No place for Professional Courtesy

Officer body camera policies are being reviewed in Poulsbo after an incident involving a sheriff’s sergeant wherein the sergeant was found allegedly impaired behind the wheel of his car. The October incident involved the sergeant being contacted by another law enforcement agent. The interaction was recorded on the contacting officer’s body camera, and allegedly captures the sergeant actually admitting to being drunk. Curiously, however, the body camera did not capture follow up conversations between the contacting officer and a police chief and a sergeant who were also on the scene. And perhaps more disturbing, the sheriff’s sergeant was neither arrested nor charged for DUI or Physical Control. In light perceived favoritism and unwarranted professional courtesy, there has been community outrage, for obvious reasons. In line with the concern, some members of the Poulsbo City Council recently voiced concerns about public perception and potential favoritism towards fellow law enforcement agents. The thought, rightfully so, is that any other citizen would be facing a DUI/ Physical Control conviction, inclusive of all of the unpleasant consequences that go along with that charge – jail, fine, loss of privilege to drive, to name just a few. Obviously, professional courtesy has no place in the context of a potential crime being committed. As they say, you do the crime, you do the time; just because you are law enforcement you should not be immune to charges and the punishment related thereto/

If you or a loved one is cited for DUI in Washington state you should immediately seek the assistance of a Seattle DUI lawyer. A qualified and respected Seattle DUI attorney, among other things, can quite possibly save a person thousands of dollars in court and insurance fees, extent of loss of privilege to drive and amount of jail time to be served. Washington traffic laws are far too complicated for any ol’ attorney to handle. Be smart … hire a qualified and skilled Seattle DUI attorney when arrested for an alcohol and/or a drug related DUI in Washington State.

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