Brickbat: Zero Tolerance

After Austin, Texas, police pulled Larry Davis over for running a red light, they asked him to take a breathalyzer test. He agreed, knowing he hadn't had anything to drink. Sure enough, he blew 0. In fact, he even came up clean on a blood test that looks not only for alcohol but for seven types of drugs. The cops still arrested him for DWI. Prosecutors ultimately threw out his case. In fact, local prosecutors say they throw out about 30 percent of DWI cases because the Austin police have so little evidence.

Comments

[Steve G]

Look on the bright side, at least he wasn't sexually assaulted!

~Austin Police Chief

[Radioactive]

and no one shot his dog either...

[Notorious G.K.C.]

The sex assault quote is a real thing:

"In other cities there's cops who are actually committing sexual assaults on duty, so I thank God that this is what passes for a controversy in Austin, Texas"

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/201.....d-by-cops/

[Byte Me]

Sure enough, he blew 0...The cops still arrested him for DWI.

Of course they did. There are never any consequences for cops failing to do their jobs. What incentive do they have to be lawful in their performance? None.

[db]

They should be prosecuted for false arrest or.whatever the actual legal term is for holding someone against.his.will with no.evidence.of.a.crime and charging.him anyway.

I'd say kidnapping, but it is.worse than kidnapping. It is kidnapping combined with assault, combined with libel and slander, combined with theft (they probably.towed.his.car and made him miss.some work), combined with a whole bunch of other illegal actions under color of.authority.

It really is a terrible crime, but.they.know there.will be no legal consequences.for.it.

[Radioactive]

and, and...lettuce & tomatoe...and bacon...mmmmm bacon.

[Acosmist]

Linked article contradicts the blurb here - dude said he had one drink.

[UnCivilServant]

Still, unless you're four, one drink isn't going to put you over. And a 0.0 is well below the limit.

[Acosmist]

Blowing a 0.00 should be per se evidence that you're not drunk, on that I agree.

[Floridian]

I agree acosmist. Your reporting should be accurate or else readers will question your integrity. Did you not read the article or are you burying facts that aren't supportive of your narrative? That is the question people will ask.

[mr simple]

That test looked for seven types of drugs in his system, and Davis tested negative for all of them.

Commander David Mahoney says the officer in Davis' case believes he could have been on another drug ? like marijuana ? that wasn't part of the drug test.

WTF are they even testing for, then? As we all know, though, a cops intuition should have the force of law, because they are infallible people who never lie or profile or do anything bad. At least the cops all went home safely.

[Aloysious]

So...

Blew a 0.0, did not test positive for drug use, arrested anyway.

Austin Police: just a bunch of Dumfy's.

[Dr Fallout]

"he blew 0"

He shouldn't be arrested just because he fellated the president... well, maybe he should.

[db]

No, they said "0.0" and Obama is.never that precise.

[sarcasmic]

In fact, local prosecutors say they throw out about 30 percent of DWI cases because the Austin police have so little evidence.

Are these cases thrown out before or after the defendant has been forced to shell out three grand for a DWI lawyer?

What happens when there is no evidence and the defendant cannot afford a DWI lawyer?

[Andrew S.]

Both of those are rhetorical questions, I assume.

[sarcasmic]

Yep.

[The Late P Brooks]

Look, it's really very simple. The police are out there to capture people and lock them in cages. Nothing more, nothing less.

Those fine men were doing their jobs, to the best of their abilities.

[Rich]

Police are still abiding by a take-no-chances policy

FFS, just arrest *everyone*, then!

[WTF]

"Shoot 'em all, let God sort 'em out!"

[croaker]

Pretty so that will be the people's attitude towards police.

[WTF]

What happens when there is no evidence and the defendant cannot afford a DWI lawyer?

The cops and prosecutors get to pad their stats, of course.

[The Late P Brooks]

Police are still abiding by a take-no-chances policy

I WAS IN FEAR FOR MY LIFE!

[Old Man With Candy]

Proggie city. That correlates 100% with abusive cops. (See: Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, LA...)

[prolefeed]

Correlation isn't causation.

Substitute "Big" for "proggie" and the sentence is just as true.

[sarcasmic]

Are there any big cities that aren't proggie?

[KB Check Release]

I've never been to Texas but would guess that Dallas and Houston are better than Austin from a progderp standpoint.

I really don't know for sure but that would be my guess.

[Mainer2]

"Mr. Blutarsky....zero point zero"