Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Stop me if you've heard this one...

So a Greater Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer gets all lit up on (alcohol/oxycontin), hops in his squad car, and weaves off down the road, mowing over a (motorcyclist/mailbox) and landing himself in court and the IMPD on the front page...

Look, I'm not asking that every Johnny Law out there be some kind of plaster saint, but if your job entails getting intoxicated motorists off the street, don't you think it's a little hypocritical to be 'faced while you're doing it?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

With DePrez's sweetheart deal, David "The Skoal Bandit" Bisdard, and now Property Damage Dinsmore, Marion County law enforcement has absolutely no credibility on operating while intoxicated cases.

The only positive is that the deputy prosecutors no long rock and forth on their heels and lecture the attorneys of OWI defendants about "responsibility" when their side takes none.

Shootin' Buddy

Robert said...

For the only ones, almost as hypocritical as detaining people for open carrying when you do the same thing. http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?82932-OC-Downtown-Indy-INGO-member-ends-up-in-cuffs

Weer'd Beard said...

I understand that you take any group large enough you'll get some bad eggs. (Hell when I worked for the .gov we had Federal Fisheries Observers under indictment for falsifying data so they could spend a little more time in their bunks while at sea. Fish counters are small potatoes compared to cops, or elected officials, thus illustrating the root of human nature)

What I don't like is the thin blue line that keeps officers covering up for their buddies who might have a bit of a problem, or skirting the rules, and doing their best when Jonny Law is caugth that he has a nice soft landing in the court system.


I see this as no different when Jonny Dork pours a pint of scotch directly into his liver, then stuffs his CCW into one pocket, and a .38 J-Frame into the other, and goes out and does something dumb.

I'd like to think we're pretty good at getting those dicks the hell off our side.

Bram said...

It's like having a Mayor whose favorite snack is saltines with extra salt, trying to ban salt.

Anonymous said...

You know I don't even mind modicum of "police coverup" when it's something like; "self admitted horrible person falls down stairs until he admits where his victims are buried, police stay he's clumsy" but I do wish the police would distinguish between that and serious lapses in judgement/asshatery that SHOULD result in Constable FRiendly getting his ass in a sling.

Montie said...

WTF is going on there in Indy? Does the job suck so much these days that you have to get lit before squad meeting just to make it through a shift?

Now I can understand a department having its problem individuals, but it's time that they do a little housecleaing and stop covering for officers like Bisard and Dinsmore both before and after the fact.

I'm pretty protective of the officers that I supervise when they are in the right, but heaven help one if them if I ever got wind of shenanigans like coming on duty drunk or stoned.

Joel said...

It's a very stressful job, Tam. Have a little compassion. ;^)

Matt G said...

Montie, I suspect that this one will be a by-the-numbers "we're done futzing around with these things" case, after the debacle of the Bisard case. Notice that he was arrested on-scene, after failing his SFSTs. That's a positive sign.

Weer'd Beard, I know what you mean about the new perceived definition of "The Thin Blue Line." But as I said to you about a month ago (I think; I was about 26hrs w/o sleep at the time), the majority of us don't feel that way.

Anonymous said...

Matt G, while I do believe you about "the Thin Blue Line" it looks like you are wrong because the public doesn't ever get to hear about cops/prosecutors getting nailed for being dirtbags by their own agencies. The public hears about things like Brisard. So it doesn't really matter what the truth is when the public only sees the "The Thin Blue Line" in action.

Justthisguy said...

If the police really did police themselves, I wouldn't mind so much. I'd like to see something like the ceremony in "Field of Dishonor" in which the bad guy gets insignia srtipped off his uniform in public, his sword is broken, all his (former) comrades do an about-face and turn their backs on him, and he is chased off the field.

Matt G said...

I had to post about my views on "The Thin Blue Line" concept, over at my place.