several occasions where I could have gone to jail for DWI. Got pulled over by Galveston County on hwy. 87 coming back from the beach. Cop said I had crossed the center stripe a couple times. Asked how many drinks I had had and I told him about 10. I saw no reason to tell him a couple because he knew better. Like Hippy said, I yes sir, no sirred him as always, didn’t argue or lie, and cooperated. He made me park on the side of 87 and took my keys. Said he would be back at 4:00 a.m. This happened about 10:00 p.m. I slept it off and was sound asleep when I heard a tapping on my window. I woke up fuzzy headed and looked to see the same cop dangling my keys at my window. I rolled down my window, he handed me my keys and told me to be safe driving home. End of story. This is not what we were always told about Galveston County sheriffs. We were told they didn’t “play around” especially with drinkers at the beach.

I know nothing about this cop or his “story” and this is not to excuse his guilt (I was guilty), but to say I understand. Cops are human after all, maybe he and his girl had just broken up and he had a few drinks to kill the pain (just an example of a number of things that could have happened). If he was a drinker who had been helped along already, then he needed to finally be stopped. If it was his first time, maybe even his second, and he wasn’t being an ass or doing 100 mph like an idiot, I don’t have a problem with being lenient with him. The courtesy was extended to me, so I believe in the reverse.

[SmashMouth]

12 hours ago, mat said:

It might be safe to assume a cop that is an irresponsible drinker may be an irresponsible officer in general.

Probably not a good assumption. High stress job with your life on the line. Doesn’t mean you don’t do your job well, you just have a hard time with life sometimes. Same goes with the military. 

[thetragichippy]

14 hours ago, mat said:

It might be safe to assume a cop that is an irresponsible drinker may be an irresponsible officer in general.

That is easy to say, probably politically correct to say, but I personally think a bad assumption.  

Lets say a single stay at home Mom who has not had a break in a year decides to have a well deserved ladies night out. Goes to dinner and has 3 strong drinks in a hour or so, and makes the decision she can drive home.  On the way she reaches down to answer her phone and swerves a little, a cop see's this, pulls her over and she blows over the legal limit.......

Is she an irresponsible Mother?  I don't think so, she may have made it home fine had she not swerved. I've been pulled over for swerving completely sober.....lol   I dropped my phone and was trying to pick it up.

[thetragichippy]

Why do we assume every DUI someone has a drinking problem?  If I play cards once a week and have "a few" beers and drive home every time thinking I'm sober, that is not really a drinking problem.  There is no law that says you can't drink and drive, the law places a limit.....that limit is different for different people......Some people may guess wrong.

[mat]

I know there are many different situations. However, some professions need certain areas of awareness. Law enforcement should be conscientious of the consequences of driving under the influence. Politicians should not post racial rants, teachers should not post risqué photos, etc. Some things are career enders    for some professions. Might sound like I’m throwing stones but That’s not my intent.

[tvc184]

14 minutes ago, mat said:

I know there are many different situations. However, some professions need certain areas of awareness. Law enforcement should be conscientious of the consequences of driving under the influence. Politicians should not post racial rants, teachers should not post risqué photos, etc. Some things are career enders    for some professions. Might sound like I’m throwing stones but That’s not my intent.

Everybody is aware.

They just don’t think they will get caught like any criminal or anyone making a stupid decision.

It’s like saying, well he’s a lawyer so he knows that bribery is wrong.

He is a school principal so he should know the child molesting is not right.

She is an EMT so she should know that drunk driving is dangerous.

They all know that all of those things are very wrong and not because of their profession. People simply think they are not going to get caught , certainly not at this time. I might get caught one day but it’s not going to be today.

[CardinalBacker]

On 6/25/2021 at 2:06 PM, tvc184 said:

Everybody is aware.

They just don’t think they will get caught like any criminal or anyone making a stupid decision.

It’s like saying, well he’s a lawyer so he knows that bribery is wrong.

He is a school principal so he should know the child molesting is not right.

She is an EMT so she should know that drunk driving is dangerous.

They all know that all of those things are very wrong and not because of their profession. People simply think they are not going to get caught , certainly not at this time. I might get caught one day but it’s not going to be today.

Right? Have fun working at HEB, sir.