LEO helping LEO via breaking laws

[Bruce Jibboo]

Curious what the general consensus on this. As anyone who's gone through the system or process on this it seems pretty disturbing. I had a couple arrests in my early to mid 20's after losing a parent (although said parent would be pissed for associating the behavior).

I also had experience with a friend who was a newly sworn in officer (2 years in maybe) she was doing 10-15 over after pre-gaming and on the way to the bar, even blasting by someone already pulled over. I didn't ask for details but it was understood her being a pretty good looking blond and an officer made her pretty confident there would be no issues unless some type of accident.

The case is the third example of law enforcement officers in Lake County allowing fellow officers in 2017 to get a ride home and have their vehicles moved for safekeeping rather than face a tow after being pulled over or found passed out behind the wheel, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Earlier that year, in February 2017, a rookie officer in training for Waukegan was found “passed out behind the wheel of his car,” and given a ride home by a Waukegan police sergeant, according to a personnel report the News-Sun obtained in response to an open records request.

Lake County police officers have been allowed to call for rides home after being pulled over - Lake County News-Sun

Click to read more...

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

Even when the boots on the street do the right thing, da boss steps in

https://youtu.be/qcSfG0GFowY

 

[FESTER665]

Ive been with quite a few police officers when they're off duty and they haul ass everywhere NFG because their badge gets them out of a speeding ticket. I always just considered it a perk of their job.


Them getting out of a DUI or any serious charges should never be okay though...

 

[wombat]

LEO's should never be above the law, period. I respect the fuck out of our service folk in all regards, I don't believe any of them should be above the law. Hell, I don't even think the President should be above the law.

 

[Shawn1112]

This shit has been going on for as long as I remember and its complete bullshit imo.
As others said, LEO's shouldnt be above the law when it comes to serious crime.
If they want to speed in their personal car, then so be it as long as they arent hammered or high. Pretty sure a good majority of us speed on a daily basis, myself included.

It's not only cops, but their kids as well at least in Chgo.
I knew some kids of cops growing up and these little pricks always had their mom or Dad's police card on them. Iirc it would say something along the lines of "XXXXX is my son/daughter and I would appreciate any professional courtesy you can show them"

 

[Stink Star]

This is the kind of shit that will never make me one of those boot lickers. They want me to respect the blue line? Stop doing shit like this and I will

 

[Chet Donnelly]

This has always gone on and pisses me off for sure. I knew a chick who's older brother was a Chicago cop. Dude rolled (literally rolled) his truck through an intersection in Chicago he was so trashed driving home from the bar. Whole thing pretty much went away.

I respect the hell out of good police officers, but shit like this is ridiculous and all involved should never be allowed to be officers of the law. I'm fine with them letting each other off on speeding tickets as long as its not like 40 over.

 

[Kensington]

Couple weeks back, wasted off-duty LEO at the bar was talking shit about a guy in our group. Just kept talking shit, another drunk idiot in our group swiped off the dudes glasses "defending" our buddy, and the guy called up his on-duty friend and had the guy in our group arrested. Dude was such a blow hard, and made it be known that he was an off-duty LEO over and over, and he doesn't see this type of behavior and the guy in our group had "problems", even though the LEO was wasted, and getting all up in the dude in our group's face asking for him to take a punch.

 

[Grabber]

How many of you have lied for your friends to cover things up?

 

[Kensington]

Get out of a speeding ticket or parking ticket, whatever.

Passed out in the car on the side of the road? Cool, let's just ditch his car and drive him home. Nah, not cool.

 

[Grabber]

^ That is perfectly legal.

I know of Cops that have done that to Civilians, provided they do not have keys in their hand or in plain sight. Instead of ruining their life, or in this case, the officer's career, they drive them home and the next day, that person probably uber's it or gets a ride back to said car.

So, you're saying you've never heard of someone that was not able to drive, decided to sleep in their car and never ditched the car or had someone pick them up and get the car later? I have, many times.

 

[greasy]

I have been witness to a couple of situations where officers have let people off or gotten them home safely rather than charging them with a DUI.

 

[Grabber]

^^ Exactly. A DUI will ruin someone. I'd say props to the cop for NOT throwing the book at those people and giving them a second chance.

How many people here have been given warnings by cops for doing stupid shit on the street, when you could have had your world turned upside down? Pot meet kettle.

 

[Grabber]

It certainly is not cool if a Cop covers up a serious crime for a fellow officer. But, helping them out of a situation, well, they are people too.

 

[Kensington]

^ That is perfectly legal.

I know of Cops that have done that to Civilians, provided they do not have keys in their hand or in plain sight. Instead of ruining their life, or in this case, the officer's career, they drive them home and the next day, that person probably uber's it or gets a ride back to said car.

So, you're saying you've never heard of someone that was not able to drive, decided to sleep in their car and never ditched the car or had someone pick them up and get the car later? I have, many times.

I have been witness to a couple of situations where officers have let people off or gotten them home safely rather than charging them with a DUI.

Perfectly legal? I'm not sure about that.

How many of the people that were let off, were right around the legal limit, and how many were passed out along the side of the road. Big difference between .09 and .3+....

 

[Grabber]

Perfectly legal? I'm not sure about that.

How many of the people that were let off, were right around the legal limit, and how many were passed out along the side of the road. Big difference between .09 and .3+....

Yes, it is legal.

If you're unable to drive, and are sleeping in your car, as long as keys are not in visible sight and you have no easy way of driving the vehicle, you should not get a DUI. Sure, a cop could lie and throw the book at you just to get you on a DUI, but, you're not driving nor have the means to drive at the time.

Again, I am confident everyone here has broken the law many times and has gotten off at least once in their life and has probably covered for friends. Same concept, only difference is you're comparing those situations to cops as if they are not allowed to look out for their own.

Once more, serious crimes, big no no. Otherwise, if you're passed out on the side of the road not driving and sleeping it off, you're doing police and the community a favor by not driving.

Would you rather the cop drove and crashed the car, and possibly hurt or even killed someone, or, slept inside the car, had a fellow officer take them home and let them figure out how to get back to their car with no danger to anyone, including themselves?

 

[Kensington]

Yes, it is legal.

If you're unable to drive, and are sleeping in your car, as long as keys are not in visible sight and you have no easy way of driving the vehicle, you should not get a DUI. Sure, a cop could lie and throw the book at you just to get you on a DUI, but, you're not driving nor have the means to drive at the time.

Again, I am confident everyone here has broken the law many times and has gotten off at least once in their life and has probably covered for friends. Same concept, only difference is you're comparing those situations to cops as if they are not allowed to look out for their own.

Once more, serious crimes, big no no. Otherwise, if you're passed out on the side of the road not driving and sleeping it off, you're doing police and the community a favor by not driving.

Would you rather the cop drove and crashed the car, and possibly hurt or even killed someone, or, slept inside the car, had a fellow officer take them home and let them figure out how to get back to their car with no danger to anyone, including themselves?

From the original article...

Description: Waukegan Sgt. Gerald Dixon responded to a report of a vehicle half off the road with a man slumped in the driver’s seat. Dixon drove the man, a rookie Waukegan police officer at the time, home.

This is the type of situation I'm talking about. Yeah, if you're pulled over on the side of the road, sleeping, not obviously driving, OK whatever. But passed out half off the road? Yeah, no.

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

From the original article...



This is the type of situation I'm talking about. Yeah, if you're pulled over on the side of the road, sleeping, not obviously driving, OK whatever. But passed out half off the road? Yeah, no.

Even if not HALF on the road, if you are pulled over on a side street and cop comes across you intoxicated (but sleeping), they will arrest you at the bare minimum liability, if you were to wake up still intoxicated and kill a family. I think the keys need to be out of reach or literally locked in the trunk or something to get out of that.

 

[Grabber]

Different situations for everything.

Certainly not cool and I don't agree with it.

At the end of the day, the cop took a different path, decided to give this drunk officer another chance, and didn't ruin his life/career. At least the intoxicated officer didn't cause any damage, crash, hurt or kill someone and this officer chose to get them off of the street, probably with the hope this teaches them a lesson. We will never know.

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

Ya well it doesn't always happen like that.. Either the behavior is acceptable or not, and if not, the same exponential punishment should be used when officers commit other crimes and to all involved in any subsequent cover up. It must be used to demonstrate they aren't above the fucking law.

City Council approves $20 million settlement in fatal drunken off-duty cop crash - Chicago Tribune

 

[Grabber]

Well, if we are doing this by the book, I'd say more than 75% of the population is fucked.

What do we do about the civilians that think they are above the law?

 

[Bruce Jibboo]

To stay on topic I think everyone respects the discretion the (good) officers have in many situations but do not automatically respect an automatic brotherhood get out of jail free card for serious offences where there was/is significant risk to others.

 

[saliv8]

This is the norm. Or at least used to be.

I think it's currently all crumbling down on LEOs and not sure whether I agree or disagree with the new attitude and policies towards them. I agre with some but disagree with many, although I've been a knucklehead and on the wrong side of the law for a loooong time.

 

[Spectragod]

Years ago, I worked at a semi small department, 27 Leo’s, 22k citizens lived there, due to the fact that at any given time, there were only 2 officers out, 3 if it was a split shift. We were told to clear calls in the most expedient manner, because you may at any time need to back up another officer.

That said, I made it a rule to not stop anyone for anything I would do myself, window tint, tinted lights, loud exhaust, seat belts, street racing. Traffic stops, unless you were 15 over, I wouldn’t stop you, and, if I did, and your DR wasn’t 6 pages, you’d probably get a warning, verbal of course. I wasn’t the guy that was going to ruin your life.

I have a lot of stories of people I let off with warnings, I didn’t see the job there as having to be an asshole, others did though, and some of those guys I wouldn’t trust to turn my back on them. Glad to be working in a administrative position these days.

 

[Thirdgen89GTA]

^ That is perfectly legal.

I know of Cops that have done that to Civilians, provided they do not have keys in their hand or in plain sight. Instead of ruining their life, or in this case, the officer's career, they drive them home and the next day, that person probably uber's it or gets a ride back to said car.

So, you're saying you've never heard of someone that was not able to drive, decided to sleep in their car and never ditched the car or had someone pick them up and get the car later? I have, many times.

Is someone drunk deciding to sleep it off in a car any worse than someone recognizing that they are too tired to drive and just sleeping in the car?

A sleep deprived person is just as bad off as someone drunk when it comes to decision making and reaction times.

I don't drink, so have never been pulled over for that, or had to sleep it off on the road.

However, In my 20's I once decided to power through the trip home. I almost got most of the way home before I fell asleep at the wheel right @ Dundee & Rt 53. I was traveling NB on 53 going home when I fell asleep for probably just a second. Its called Microsleep as it lasts just a few seconds if that. But its long enough to cause a complete lack of awareness and cognition. Something that helps is to just stop the car and get out and walk for a minute or two to get the blood moving.
https://www.tuck.com/microsleep/

If not for the rumble strips preceding the bridge its very likely I would have hit the concrete pillars of the bridge supports at full speed or gone off road and only woken up once it was too late to gain control of the car back. The worst result of me falling asleep at the wheel could have seen my car head into oncoming traffic.

I will NEVER drive that tired again. Only once since then have I felt the need to just stop on the side of the road and sleep for a bit. I now leave long before I am that tired, or I just stay over if with family/friends.


Pulling your car over and sleeping it off isn't as good as not getting behind the wheel to begin with, but its definitely a more responsible choice than trying to finish the drive home.