Drunk driving is a real problem, with real victims. We assume that the police officers driving the streets of our city are out to protect us. We hope that each drunk driving charge -- each arrest -- is one less dangerous driver for us to worry about.
But what if the police officer is the real danger? What if drunk drivers are not the ones being charged? What if we're all simply open game in a get-rich-quick scheme?
We would be furious and, in Chicago, many citizens are.
When a police officer writes a DUI ticket, he faces the possibility of being called to testify in court if the charge is challenged. By appearing in court, the officer is able to claim overtime pay. If a crooked cop is charging innocent drivers, who will most likely contest the charge, you can imagine that he or she would be bringing in a lot of overtime pay.
Recent public outrage has been focused on Officer Richard Fiorito, a Chicago cop accused of, not only padding his DUI arrests, but of targeting gay and lesbian drivers.
A quick search online turns up multiple videos of Fiorito, recorded on his dashboard camera. Onscreen, the alleged drunk drivers complete every task he gives them, but are eventually taken into custody anyway, confused and scared.
As of late November, Officer Fiorito was still on the city payroll, despite a pile of evidence showing his misconduct and a growing number of lawsuits. Many wonder just exactly what it will take to make city officials take definitive action.
Officer Fiorito isn't the first Chicago officer accused of filing false and misleading DUI charges against innocent drivers. Earlier this year, Officer Joe Parker was accused of the same thing and, in 2008, another Chicago cop, John Haleas, was brought to trial over alleged indiscretions.
In Officer Haleas' case, a Cook County judge dismissed the indictment against him in early November -- hardly the justice his victims were hoping for.
Not only were these three officers engaging in extremely suspect actions, they were commended for it. Fiorito was personally honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for his number of DUI arrests, and Parker had been widely acclaimed by DUI enforcers throughout Illinois. Haleas was about to be honored by the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists when allegations against him began to roll in.
The idea that someone would willfully abuse a system meant to protect innocent people in order to make money is extremely troubling.
While one will hope that such instances are isolated and that a few bad apples don't reflect on the entire system, who can say? One can imagine that, in the future, high-performing DUI officers will be watched more closely -- or so we can hope.
If you have been falsely accused of a DUI offense, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney with extensive DUI experience.
Article provided by Michael T. Norris, Ltd. and John W. Callahan, Ltd.
Visit them at www.chicagocriminallaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment