Officer may have been drinking

[Sanx]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527186


Police are investigating a report a police constable may have been drinking before he crashed an unmarked police car in New Plymouth.

The crash happened when the officer lost control of the car on Veale Rd at about 2.30am on August 3.


Central Districts' Inspector Greg Hudson said he was waiting for results of a blood test taken from the constable after the crash.


"The reports are he was (drinking alcohol), but we can't confirm anything until we get a blood result back, because that is the most crucial evidence," Mr Hudson told the Taranaki Daily News.


If the constable, who was taken to hospital after the crash, was found to be over the drink-driving limit he would face court action and it would be up to the police commissioner to make a call on his future, Mr Hudson said.
The incident has also left questions over whether or not the constable, who was due to start work later that day, was allowed to be in possession of the police car at the time of the crash.


The officer has been suspended while the incident is investigated.



Just one question: how fucken long does it take to do a very simple blood alcohol test? I understand it's someone's right to demand a blood test, rather than relying on an evidentiary breath test. The officer either demanded one, or was advised to have one, given the time delay before getting one might help get some booze out of your system. But how the hell does it take twelve days to process the results?

[enigma51]

All pigs are equal some pigs are just more equal than others

[98tls]

:wait::wait::wait::corn:This oughta be good.All the glass house dwellers throwing stones.

[enigma51]

:wait::wait::wait::corn:This oughta be good.All the glass house dwellers throwing stones.

Not a lot has happend yet

[FJRider]

Just one question: how fucken long does it take to do a very simple blood alcohol test? I understand it's someone's right to demand a blood test, rather than relying on an evidentiary breath test. The officer either demanded one, or was advised to have one, given the time delay before getting one might help get some booze out of your system. But how the hell does it take twelve days to process the results?

Most hospitals do blood tests for their own reasons, as a matter of course. Results are quick but revealing results to "outside" organisations/people, has legal problems regarding PRIVACY. Nothing to do with being a cop...
As always though...Believe what you choose...
And if YOU had an accident, and were not processed at the scene... the same thing would occur, would you want the results made public...???

[spudchucka]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527186




Just one question: how fucken long does it take to do a very simple blood alcohol test? I understand it's someone's right to demand a blood test, rather than relying on an evidentiary breath test. The officer either demanded one, or was advised to have one, given the time delay before getting one might help get some booze out of your system. But how the hell does it take twelve days to process the results?

Ask ESR, they do the analysis. Typical time frame is 2 - 3 weeks.

[DMNTD]

Tests are back early and no he wasn't drunk ;)


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6153/060316wietvz8.jpg

[Sanx]

Tests are back early and no he wasn't drunk ;)


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6153/060316wietvz8.jpg


Dude? You let a cop into your garden?

[Sanx]

Most hospitals do blood tests for their own reasons, as a matter of course. Results are quick but revealing results to "outside" organisations/people, has legal problems regarding PRIVACY. Nothing to do with being a cop...

The test isn't being done by a hospital for medical reasons; it's being done by the cops for prosecution reasons. Or more accurately, the test is being carried out on behalf of the cops.


And if YOU had an accident, and were not processed at the scene... the same thing would occur, would you want the results made public...???

I was commenting on the length of time the test results took to come back, not on the outcome of the test itself. And, given the police have publicly commented on the case, they kinda have to announce, at the very least, whether or not the officer was over the limit.


Ask ESR, they do the analysis. Typical time frame is 2 - 3 weeks.

Seems an inordinate length of time to carry out a simple blood alcohol test, but if it's normal then the delay is to be expected.

Just out of interest (and I read the officer concerned has been suspended), would one's licence usually be suspended at this point, or are you free to drive until such time as you've been convicted? EDIT: to clarify; that question is what would usually happen when a member of the public is arrested, not something specific to a Police Officer.

[skidMark]

Ask ESR, they do the analysis. Typical time frame is 2 - 3 weeks.


On a slightly off topic note, it's spuddyyyyy

Shit man havnt seen a post from you since i basically joined the site, soon after was your bin.

Hope you healed up for the most part.

[Indoo]

Just out of interest (and I read the officer concerned has been suspended), would one's licence usually be suspended at this point, or are you free to drive until such time as you've been convicted? EDIT: to clarify; that question is what would usually happen when a member of the public is arrested, not something specific to a Police Officer.

I'm afraid your going to be let down as theres nothing untoward to complain about. A blood test normally takes anywhere from 2-3 weeks to be processed, its routine in all cases of injury accidents where alcohol is a possibility and is always taken at a hospital via a doctor.

Nobody is arrested and they are free to drive until the results of the blood test come in, if the blood alcohol level is more than 130mg then their license will be suspended, if its under then they can keep driving until they eventually end up in court after being summonsed. Then if they have money and can afford one of the parasitic specialist drink driving lawyers they have a pretty decent chance of beating the charge on some ridiculous irrelevant technicality that has no bearing on the ingredients of the offense.

There is a difference though in how cops are treated compared to Joe Public, the cops already been suspended and will lose his career if found guilty and even if hes found not guilty will face internal charges forcing him out.

[Dave Lobster]

....... and even if hes found not guilty will face internal charges forcing him out.

Why? Just for crashing the car? Seems a little harsh to me.

[scumdog]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10527186




Just one question: how fucken long does it take to do a very simple blood alcohol test? I understand it's someone's right to demand a blood test, rather than relying on an evidentiary breath test. The officer either demanded one, or was advised to have one, given the time delay before getting one might help get some booze out of your system. But how the hell does it take twelve days to process the results?

Just one comment: how the fuck can somebody be so niaieve??

Do you think it's like an eftpos machine ya silly cunt??? - blood in, wait 10 seconds and result out??

Sheesh, one can only hope the rest of NZ ain't so bad.

(Sadly it IS!)

Now to read the rest of the thread - and get another marguerita.

[jrandom]

Do you think it's like an eftpos machine ya silly cunt??? - blood in, wait 10 seconds and result out??

No, we think it's like an eftpos machine in the back room of a very large bureaucracy. Blood in, wait three weeks while it sits in a fridge, 10 seconds of analysis, then wait another week while the report's typed up.

:laugh:

[ynot slow]

Simple procedure after accident after 7.00pm to blood test driver.

[McJim]

I'm drunk in charge of a keyboard....last time I did that I had contact with the Mods...I wonder how many infractions I'll get tonight? Do the mods do breath testing on KB?

[chanceyy]

I'm drunk in charge of a keyboard....last time I did that I had contact with the Mods...I wonder how many infractions I'll get tonight? Do the mods do breath testing on KB?

ohhhh let me get my infraction fingers ready then McJim .. waits ... waits .... waits



:jerry: :corn:

[Meekey_Mouse]

Tests are back early and no he wasn't drunk ;)


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6153/060316wietvz8.jpg

SHH, I is hiding... Te heheh

[98tls]

I'm drunk in charge of a keyboard....last time I did that I had contact with the Mods...I wonder how many infractions I'll get tonight? Do the mods do breath testing on KB?
The sad thing being the fact that handing out red rep probably induces much heavy breathing in those doing it.:tugger:

[Ixion]

No, we think it's like an eftpos machine in the back room of a very large bureaucracy. Blood in, wait three weeks while it sits in a fridge, 10 seconds of analysis, then wait another week while the report's typed up.

:laugh:

Actually, that is pretty much a good description of it. Blood alcohol is tested (I think ) by gas chromatography. You fire up the machine,prepare the sample , mixing it with sme reagents n stuff, put the sample into a little gizmo, pop in the standards, used as reference, push the button and go have a quick smoke/coffee/wank (according to preference). Come back, the machine will have printed out the result. Tear it off , file and on to the next one.

I've never done forensic chromatography but I can't see it being any different to "normal" laboratory practice.

The reason for the delay is obvious. The operator can only sustain so much wanking per day, then he has to have a break.

[normajeane]

No, we think it's like an eftpos machine in the back room of a very large bureaucracy. Blood in, wait three weeks while it sits in a fridge, 10 seconds of analysis, then wait another week while the report's typed up.

:laugh:


Ya ding-bat, it's the same law for 'the public' too.

And in reference to dIng-bat #2 (SANX) the test MAY being done for the cops - but there is a sealed sample of the same blood wiating for the 'offender' to send of for an independant analysis in case he doubts the result the police present. (do you REALLY think the ESR do this JUST for police?)

[Winston001]

No mystery here. The blood-test procedure is careful and takes time. The vials need to be correctly labelled, witnessed, packaged, couriered to the ESR lab. The lab gets around to processing when they have time - not exactly high priority critical work but it requires care. The sample is split into two, both labelled so they can be traced through the system. Eventually the blood is analysed for alcohol content.

Once the results are known, they have to be entered into a specific report, that needs to be indexed and traceable as part of the chain of evidence, and so on and on.....

Once the rozzers have the official report, the OIC needs to decide to prosecute and if he is on leave or off shift, or busy, that happens when prosecutions chase him up or he gets to it.

I'm surprised its as quick as three weeks - used to be about 6 weeks before charges were laid.

As for hospital samples, there are special rules. The hospital can't just take a blood sample and hand it over to the police just because they feel like it. Yes, there are occasions when samples are taken at the request of police - thats different again.

It is a complex and nit-picking thing to do.

[boomer]

It is a complex and nit-picking thing to do.

It's not fookin complex mate.. it's just red tape and bureaucracy.


And ^Chris.. is that one of your wholesale/retail outlets...??!

ps.. yes 'twas Tom the pohm

[Ixion]

No, it is nit picking. It has to be. Some lawyer will be looking over the process with a fine tooth comb.

I'm surprised that there have not been more challenges to the ESR , they never had a reputation for very reliable results.f'instance lawyers challenge the Breathlyser calibration, dunno if any of them have thought to challenge the GC calibration. Be a reasonable chance it was out of date, or not performed by a qualified technician or something

[Sanx]

Just one comment: how the fuck can somebody be so niaieve??

Do you think it's like an eftpos machine ya silly cunt??? - blood in, wait 10 seconds and result out??

Sheesh, one can only hope the rest of NZ ain't so bad.

The process of testing blood, as carefully explained by Ixion, really is very quick. Maybe not ten seconds, but can be done inside a few minutes if one has access to a lab. Obviously booze buses and police stations don't have this equipment, so the sample needs to be sent off. But there's very little reason (other than incompetent bureaucracy and chronic underfunding) why any sample should sit in the lab's inbox for 2.5 weeks before they get around to it.

In other parts of the world it takes a couple of days. Max. In the UK, three days is about the longest anyone has to wait for the results of a blood alcohol test. That's why I find it so surprising it takes so long.

I suppose I am naive. I only lived in NZ for seven years and just how pathetic some of the infrastructure is never ceased to amaze me. Just like how stupefyingly stupid some of the Police officers are.


And in reference to dIng-bat #2 (SANX) the test MAY being done for the cops - but there is a sealed sample of the same blood wiating for the 'offender' to send of for an independant analysis in case he doubts the result the police present. (do you REALLY think the ESR do this JUST for police?)

Sorry, ding-bat, but your carefully thought-out point has absolutely no relevance to what I was talking about. The Police's blood sample, after due testing, is used when deciding to charge the driver or not. Only if the driver is charged, would said driver choose to have the sample reserved for him analysed.

As I was talking about the time delay involved, what has the separation of the sample into two halves got anything to do with it? Or are you the sort of person who doesn't actually read and inwardly digest before spouting off completely unrelated shite?

[scumdog]

Great, between my drunken ravings and the more lucid posts of some others we may have educated some who bother to read this thread!!:2thumbsup

[Little Miss Trouble]

Surely he would have been breath tested at the accident site assuming he was in a condition to do so? If thats good enough for the rest of joe public to get a DIC on then surely it's good enough to say that the cop was drunk at the time, while they wait for the blood test result to come back as confirmation.

[scumdog]

The rest of joe public also get the chance to go for a blood sample.

And if injuries dictate it blood may be the only option.

(blood level is 99%+ likely to be higher than a breath test equivalent)

[spudchucka]

Surely he would have been breath tested at the accident site assuming he was in a condition to do so? If thats good enough for the rest of joe public to get a DIC on then surely it's good enough to say that the cop was drunk at the time, while they wait for the blood test result to come back as confirmation.

If you had read the article you should have picked up on the fact that seriously injured crash victims are taken to hospital, which tends to rule out the practicality of a road side breath screening test. Therefore the next best option is to take a blood sample at the hospital. This is the same for anyone in those circumstances regardless of their occupation.

[Patrick]

He took a car - there is a question whether he was allowed to or not for starters.

He crashed it. He was injured and taken to hospital in an ambo. No breath test, as he is a patient receiving treatment. At hospital, bloods are taken. Same for anyone, cop or gang banger, MP or lawyer.

Blood results come back when the ESR do it. 2-3 weeks is normal. Only authorised analysts do these, so no defence there.

Take a breath people. :drool: You will get to hear all about it. It is a hot story for the local paper, who info share with the major papers.

And no, I don't know the result. I wouldn't tell anyways.:devil2: It will be in the Harold for sure...

[Dave Lobster]

Surely if he was an MP, the law would be changed to make him innocent?

Or.. he'd help to save someone's life on a mountain top, and everyone would conveniently forget he 'might' have done something wrong.

[Sketchy_Racer]

Cop crashing a car full stop is never good publicity for the police. All this is just speculation at the moment isn't it really. Although it'll be interesting to find out the results, and more importantly to me, find out the punishment for him if he is over the limit.

[Patrick]

To the doubters out there...

For the excess blood and careless use... Guilty, sentenced and resigned all in one day..

[Indoo]

To the doubters out there...

For the excess blood and careless use... Guilty, sentenced and resigned all in one day..

Strange that hes been dealt to far harsher than Joe Public would have been given what the thread starter was insinuating.

[Patrick]

Strange that hes been dealt to far harsher than Joe Public would have been given what the thread starter was insinuating.

Yep. Recidivist offenders get less. This was, as usual, his first and only offence. Still has the saga of taking the car in the first place to go through yet....

[SixPackBack]

To the doubters out there...

For the excess blood and careless use... Guilty, sentenced and resigned all in one day..

You think thats fair Patrick?

[Patrick]

Yep. He fooked up big time.

General population is not so quickly sorted more often....