I have to admit that sometimes I just don’t get it. I have spent over ten years squarely on the “cop side” of most every dispute. When the union wants to pressure the management, I have their back. When the city offers a terrible contract, I write letters. I am, pardon the cliche, a cop’s cop.
But I have to call B.S. when I see it. The Associated Press is reporting in this article that the New York City police union is suing to prevent mandatory alcohol breath testing after an officer fires their weapon. The union representative apparently sees no reason to subject his constituents to, “the humiliation and psychological trauma” of a mandatory breath test.
What?
I have probably administered 500 of those things and I assure you the humiliation and trauma is no more than that experienced when blowing up a balloon. Arguably less, since balloons make you look so silly. I simply cannot fathom why a police officer who just shot or shot at someone would want to hide their sobriety status.
I did fashion some arguments in my head:
“First this, then what is next?”
“Vice officers are allowed to drink on duty!”
“The officer is being treated like a perp!”
Each of these provide tempting cover to duck away from the actual state of affairs. Certainly there is a slippery slope issue. The way you deal with that is to be watchful and call out the city when they go to far. This breath test isn’t the point of no return. Similarly, I understand that vice officers are allowed to drink on duty. The union’s duty here is to ensure language is placed in the policy to take care of them. And yes, the officer is being treated like a perp. Every cop in America knows they are a murder suspect the moment they make that fateful decision. That is why we have lawyers and unions and policies to protect us.
If modern police departments truly plan to earn the public trust that we so enthusiastically court, our transparency and level of disclosure will have to go considerably further than simply finding out whether an officer who just shot someone is drunk!
So that you know there is no public trust in cops. anyone you talk to hates cops why?
They are a burden to tax payers, crooks, liars, drunks and women beaters. cops are punks with big mouths. and they want to pass a no breath test after a shooting of course you know the cops drunk. Anyway don’t sweat it just more corruption and a lot more to come.
remember ALL COPS SUCK!!!!!!!!!!
Always good to hear from you, Larry. Without both sides of the argument, there would be no dialogue…
Hey PC,
I wondered myself when I saw this. I have been involved in two OIS over my career, and I would have had no issue with taking a PAS, or a blood screen. (Larry might wonder why, since we are all drunks. Well, the cocaine that I stole from the evidence locker doenst show on a breath test, so when I lowcrawled up and assasinated the car full of disabled children, it wont show up…sarcasm off)
Sometimes I wonder if it is just the ‘street guys vs. management’ argument. IE, whatever one side wants, the other has to argue over?
Polarbear,
I agree that sometimes the union feels like we have to oppose anything the “man” wants. This is a no-brainer to me. I am glad you made it through two and are still okay…
PC
I cannot believe this I dont see anywhere in the constitution that a head of a police department has the authority to take away the rights of any cop. An american citizen being subject to a breath test after a shooting without a WARRANT. This procedure required by law for any kind of search. Mr Kelly I am very dissapointed in you from one marine to another you have disgraced every MARINE CORPS and every service man and woman. You weren’t strong enoughto uphold the oath you took when you put on MY uniform. The constitution which many have given their lives to uphold you failed. You caved in to pressure something marines dont do. YOU have no backbone left. You are destroying the NYPD.
Mr. Kelly does not seem to be the most popular chief ever, does he? The pay is actually the thing that shocks me the most.
Thanks for stopping by…
Hey philocop I don’t know if you realize that the US cities police departments are falling deeper into lower standards across the board. Its sad to see the NYPD being subject to breath tests and just like the LAPD recruiting questionable candidates to join at low starting salaries. Not all are bad officers but the percentage grows on how many slip through the cracks. The politicians are using their small insignificant posts in government to get somewhere at the expense of the NYPD . These great officers are being polluted with officers just like the LAPD that will eventually cause lawsuits to skyrocket due to either the incomptenceof the officers or corrupt behavior which the city will have to pay. Of the PC of the NYPD knows this but is ignoring it.
NYPD…I could not agree more! I think the next 10 years will show that we blew it in this country by lowering standards coast to coast. The cost of lawsuits, etc. will skyrocket.
Hey, we called it here…
PC
PC, I’m with you on this one. I’m fortunate that I only had to discharge my weapon a very few times in the line of duty. I would have preferred in those instances not to have to fire. But at the time or now I guarantee you that I would have had NO problem whatever in taking a BAT or any other test to help back up the fact that I was fit to make the decision to fire or not to fire.
All the blithering about “dishonoring a uniform” and all that crap by having an officer submit to such a test is hooey and then some! It ain’t about a Marine uniform or any other one than what is worn by those who populate “the thin blue line.” Get all high and mighty with ruffled feathers all you want, things ain’t they way they were and never will be again. The distrust of lunatics who are so stupid as to say all cops suck and are dishonest isn’t even part of the picture – that crap is, and should be, ignored. However, real events in real life have brought about changes over the years. I’m of the considered opinion that the vast majority of cops are honest and try to to the best job they can with the resources at hand. Yet the reality is that abuses and problems have existed and do exist. Government is becoming, by demand of the people being governed, more and more transparent and accountable. You don’t like the heat? Do what Harry Truman said, and get out of the kitchen.
And, like driving, carrying a weapon, while in part a right, is also a privilege that has regulations, even for cops. No rights are absolute, and carrying (and using) a weapon is no different. We have qualifications for drivers, for pilots, for rescue workers, for firefighters: if a person doesn’t have the qualifications, or is impaired beyond the safe use of the tools, he/she is not permitted to engage in the use thereof. It’s that friggin simple, folks. Wearing a badge should not be and can not be a get-out-of-jail free card for carrying or using a weapon while impaired. We don’t tolerate it for airline pilots, we don’t tolerate it for firefighters, we don’t tolerate the use of dangerous equipment while impaired for non-LEO drivers. Why in hell should we tolerate it for cops? It’s totally ludicrous.
406, OUT
PC this is 406, Testing – tried to put a response here yesterday (using Firefox browser), it took it and said it was awaiting moderation. It was 3 good-sized paragraphs. Nothing here. Any ideas, PC, what’s going on with it not posting even though the software seems to accept it and put in queue for your moderation?
406, OUT & curious