Brickbat: Safety First

A Boise police officer and two other people were injured when the officer's patrol car slammed into an SUV. The officer, who wasn't named by local media, was driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Police officials say he was responding to a call and had his lights and sirens on.

Comments

[WTF]

Surprisingly, the driver of the SUV has not been charged with assaulting an officer.

Yet.

[Mainer2]

That would be the officer who wasn't named by local media.

But no double standard.

[Generic Stranger]

A non-backdated brickbrat! Surely this is a great day.

[Ted S.]

They're just softening us up for the real nut-punches. 🙁

[UnCivilServant]

The one way streets around where I live are that way because they're too narrow for two cars to occupy at the same time. Indeed, if someone is parked off-kilter, they're impassable. Only an idiot would go down them the wrong way, even with the aid of lights and siren because there's nowhere for the oncoming traffic to go.

[Almanian!]

Only an idiot would go down them the wrong way

"The officer...was driving the wrong way on a one-way street."

Therefore....

DO I HAVE TO DRAW A PICTURE??!

[UnCivilServant]

Please do, I'd love to see the mass random guessing as to what else it looks like.

[Dweebston]

I'm trying to guess how one ends up in that situation.

[Live Free or Diet]

Maybe by living in a town where the cops feel free to run into you driving the wrong way down a city street?

(I'll run away now...)

[Live Free or Diet]

My youngest is learning to drive, and appears to be a magnet for idiots. First time I put her on a limited-access highway (in the middle of a weekday, not much traffic) we encountered someone driving the wrong way in the fast lane. Luckily, we were in the slow lane and just let him go by.

[Almanian!]

Jesus Christ that is scary. I've only experienced the wrong-way-on-a-highway a couple times, but at those speeds it's WAY scarier than on a city street.

Head on collisions on highways generally are fatal. I'm glad you and your young 'un are OK!

[Generic Stranger]

...I've never actually seen that happen before. I'm surprised it happens that frickin' often.

I still look both ways when crossing or entering a divided highway, though, just in fucking case.

[Live Free or Diet]

I always check once both ways before taking my foot off the brake, and again after. I'm what the WWII generation called a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy. I like layers between me and harm.

[Rod Flash]

You should become a LEO. They have layers of weapons, laws, and the thick blue line.

[Live Free or Diet]

You should become a LEO. They have layers of weapons, laws, and the thick blue line.

That is among the worst ideas in all human history!
I'm so poorly suited for that kind of job, I'm not sure where to begin. Arguing with judges? Putting the muzzle of my sidearm firmly to the temple of the cop who's aiming at the barking dog?
Yeah, not good.

[Live Free or Diet]

I'm glad you and your young 'un are OK!

Me too! You know the kid that the worst thing about about 'em is she puts off changing the cat box? She's that kid.
The kid who can read you like a book and play you like a puppet, but doesn't? She's that kid.
I love all my kids, but this one is something extra.

[BakedPenguin]

There was no median?

[Live Free or Diet]

He was on the wrong side (our side) of the median.
Freaked me out, but of course you can't let it show. She says I sounded dead calm. Either she's being kind or my "poker face" is better than I ever thought.

[BakedPenguin]

Jesus. I'd need a change of pants after that.

[Live Free or Diet]

Yep: Boxers or briefs? Depends!

[sarcasmic]

Police officials say he was responding to a call and had his lights and sirens on.

And as long as no video comes out, that's their story and they're sticking to it.

[Almanian!]

And - lights and siren. So - it's all good. Duh!

[Aresen]

And as long as no video comes out, that's their story and they're sticking to it.

That was my first thought.

I am hoping that some of the buildings along the street had video cameras running.

[Rich]

was responding to an urgent call for help from another officer ...

Ultimately, none of the people who were fighting were arrested, because that officer left the scene to assist with the crash

See, if only that officer had exercised his duty to retreat, the crash never would have happened.

[Live Free or Diet]

Drive Your Ground!

[John]

This is a fuck up. But who hasn't accidentally gone the wrong way down a one way street? I do want cops to respond as promptly as possible. This seems to be the rare case of an honest mistake and fuck up by a cop and one of those things that is going to happen once in a while even if you have the most professional force. Sucks it happened. But I can't really see a reason to get upset about this.

[Rod Flash]

"Idaho Code allows emergency responders to drive the wrong way down a one-way under special circumstances. The driver must be responding to an emergency situation, have lights and sirens on, and be operating with due caution."

I don't see how he could have hit the SUV if he was operating with due caution. Around here emergency vehicles slow down in intersections even when they have lights flashing and sirens blaring. A slow approach would have shown him someone was there.

And of course all this could have been avoided had the first cop just let the "public" that was fighting duke it out. Obviously everybody else wanted them too or they wouldn't have jumped him when he tried to break it up.