The drink/driving cop

[RT527]

He was a bit over, but he obviously didn't feel a 2 k journey was beyond him.

Ok this is the bit that Pisses me off......This is exactly the same excuse that drunk drivers take when they leave the pub to drive the often 1-2 kms home when they slam into an innocent person.I`ll say it again ...there Is NO!! excuse for Driving while intoxicated at all ever.
We carry oxygen on our fire appliances and some of our members are ambulance officers as well , also the knowledge that you pick up attending serious accidents often arriving well in advance of the ambulance,means that we have a better idea and skill base to often keep the more critical people alive than a lot of others.
Even Very basic things like basic first aid will keep a patient alive long enough for for an ambulance or first responder to take over.
Also in our area a doctor would be dispatched if it was as serious as a fatal or two.
I know this contradicts what I`ve just said but He is Also a hero in My eyes for having the balls to say Bugger the consequences I`m going cause i can make a difference.

[candor]

Hey - its not like he was SPEEDING or anything. Now what time was that he woulda left the house...
Actually I know a couple fireys who've left parties half cut to attend crashes, even recently!! Even since this

[Ixion]

OK. Lets put this into a biker context. You've settled down for a night of relaxation. You've had a few bevvies. Not wasted , but had a few. As we do. You live in a remote rural area. Comes a knock on the door. "Old Mrs Foofah has had a bad turn. We've seen Dr Glotch. He says, if we can get these pills to her tonight , she'll be fine. Otherwise, she'll be dead tomorrow morning. It's only 20km. But there's a slip on the road, road's only three foot wide through the slip , bike CAN get through; no four wheeled vehicle can. You're the on;y biker around." You're the only guy with a bike and a bike licence, in zonk miles. Will you take the pills to old Mrs Foofah? If you do, she'll live. If you don't she'll die"

OK. You call it, You gonna go start up the bike or not ? Remember, you've had a few. Me, I'm busy putting my helmet on. And want to explain your decision to Mrs Foofar's kids? And grandkids? Sort of hard to explain to 5 year olds why you left their Nana to die.

[Ixion]

Ok this is the bit that Pisses me off......This is exactly the same excuse that drunk drivers take when they leave the pub to drive the often 1-2 kms home when they slam into an innocent person.I`ll say it again ...there Is NO!! excuse for Driving while intoxicated at all ever.
,,

I hear what you're saying. And at one level I can't contradict it. But, as we demand a higher level of accountability from cops, ambos, firefighters (and we do) should we not extend them a higher level of discretion? Sometimes , rules *have* to be broken. and should we not extend to the trained professionals the curtesy of allowing them some discretion as to when it is appropriate to break them ? A cop, or ambo, or firefighter, or priest is not just someone wanting to get home. They put their own lives on the line day after day, can't we cut them some slack?

[RT527]

Hey - its not like he was SPEEDING or anything. Now what time was that he woulda left the house...
Actually I know a couple fireys who've left parties half cut to attend crashes, even recently!! Even since this

More Fool them. The Fire Service has clear cut rules about riding Fire Apliances while Drunk And if they are caught then they dont get a jury its Down the road.
As for the speed thing it only takes a momentary lack of attention to loose control even under 100 kmph.
I aint perfect, and yes Ixion I would be pulling on the helmet too but thats an extreme case scenario youve presented, as I`ve said there was options for that cop, there were other professionals attending that incident. Now we are getting into the what if discussions.

[texmo]

I edit Mr WINJA's post to illustrate a bit of selective morality here. Which doesn't mean that I condone drunken driving (careful coming down off the horse, it's awfully high) : or dangerous speed either . Merely that there's a time to follow the letter of the law, and a time to exercise common sense.

Folk here often call for the cops to use discretion. Here's one who did and IMHO he made the right call (though, the wrong one for him, in the event)

WINJA dosent respect the law and isnt an upholder of it.
The cop who drove drunk broke this law that he is supposed to uphold...

I still think he shouldnt be convicted and I hope he gets off on special conditions.

[candor]

RT527
I was not aware there was options for that cop. Just assumed there wasn't. But thats because I only know general jist of the story - maybe you have more info being up that way.

[Winston001]

RT527
I was not aware there was options for that cop. Just assumed there wasn't. But thats because I only know general jist of the story - maybe you have more info being up that way.

So far as I can tell, the "options" are only the opinions of other people who weren't there. And all suggested with the benefit of armchair hindsight.

The main option is that he could have found someone nearby who was sober to drive a police vehicle to the accident. Sounds easy. However this is a policeman whose professional duty is to help people. He is trained to respond - especially as a sole charge officer in a rural area. And he certainly would have been trained that no-one else drives a police vehicle.

We don't know whether there were any sober drivers immediately available. Furthermore, he sat and waited for an ambo to appear, agonising over the delay. Nobody turned up so he decided to get on with the job, which was an emergency anyway. There was no time to sit down and consult a manual of ethics and rules, wondering what 4 million other people would do in the same situation.

[Lou Girardin]

Ok this is the bit that Pisses me off......This is exactly the same excuse that drunk drivers take when they leave the pub to drive the often 1-2 kms home when they slam into an innocent person.I`ll say it again ...there Is NO!! excuse for Driving while intoxicated at all ever.
We carry oxygen on our fire appliances and some of our members are ambulance officers as well , also the knowledge that you pick up attending serious accidents often arriving well in advance of the ambulance,means that we have a better idea and skill base to often keep the more critical people alive than a lot of others.
Even Very basic things like basic first aid will keep a patient alive long enough for for an ambulance or first responder to take over.
Also in our area a doctor would be dispatched if it was as serious as a fatal or two.
I know this contradicts what I`ve just said but He is Also a hero in My eyes for having the balls to say Bugger the consequences I`m going cause i can make a difference.

The trouble is that none of what you said applies in this case. One of the paramedics said the cops actions saved a life - end of story.
The best possible reason for driving under any circumstances

[buellbabe]

Why didn't he get someone to drive him to the accident?

If no-one was available for that then I think he probably did the right thing (unless he was well and truely legless). The law gets in the way sometimes.

I am inclined to agree with you MDU...

Someone else also mentioned that the other copper was an over-zealous wanker...
Well I have had 'dealings' with the D.I.C'd Mokau cop (translation:speeding tickets) and can testify that when ON-duty he is just as over-zealous!!!

But as far as this incident is concerned, yeah he probably shouldn't have driven to the scene but at the time I'm sure ALL he thought about was saving lives...

[nadroj]

RT527
I was not aware there was options for that cop. Just assumed there wasn't. But thats because I only know general jist of the story - maybe you have more info being up that way.

Get yourself a map lad - Thames is about 4 hours travel away on a good day

[nadroj]

I am inclined to agree with you MDU...

Someone else also mentioned that the other copper was an over-zealous wanker...
Well I have had 'dealings' with the D.I.C'd Mokau cop (translation:speeding tickets) and can testify that when ON-duty he is just as over-zealous!!!

But as far as this incident is concerned, yeah he probably shouldn't have driven to the scene but at the time I'm sure ALL he thought about was saving lives...

I would be surprised if it the same cop. An over zealous cop (highway Patrol)from up TeKuiti way often visits the region and has caused problems for others on this site before. The local cop drives a Toyota 4WD ute police vehicle.

[McJim]

has appeared in court.

Does anyone know what stage in the proceedings this case has reached?

We've all got loads of opinions and plenty of conjecture but it would be good to find out what's going on.

[nadroj]

Does anyone know what stage in the proceedings this case has reached?

We've all got loads of opinions and plenty of conjecture but it would be good to find out what's going on.

He has been remanded without plea for 2 weeks.

[Hitcher]

This is the same Mokau cop who attended the accident of a mate who minutes earlier had been drinking with that same cop and had departed the cop's residence heavily under the affluence of incohol to then become involved in a serious road accident?

I think that the cop turning up pissed to the accident scene is the lesser of the crimes involved here.