There are cops out there who have arrested dozens of people on DUI charges, people who tested negative for alcohol and drugs, and they aren't disciplined for it. It's a terrible thing to do to an innocent person as they get dragged through the courts anyway, the ordeal often lasts over a year, people lose their jobs, their reputations, maybe their spouse, and a shitload of money paid to lawyers, and in the end there is no justice for them even when they beat the charge. And they usually lose if they sue the cops.
Bail was less than he paid for drinks https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-airlines-pilot-dui-booking-savannah/
^ This is the hidden truth!! Happens ALL the time with trace amounts of alcohol. Victim is honest and provides evidence to be used against them. GA has a 'Suspicion of DUI' charge that puts you through the same hell as if you were guilty. Someone truly innocent has almost no chance of avoiding prosecution once you do something to get pulled over for whatever probable cause they used to stop you at night, if the LEO believes you may be impaired in any way.
Interesting. once a wanker... this explains my perpetual need to tell my friends to drive "grandma"... I'm a terrible passenger and been to jail 3 times for this is my early 20s.
Typically in Illinois, if they ever suspect you they issue 2 tickets: 1-Driving Impaired of less than .08%, 2- Driving Impaired of greater than .08%...kind of a "throw tickets at it and one should stick" deal. I've gone through in '05 after a motorcycle crash left me with a helluva concussion and a month and a half later had an accident. The officer asked me to do the field sobriety talent show and I refused at first pointing to the back seat where my medical files were sitting in their folder with MRI copies, X-Rays and chiro records I was threatened with arrest...mistakenly I told him I was bound to fail as my equilibrium and back were trashed. Luckily, and $3000 in legal fees later, it was dismissed by paying my neurologist ($500) and chiropractor ($200) to testify on my behalf.
There’s no reason to ever do the tests unless you’re certain you’re good. It just gives them more evidence to use against you, and imo they’re designed to make you fail. There are plenty of stories of people getting fucked like mentioned above, but if my pilot is even a little tipsy, I’m cool with them throwing the book at him. I didn’t see anything in that story that suggested he was sober. They thankfully caught a pilot a couple years ago that lives in this area and all the security videos are on YouTube. Not only was he drunk, but he tried to get a jug or 2 of vodka on the plane with him and they figured it out and followed him through the airport until he threw it in a bathroom trash can. He was with Delta so he fucked himself out of a pretty good job.
All kinds of YT vids of people arrested after blowing 0, passing the field sobriety test, etc.... Search 'iowa student falsely arrested for dui' Search 'state police falsely arrest seven separate sober drivers'. I've personally been through 4-5 dui stops/tests back in my hay day, (2 separate tests in 1 night). Never a dui. Always 'borderline' where the cop would let me go but they would follow me home, or they let one of my passengers drive or a cop actually drove me home to my parents house (37 yrs ago). I was 'responsible' in that I would always be the one that drove the crew to the da club...but I would always stop drinking around midnight.....we would close the bar down at 230, drive 2 miles to dennys or perkins for food, and drive home around 4 am. For the record, quit drinking 18 yrs ago.
Many years ago my wife and I were at a distant friends house, drinks were had. It was snowing hard when we left. An 18 wheeler was coming at us in the middle of a 2 lane highway! I ditched my truck, just missed the guard rail and a tree but got stuck down in a swampy area. We called AAA and were sitting it out when a State trooper pulled up, put his search light on us and I thought Oh boy, here I go! He tells us forget about AAA, they won't come to our rescue and he'll drive us home. Never asked us about drinking. When you go into the back seat of the squad car you are locked in....He was driving that Crown Vic like Parnelli Jones and the wife was trying to tell him to slow down. I'm elbowing her in the ribs just trying to get her to shut up. We get home, my teenage kids look out the window at Mom and Dad getting out of a cop car....kids questions ensued. The trooper was a prince. I don't do the shit any more.
Back a long time ago, spend a few years as a LEO... I would easily fail two of the FSTs we used just due to bad knees.... and it was easy to make sober people fail the tests just by asking questions while they performed the tests...
Stop right there. They aren't trying to get you out of a dui... merely to gather evidence of impairment.
As much as I enjoy a good cop bashing thread, if an airline pilot smells of alcohol he needs to be removed from the cockpit immediately.
We call em fishing trips in N. Ga. I've told pleeenty of cops that was exactly what he was doing! Any infraction to pull me over,I lie/deny,and tell him get on wif it!! I know what your doing,you sure as hell know what your doing. Then I normally turn my back on them,when answering questions. They loove that one! You can ask the little shit Lumpkin county cop that hangs out at Seths store at Turners corner! He harassed me one morning on my gsxr,and had a conversation with my ass! And no,I dont hate cops,but we all know "that" game. Gwinnett county was the worse when I lived in that hell hole. Little 20 somethings full of piss and tude
Re drunk pilots Usually its one of the passengers in the terminal who notices the pilot is drunk and gets the cop involved.
Usually it's TSA that calls the cops if they think you're impaired. They have no / minimal training on detecting this. That's why the police are called. We'll know for sure when the next article comes out, as you can't refuse a breathalyzer or blood test and keep your job and pilot's license.
