Posted: 7/18/2005 10:21:01 PM EDT
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Police Department Officials Worry About Recent Officer DWIs POSTED: 6:30 p.m. EDT July 18, 2005 UPDATED: 7:05 p.m. EDT July 18, 2005 Story by wsoctv.com CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer was charged with drunken driving. He's the third officer arrested for DWI this year. On Interstate 77, just north of Uptown at about 2 a.m. Saturday, a highway patrol trooper noted that he saw a BMW traveling 77 mph in the 55 mph zone. When the trooper pulled the car over, he said the driver told him he was Andrew Watkins, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer. According to his report, the trooper noticed the classic signs of DWI -- a strong odor of alcohol and red, glassy eyes. Watkins told the trooper he'd had five or six beers downtown and was on his way home when he got stopped. Instead of going home, Watkins went to the jail. The Intoxilyzer measured his blood alcohol at .11 -- over the legal limit. "It's unfortunate when a police officer is arrested -- much less for DWI," said police spokesman Keith Bridges. Bridges said Watkins is not on the job now because he has temporarily lost his license. But the bigger question after three officers were arrested for DWI in seven months is whether they may be part of a larger problem in a very image-conscious department. "You're right. It disappoints people. (You) hope they would learn from and recognize the ramifications. They know the risk of drinking and driving and yet it still happens," said Bridges. In May, police in Concord charged a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer James Efird with drunken driving. It was his third arrest for driving while intoxicated. In June, a state trooper in Union County charged officer Michael Ramsey with DWI. If your job duties include operating a motor vehicle and you get convicted of DUI you should get fired reguardless of occupation. |
I don't necessarily agree there -- What people do on their own time is their own business. The courts should hand down appropriate punishments, your employer shouldn't ALSO punish you. (Unless, of course, it was done on the job, in which case the employer SHOULD take action as well) |