You Think Law Enforcement Officers Don't Get Special Treatment? (Another DUI story)

[MagicMtnDan]

LOS ANGELES - A highway patrol officer in line to become head of the Los Angeles-area office was found legally drunk and asleep in his SUV in Pasadena, but never charged with drunken driving, it was reported Sunday.
California Highway Patrol Deputy Chief Gary Dominguez was arrested for disobeying an officer after he started to drive the vehicle, but that charge was later dropped, according to the Sacramento Bee. Dominguez had his driver's license suspended for four months after the Feb. 21, 2004, arrest, the newspaper reported. Based on a breath test, Dominguez had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent. Under state law, a person with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent is considered drunk. The charge of disobeying a peace officer was dropped because the officer who made the arrest had left the department and was unable to testify in the case, an attorney told the newspaper.
Dominguez, set to take command of the CHP's Southern Division on July 1, did not respond to requests by the Sacramento Bee to comment on the arrest, which occurred about 2:30 a.m. Then-Pasadena Officer David Llanes reported that Dominguez refused to get out of the vehicle and at one point drove the SUV forward about six inches. Dominguez told officers he drank four or five beers the day before, some 13 miles from where he was found.
Pasadena Chief Prosecutor Connie Orozco said Dominguez, who works in the CHP's Sacramento-based Information Management Division, was not charged with drunken driving, because he apparently was seen driving only a few inches.
Assistant CHP Commissioner Kevin Green would not say whether Dominguez was disciplined by the department, the Bee reported. "The bottom line is that Chief Dominguez is a deputy chief in the California Highway Patrol," Green told the Bee. "He is not prohibited from transfer eligibility. He is qualified for the transfer. We have no reason within policy or law to block it."
The CHP gives officers involved in alcohol-related incidents a second chance, Green said. Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. was outraged by Dominguez's appointment. "This is a failure on the part of Commissioner (Mike) Brown to stand up and clean up his own department," she said. "How do you convey to the public with a straight face 'Don't drink and drive,' and all of a sudden you have this chief here?"

[99 232 baja]

If you or I had driven a few inches we would have been arrested. If you are found with the keys in the ignition, and found to be drunk it is a DUI. COPS helping COPS nobody is above the LAW.

[dankirk]

He WAS arrested. The charges were dropped by the prosecuting DA. The Pasadena cops did their jobs, and did not give any special treatment. I don't think the charges should have been dropped, but saying that this idiot was given special treatment by the police is just not accurate.

[MagicMtnDan]

Apparently a DUI is a DUI until someone is a cop. Not even celebrities or politicians (not usually) get away with this BS.
I support our law enforcement but cannot condone this type of inaction. The law is the law - enforce it or get another job! It's their responsibility! :hammer2:

[dankirk]

Apparently a DUI is a DUI until someone is a cop. Not even celebrities or politicians (not usually) get away with this BS.
I support our law enforcement but cannot condone this type of inaction. The law is the law - enforce it or get another job! It's their responsibility! :hammer2:
I hope that you are not implying that the Pasadena PD gave the moron a break...they arrested him and recommended that the charges be filed against him, just like they would with anyone else. The DA decided to drop the charges for various reasons. If you have a complaint, it should be with the DA, not the cops.

[NashvilleBound]

If I was behind the wheel after being asked to get out or whatever was going on....and I rollled the car, or even put it into gear for that matter, I would be charged with assult.<------(thats a period right there) Isnt this shmuck a head of some department right now?? It's really quite amazing.....
Not that we need another negative thread on a boating forum.........

[LHC30Victory]

Apparently a DUI is a DUI until someone is a cop. Not even celebrities or politicians (not usually) get away with this BS.
Pardon me, but yes many do. DA's often do not file DUI charges when one is only in control of the vehicle but not observed driving - LE or not! The DA looks at it this way: Can they get 12 people to convict without describing how the alcohol impaired the driving? I know that isn't what the law says, but they are a political body and high conviction rates are important.

[Tom Brown]

He WAS arrested. The charges were dropped by the prosecuting DA. The Pasadena cops did their jobs, and did not give any special treatment. I don't think the charges should have been dropped, but saying that this idiot was given special treatment by the police is just not accurate.
Accurate? We don't need no stinking accuracy.
Good post. :cool:

[PBOCOP]

Good post.
But it's easy to Monday Morning Quarterback any arrest or case. We don't know what truely happened in this case. We get as frustrated as you are in reading this article with the DA's decisions. I have ran over to the DA's office many times yelling and screaming to get a case filed after they dropped a charge. Without knowing what that DA was thinking when he read the case, it's hard to say what really happened in this case. But to blame the cops that did a perfect job in the arrest and charge, is wrong. It's the DA's office, and it happens daily, both in favor of bad guys and not in the favor of charged cops. Just part of life.
I had one case where I drove up on a car that was parked. 2 people were smoking crack in the car. As I walked up she dropped her pipe and tried to hide the shit in between her legs. They were both physically grabbed, fighting and kicking, out of the car and thrown to the ground. I retrieved the pipe (misdemeanor) and the rock (felony) from between her legs. The DA refused to file the possession charge because the car wasn't registered to her. Are you kidding me ? You just get used to the DA's decisions and deal with them after giving your best effort.
Shit happens in this world and we can only ask why. But not being there to specifically see what actually went down and without first hand knowledge, the media barely ever paints a true picture of what happened. Just something to keep in mind.
Oink.

[cdog]

I have found that cops and firemen are the biggest party'rs when out drinking and often act real cocky, like they can get away with it. Not all but, but atleast the 10-12 that I personally know. Their age group ranged from 20-45 and they all acted the same way.

[dankirk]

Pardon me, but yes many do. DA's often do not file DUI charges when one is only in control of the vehicle but not observed driving - LE or not! The DA looks at it this way: Can they get 12 people to convict without describing how the alcohol impaired the driving? I know that isn't what the law says, but they are a political body and high conviction rates are important.
LHC is right, the DAs often plead down or completely drop a case if there is a possibility that a jury will not convict, and non-driving, or in or about a vehicle DUIs very rarely get filed. In spite of this, I believe that the DA should have foreseen the potential publicity this case could receive and filed the charges because of this guys position, just to alleviate the kinds of accusations that are being thrown around here and elsewhere.

[hoolign]

Well..personally, I am seeing a trend here...and I like it!..I am going to apply to be a cop!...with that nifty sidearm and those lights on the car...I'll never need to pay for booze or cabs again!

[MagicMtnDan]

Don't forget that you won't have to ever worry about speeding tickets or other traffic violations!
We should make all the illegal aliens cops and DAs - then the government will get their just rewards. :jawdrop:

[Hallett19]

If you have a complaint, it should be with the DA, not the cops.
Thanks for clarifying this.
Where at any point in this article did it say anything about the Police being lenient ??? They arested him and took him to jail for being drunk and driving a few inches !!!
The guy drove 6 inches, they arested him, just like they would have done with anyone, did you all not read that part ??

[Jbb]

Good post.
But it's easy to Monday Morning Quarterback any arrest or case. We don't know what truely happened in this case. We get as frustrated as you are in reading this article with the DA's decisions. I have ran over to the DA's office many times yelling and screaming to get a case filed after they dropped a charge. Without knowing what that DA was thinking when he read the case, it's hard to say what really happened in this case. But to blame the cops that did a perfect job in the arrest and charge, is wrong. It's the DA's office, and it happens daily, both in favor of bad guys and not in the favor of charged cops. Just part of life.
I had one case where I drove up on a car that was parked. 2 people were smoking crack in the car. As I walked up she dropped her pipe and tried to hide the shit in between her legs. They were both physically grabbed, fighting and kicking, out of the car and thrown to the ground. I retrieved the pipe (misdemeanor) and the rock (felony) from between her legs. The DA refused to file the possession charge because the car wasn't registered to her. Are you kidding me ? You just get used to the DA's decisions and deal with them after giving your best effort.
Shit happens in this world and we can only ask why. But not being there to specifically see what actually went down and without first hand knowledge, the media barely ever paints a true picture of what happened. Just something to keep in mind.
Oink.
I agree It can be frustrating to deal with corrupt chicken shit District Attorneys....However .10 is .10 no matter the circumstances....does not surprise me at all