Does anyone out there think that if they happened to be tracked and recorded by a state police radar plane while speeding at up to 147 miles per hour on a motorcycle, that they would be given any sort of consideration when being called to account for their actions?
Yeah, right.
Yet "consideration" (to say the least) is exactly what was granted to off-duty Ohio State Police Trooper Jason Highsmith and his cycling buddy, off-duty Gahanna, Ohio police officer Christopher Thomas, on June 28, 2009.
Fellow OSP Trooper Bryan Lee performed the actual traffic stop on the side of the road, and here's pretty much how it went down:
"Lee turned off his audio before ever discussing the possibility of a ticket, of a reckless driving charge or even asking if the men were racing.
They talk another four minutes, exchange handshakes and drive away. No paperwork was filled out. Driver’s licenses weren’t checked."
That's right. Once the informal pleasantries (including the ritual showing of the magic tickets) were accomplished,
"Trooper Bryan Lee: 'Either one of you have anything on you I need to know about?'
'No sir. A couple badges is all,' one of the motorcyclists said."
Trooper Lee subsequently killed the audio recording of the stop (a major no-no), and then proceeded to let his two fraternal scofflaws off with no citations whatsoever.
(By the way, we're glad to report that Officer Thomas seems to be feeling much better these days:
"Thomas has been on injured leave from the Gahanna police department since last December after he slipped and fell on ice.
Thomas continues to receive pay and benefits, including vacation time."
Racing around at triple-digit speeds must be an integral part of his physical therapy.)
After video and details of the (non) stop became public, Highsmith and Thomas were belatedly issued garden-variety speeding tickets but were not charged with reckless driving, a circumstance that has incensed local defense lawyers, at least some of whom (rightly) are now planning to make this incident a central part of their pleadings on behalf of their peasant clients who have had the book thrown at them for traveling at much less rates of speed:
"[Attorney Michael] Probst said his clients have been charged with reckless driving for going 20 miles over the speed limit."
Fortunately, in an emphatic illustration of the concept of "equal justice under law" (which only happens to be engraved on the Supreme Court building, by the way), Licking County Judge David Branstool has apparently decided that he isn't going to let these maniac public service employees get away with receiving such special treatment:
"Branstool said the lack of charges didn’t matter and that he could use his discretion to suspend Highsmith’s license for as much as three years for driving in reckless circumstances."
Many thanks, Your Honor, for reminding these two fools that they could easily have killed someone with their (completely ironic) total disregard for public safety, and for reinforcing the concept that what jobs people do for a living should have absolutely no bearing on those same persons being held accountable for their actions, should they commit crimes while on their own time.
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3 comments:
"reinforcing the concept that what jobs people do for a living should have absolutely no bearing on those same persons being held accountable for their actions"
I disagree. Any government employee guilty of violating any law, ordinance, rule or regulation should also be found guilty of "Violating the public trust." then be taken from the courtroom and hanged by the neck until dead.
This is nothing new. A local cop last name of Arnold was stopped for doing well over 100mph by Estill Springs, TN police. He didn't have a motorcycle license or insurance but was let go and nothing came of it. Cops take care of their own.
I lost most of my respect for the police a long time ago when a large part of the force in my home town was arrested for selling cocaine, and the police chief's sons were arrested on federal charges for using bogus currency (that they had printed) in Disney World on a family vacation with the chief. The same department recruited troublemakers to work as "junior police" to set up traffic situations that they could use to cite drivers trying to avoid conditions that the "junior police" set up. I'm glad I moved away; I might have had to do some "sneak up behind them in the dark" justice.
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