Tough Day To Be In Law Enforcement

[One Brow]

Cat got your tongue?

I don't know anything about guns. I'll let someone who understands them better talk about guns.

 

[Archie Moses]

So you think cops should be the judges as well? You think any person drunk driving should stay in jail until their court date?

I very much disagree with that.

Yes and no.

If someone blows above the limit arrest them - take em off the street until they sober up. That doesn't make the cop a judge. That makes them a public servant who makes a tax payer like me content.

Disagree with it all you want.

I hate our justice system. I think we throw the book all too often. We have a disgusting amount of people in prison for drugs and it makes me sick knowing how many years of their lives they're sentenced for.

I'm not saying throw the books at drunk drivers. I'm saying don't drive drunk it's dangerous af and if you do, **** you.

Serious question - why protect drunks from jail to sober?

 

[Archie Moses]

I'm having a really hard time understanding why sending someone home with a court date is less safe than arresting a drunk driver and keeping them overnight in a drunk tank.

Is the fear that they're immediately going to get back into a car and start driving around again? If so then that's really quite dumb.

Gawd damn it.

Do you drink?

 

[Ron Mexico]

I'm having a really hard time understanding why sending someone home with a court date is less safe than arresting a drunk driver and keeping them overnight in a drunk tank.

Is the fear that they're immediately going to get back into a car and start driving around again? If so then that's really quite dumb.

Yep, I agree.

I also think Archie has brought up a fundamental issue. Cops feel like they need to punish people who broke the law. That is not their job.

When I was younger I read about how to get out of tickets for speeding. The most effective one is to show the cop you had learned a lesson from them. I generally feel this sentiment from my police interaction. They want to be in charge, punish you if they feel you need that.

 

[Beer]

I guess it depends on your definition. But there are many levels to this. But there are lots of things people do that equally endanger people to driving drunk that have almost 0 punishment. Drunk drivers generally get punished pretty hard.

Agree, except for the hard punishment stuff. My SIL got a dui last year, got like $2,00 fine and 12 months probation. Didn't even lose her license. That's not cool.

 

[Eminence]

Speeding and using a cell phone. Both sometimes face minor slaps on the wrist with a small fine. Putting on makeup, picking up something dropped, and other distracted driving usually face no punishment.

Speeding is nowhere near as dangerous as driving drunk. It happens orders of magnitudes more often than drunk driving and contributes to about the same number of deaths as drunk driving. Of course there's still tons of work to do there. More cameras and fining is the way to address it imo.

Distracted driving is something I'm strongly against, and would like to treat similarly to drunk driving, but there's a ton more difficulties in how to address it. Don't really have any solutions there.

I'm having a really hard time understanding why sending someone home with a court date is less safe than arresting a drunk driver and keeping them overnight in a drunk tank.

Is the fear that they're immediately going to get back into a car and start driving around again? If so then that's really quite dumb.

It used to happen and was one of many factors in why we used to see more than 2x as many drunk driving fatalities (population scaled).

 

[Ron Mexico]

Yes and no.

If someone blows above the limit arrest them - take em off the street until they sober up. That doesn't make the cop a judge. That makes them a public servant who makes a tax payer like me content.

Disagree with it all you want.

I hate our justice system. I think we throw the book all too often. We have a disgusting amount of people in prison for drugs and it makes me sick knowing how many years of their lives they're sentenced for.

I'm not saying throw the books at drunk drivers. I'm saying don't drive drunk it's dangerous af and if you do, **** you.

Serious question - why protect drunks from jail to sober?

Because they are not a risk anymore. You have stopped them from driving drunk. They are not going to drive drunk again that night.

Driving while using your cell phone is equally dangerous. So should everyone caught on their cell phone be taken to prison? They are much more likely to do it again then someone drive drunk. Do you feel the same **** you to everyone who uses a cell phone will driving?

 

[One Brow]

Serious question - why protect drunks from jail to sober?

1) It's safer for the police to avoid confrontations or de-escalate. What if this guy in Atlanta had grabbed the gun instead of the taser?
2) Why are you worried about the drunk person driving a different car that same night, but not driving the same car drunk the next night? Which is more likely?
3) It's not about protecting drunks, it's about safety for everyone.

 

[Zombie]

Gawd damn it.

Do you drink?

Yeah, at home somewhat regularly, at bars a couple times a year at most, why?

 

[Archie Moses]

Because they are not a risk anymore. You have stopped them from driving drunk. They are not going to drive drunk again that night.

Driving while using your cell phone is equally dangerous. So should everyone caught on their cell phone be taken to prison? They are much more likely to do it again then someone drive drunk. Do you feel the same **** you to everyone who uses a cell phone will driving?

If you stop someone with a gun who's firing it randomly and take their gun they're at no risk either.

**** them. Stop condoning their behavior.

 

[Ron Mexico]

Speeding is nowhere near as dangerous as driving drunk. It happens orders of magnitudes more often than drunk driving and contributes to about the same number of deaths as drunk driving. Of course there's still tons of work to do there. More cameras and fining is the way to address it imo.

Distracted driving is something I'm strongly against, and would like to treat similarly to drunk driving, but there's a ton more difficulties in how to address it. Don't really have any solutions there.



It used to happen and was one of many factors in why we used to see more than 2x as many drunk driving fatalities (population scaled).

There are far more drunk drivers on the road than I realized when I look at the stats, about 121 million a year. Speeding might not be quite the same but it still is putting people lives at risk. Its also the amount. Having a beer and driving isnt a big deal. Going a few over the speed limit isnt a big deal. Having a bunch of beer is a big deal. Going way over the speed limit is a big deal.

Cell phones on the other hand have been shown to be equally dangerous or more dangerous than drunk driving.

I dont mind punishment for drunk driving. I dont like that people get on their moral high horse and condemn drunk drivers and say what awful people they are but they also drive in a way that puts people lives at risk. Speeding is dangerous.

 

[Archie Moses]

Maybe it's me but I'm done with this blindness and hypocrisy for the night.