Cop Frames Citizens for DUI – for the Overtime
Posted by Lawrence Taylor on August 16th, 2012A cop makes a good DUI arrest, writes an honest report, and the suspect usually ends up pleading guilty or plea bargaining; the cop never appears in court. But if a cop makes a bad drunk driving arrest — and falsifies the report to get charges filed — the innocent suspect will probably refuse to plead guilty and demand a jury trial. Result: the cop ends up in court and, since most arrests occur during the night shift, racks up time-and-a-half overtime payments.
4 Officers Charged with Falsifying Reports on OT Scheme Plead No Contest
Honolulu, HI. Aug. 13 - Four Honolulu police officers, charged with falsifying DUI arrest reports so that officers who weren’t present would qualify for possible overtime, have pleaded no contest and have the chance to clear the charges from their criminal records.
Duke Zoller and Aaron A. Bernal, both sergeants, and officers Christoper and Patrick Bugarin were members of what used to be called the Selective Enforcement Unit, which conducted nighttime DUI checkpoints. It’s now called the Night Enforcement Unit.
All four were scheduled to stand trial on charges of tampering with a government record and being an accomplice in state court Monday.
Unusual? Hardly. See, for example, my post Cop Makes $172,000/year on DUI Arrests (this Houston DWI Task Force cop’s normal salary was $72,000).
It is sad that they can be given another chance to cheat the government.
You would think it would be different, but you’d be wrong. Any time there is a way to make extra money/get extra benefits, people will find a way to do it.
I’m all for paying people when they work, but this is ridiculous. Hours should be capped beyond a reasonable amount, say, 50.
The only shocking element of this story is that the criminal officers will stand trial for their crimes. Tampering with records, perjury, conspiracy and other crimes are routine police work….rarely are they held to account.
It is unfortunate that our economy has dropped and people have to began doing unethical things such as cheating the system for more money, it is even more unfortunate that we are seeing this acts committed by police officers.
It is unfortunate that our economy has began to decline to the point where people have began doing unethical things such as cheating the system to get more money, it is also unfortunate to see these acts are committed by police officers.
Its is unfortunate that these officers would falsify these reports just for overtime. Come on now, if you don’t like your job then why be in the CJ field. Your duty is to protect inocent people from being harmed by people DUI. Not to be putting the sober ones behind bars. Bad enough our tax money pays for these enforcement to get a pay check. Then for them to be cheating goverment funds, they should be prosecuted the way they accused the inocent people that night. You dont just falsify someons permenet record just to make overtime!