In 1984 I was a DUI officer working for the Hawthorne Police Department. Earlier that year I demanded a reassignment. I reported my partner Jim White to our Lieut. and supervisor. I told my Lieut. that I could no longer work with officer White because he was falsely arresting citizens on trumped up DUI charges.
Successful DUI prosecutions require that the officers observe a pattern of driving that can be reported to the court in their testimony. No single driving offense or infraction is sufficient to prove DUI. Speeding or even a traffic collision is not by itself indicative of drunk driving. For this reason officers are required to support the conclusions they reach with field sobriety tests.
My partner, Jim White, rarely relied on DUI sobriety tests to determine if a motorist should be arrested. White often observed a single traffic offense and immediately concluded that the driver was drunk. He would approach the car and criticize the driver with a tirade of admonishments. If the driver questioned White's authority they were presumed drunk. What officer White was doing is what police officers call an "attitude arrest." White was eventually fired for other misconduct.
Police officers sometimes use the threat of a criminal violation like a DUI to punish citizens or to extort favors. Yesterday, a woman contacted PoliceAbuse.com reporting that she was propositioned during a traffic stop by a police officer in Dickson Oklahoma. The officer John Ruiz, told her that she could "blow" to thank him for not writing her additional violations. After telling her to "blow," officer Ruiz unzipped his pants. Below her report and our phone call to the police chief.
This is grossly disturbing, but thanks for bringing it to our attention. I've been telling people for years, we need a better screening program for our police officers.
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM THIS AGENCY HAS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY DUI AND DUI DRUG CASES THAT HAVE HAD TO BE DISMISSED DUE TO NEGATIVE TEST RESULTS. NOT TO MENTION THE UNETHICAL CHAIN OF COMMAND. IT IS VERY SAD WHEN UNETHICAL THINGS LIKE THIS HAS BEEN MADE KNOWN TO THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT, THE MAYOR, AND BOARD MEMBERS AND YET NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AND DOESN'T SEEM LIKE ANYTHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT IT. IT IS GETTING TO WHERE NO ONE TRUSTS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE OFFICERS THAT WORK FOR IT.
ReplyDeleteofficer ruiz is a crooked cop
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