Cop passed out drunk while on dutry in car?

[Lovebug]

No mercy because he is a cop? What do we actually know about his situation?
I am not making any excuses for passing out drunk while on the job. I turned in a former boss for doing just that, but not once, repeatedly and while treating a patient. Knowing it wouldn't go anywhere, I found employment elsewhere.
I am all for second chances.

 

[EdwinWillers]

Just out of interest how many jobs do you know of where you will not be at least on a final warning or fired for being asleep due to drink?

Honestly? Depends on the job, the company, the people running the company and the politics of all concerned.

I have a company vehicle, but won't drink and drive it. That said, were I ever to do so, it's not likely I'd get fired due to my position and relationships within the company - unless perhaps the offense was so egregious (e.g. harming another person, property damage, etc.) that they'd have no choice.

 

[Peter]

I covered the bases on that. Police can charge or not charge. Prosecutors can prosecute or not regardless of the charge.

Do you think you'd get the same treatment in that area for being drunk in a car?

 

[DarkWizard12]

I absolutely don't think it's okay. In least amount of punishment? It might be better to suspend him without pay and with a 100% requirement that he enters rehab and IF he pulls off a sober life for 2-3 years he'll be considered to join the force again. And during that rehab time if he slips up once? Off to the curb he goes. At least the first option he'd have some type goal.

i agree, this zero tolerance policies are nonsense and i've seen many good workers get thrown out and in a worse position before because of it. While it may appear the cops were acting hypocritically, really, we should all be given a second chance at the least. We have no idea what's going on in his life, and most people i've seen this happen to were otherwise just good people going through a hard time.

 

[EdwinWillers]

I just looked and this incident took place in 2019. So I guess we can hope that he sobered up with no repeats.

I live in the area and haven't heard anything about it since so I assume that's the case.

George Brauchler, the DA at the time was somewhat chagrined he couldn't prosecute because he wasn't given enough to do so. There was public furor over that, but it's since died off completely from what I can tell.

 

[Peter]

Honestly? Depends on the job, the company, the people running the company and the politics of all concerned.

I have a company vehicle, but won't drink and drive it. That said, were I ever to do so, it's not likely I'd get fired due to my position and relationships within the company - unless perhaps the offense was so egregious (e.g. harming another person, property damage, etc.) that they'd have no choice.

You would at least face severe disciplinary action for being drunk?
This officer got help from other police so he faced no action. They didn't even do a blood test for alcohol which is standard procedure.

 

[HIP56948]

I'd have to know his past and his record as a police officer before I could make a decisive judgment.

 

[Peter]

I'd have to know his past and his record as a police officer before I could make a decisive judgment.

Why are the police allowed this when the general public doesn't have the same luxury?
Surely the police should be held to a higher standard of conduct?

 

[EdwinWillers]

i agree, this zero tolerance policies are nonsense and i've seen many good workers get thrown out and in a worse position before because of it. While it may appear the cops were acting hypocritically, really, we should all be given a second chance at the least. We have no idea what's going on in his life, and most people i've seen this happen to were otherwise just good people going through a hard time.

Precisely. In fact, zero tolerance policies can have quite a negative impact. The latest advertising in our area is "Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving" - which is basically zero tolerance put to a cute slogan. "Drunk" is defined by law. "Buzzed" is not - in fact, whether someone is "buzzed" or not is up to an officer's discretion. I "almost" got arrested late one evening driving home from school - maybe 10:30 at night or so. Full day of work then 3 hours of college afterwards - and a 1 1/2 hour drive home. The officer looked at my eyes, saw they were bloodshot and pointedly asked if I'd been drinking. Had I not been able to persuade him otherwise (I showed him my textbooks), he would've hauled me off to jail in handcuffs.

Again though - I get the public outcry over drunk driving. My aunt and uncle were hit head-on by a drunk driver years ago and have suffered complications ever since. I have another relative who was drinking and killed his best friend and blinded another driver. It's not a trivial issue at all. But "zero tolerance" isn't either - and that's hurt a lot of people too.

 

[Bodi]

This is what puzzles me about the situation.
Why is it seemingly ok for the police to be passed out drunk at the wheel when they prosecute people for doing exactly that?

This is actually the point of the whole thread... not the people talking about how sad it is that he is depressed, or whatever.

 

[EdwinWillers]

You would at least face severe disciplinary action for being drunk?
This officer got help from other police so he faced no action. They didn't even do a blood test for alcohol which is standard procedure.

Look, I'm not condoning what they did. All I'm saying is that I can understand it, if the circumstances were what I can only imagine they were.

I'm certain of this though - the officer in question is, and will forever be immensely grateful for what his fellow officers did for him.

 

[Bodi]

Well I'll tell ya, after my incident, I never got behind the wheel again in such a state again.

But these are different times. Again, not justifying it in any way, either the officer's behavior, mine, or people like your relative.

These are different times? Do you mean ones where police enforce the laws to stop drunk drivers from ramming into and killing innocent mothers and children just trying to drive home?

 

[Bodi]

I just looked and this incident took place in 2019. So I guess we can hope that he sobered up with no repeats.

I don't understand all this boo-hoo hope he sobered up and it is so sad crap.

He could have killed people. Do you react the same for civilians drunks that do the same?>

 

[Peter]

Look, I'm not condoning what they did. All I'm saying is that I can understand it, if the circumstances were what I can only imagine they were.

I'm certain of this though - the officer in question is, and will forever be immensely grateful for what his fellow officers did for him.

Are you ok with the police being given a free pass for anything else?
This was a clear violation of the law.

 

[DarkWizard12]

Are you ok with the police being given a free pass for anything else?
This was a clear violation of the law.

I'm okay with everyone being given a free pass. If we demand society be hard on one guy, society is going to be hard on all of us.

 

[HIP56948]

Why are the police allowed this when the general public doesn't have the same luxury?
Surely the police should be held to a higher standard of conduct?

I was saying what I would do and I believe strongly that everybody should be treated like what I said. There's someone going out, raising hell, getting drunk and driving recklessly. OR There's someone who seldom drinks...comes home, finds their love-one dead and calls police...and later drives to a bar and gets drunk. ..and starts to drive his car.
I know, I know..I'm a dreamer

 

[Bodi]

No mercy because he is a cop? What do we actually know about his situation?
I am not making any excuses for passing out drunk while on the job. I turned in a former boss for doing just that, but not once, repeatedly and while treating a patient. Knowing it wouldn't go anywhere, I found employment elsewhere.
I am all for second chances.

So give him a few chances more drinking and driving while on duty... with a gun... in confrontations with people... in dangerous situations?

... and just hope that it all gets better?

 

[Peter]

I'm okay with everyone being given a free pass. If we demand society be hard on one guy, society is going to be hard on all of us.

The problem is there are plenty of videos of police harassing people for simply drinking coffee in the driving seat and demanding they take sobriety tests.
I thought public intoxication was a crime in the US?

Either the police are subject to the same laws as everyone or they aren't.

 

[Bodi]

I was saying what I would do and I believe strongly that everybody should be treated like what I said. There's someone going out, raising hell, getting drunk and driving recklessly. OR There's someone who seldom drinks...comes home, finds their love-one dead and calls police...and later drives to a bar and gets drunk. ..and starts to drive his car.
I know, I know..I'm a dreamer

Where do you get that he found his loved one dead, got drunk, went to work completely shitfaced 5x over the legal limit, and started driving a squad car?

 

[DarkWizard12]

The problem is there are plenty of videos of police harassing people for simply drinking coffee in the driving seat and demanding they take sobriety tests.
I thought public intoxication was a crime in the US?

no, no, society is pretty hard on people as it is. We don't demand revenge, we demand we simply be treated the same way, and get the same break he got.

 

[Bodi]

I'm okay with everyone being given a free pass. If we demand society be hard on one guy, society is going to be hard on all of us.

LOL. Spoken like a criminal doing favors... works great. I let an assassin off once and it turned out great for when I went off to be an assassin he let me off to repay the favor.

 

[DarkWizard12]

LOL. Spoken like a criminal doing favors... works great. I let an assassin off once and it turned out great for when I went off to be an assassin he let me off to repay the favor.

what the hell does assassination have anything to do with this? wtf! yes, letting some guy keep his job is entirely the same thing

 

[Peter]

no, no, society is pretty hard on people as it is. We don't demand revenge, we demand we simply be treated the same way, and get the same break he got.

How about just legalising drunk driving?

 

[Bodi]

what the hell does assassination have anything to do with this? wtf

an analogy of letting off criminals so that they will let you (plural) off when you do something criminal.

Pretty easy concept to follow.

 

[Bodi]

How about just legalising drunk driving?

I'll drink to that!!