IMPD Officer David "Bottles" Bisard, who used the front bumper of his cruiser to bunt some stopped motorcyclists into the Great Beyond almost two years ago while allegedly under the influence of alcohol, will be back in a courtroom today.
Prosecutor Terry Curry made the Bisard case the centerpiece of his campaign in 2010, symbolic of taking a new broom to the IMPD, so none of this looks good for him.
Meanwhile, were I Officer Bisard, and I actually hadn't been awash to the gunwales in tonsil polish that morning, I would want to get the case into a real courtroom and out of the court of public opinion and clear my name, rather than being seen to have "skated on a technicality"*. I mean, good cops hate it when bad guys "skate on technicalities", right?
*"Skating on a technicality" is what overzealous Law'n'Order types call adhering to the Bill of Rights.
I continue to find this story repugnant, not the reporting of the story but the fact it happened. I have witnessed many officers from my agency be fired or allowed to resign for Public Intoxication or Driving Under the Influence offenses. A civilian might not lose their job for such an offense but law enforcement should be held to a higher standard. Vehicular homicide is not something to be swept under the table because of a flawed blood test, enough evidence should be available to prosecute the case without the blood sample.
ReplyDeleteIf a "civilian" (unless you are active duty military you are a "civilian", cops included) killed someone with a company vehicle on company time whilst being suspected of operating said vehicle under the affluence of inkyhol, being fired would be the least of their concerns (but it would sure happen). If said civilian held a CDL with driving as his/her primary job (or without CDL but driving being a goodly portion of the job, IE field service technician), they could reasonably expect to be unemployed/unemployable for the foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteWrong? Perhaps, but the company that they work for wouldn't take the risks of having another incident with a drunk at the wheel.
Cops don't need special treatment, it would suffice that they receive the same treatment as the rest of us.
Admittedly, I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I say that because I'm trying and failing to parse this post. Just that last part actually. Is that snark directed at 'good cops' hating it when cases are thrown out over BoRs abuses? Not trying to stir the pot just asking.
ReplyDeleteSix,
ReplyDeleteMost good cops I know are not "overzealous Law'n'Order types", and think with their brains and not a rulebook.
They may hate it when bad guys get off, but they don't consider cops bad guys for the most part.
ReplyDeleteWhy are no-knock warrants the only kind anymore? They were supposed to keep people from flushing drugs down the toilet, but now they are used for everything. Why?
Chicago and its Special Operations Section (not to mention Jon Burge and company). LAPD and Rampart. New Orleans and cover-ups of murder, harassment of and ignoring of rape victims. Tampa officer dumping a quadriplegic out of a wheelchair because he didn't "stand up" when ordered. (And all the other cops caught on tape laughing.) I could go on and on...
Thank you Tam.
ReplyDeleteThis story probably deserves a post of its own.
ReplyDeleteThe entire police department aided this guy (Huntington Beach, CA) in threatening, beating his soon-to-be-ex-wife. Because if he couldn't have her.... The whole stinking force. Wouldn't take reports of assault. Wouldn't do much of anything.
Not one cop, or a few having a bad day.
You are either a cop, or you aren't. If you aren't, you are screwed.
Zendo Deb,
ReplyDelete"Why are no-knock warrants the only kind anymore?"
Uh, where's you hear that? I'm assuming that's some kind of hyperbole for effect, like "How come I never see anything but 18-wheelers on the interstate anymore?" when what I mean is "I see a lot more big trucks these days."