Two police officers fired after using a coin toss to decide arrest

July 27, 2018, 10:02 AM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Anything over 80 was an automatic arrest in my book...no ifs ands or buts....

I agree eighty is fast, but...This was the only data on her speed [snipped from the story]

Brown said she "didn’t have speed detection," but the other officer pointed out that the body camera recorded her cruiser’s speed, which would have shown how fast she was going to catch up to Webb. [/end snip]

Maybe she was going eighty, but the fact that they had to go fast to catch up to her doesn't necessarily prove that.

July 27, 2018, 10:08 AM

ScreamingCockatoo

quote:
Originally posted by mikeyspizza:
quote:
Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
quote:
Originally posted by mikeyspizza:
They didn't arrest her based on the coin flip.

Ummm yes they did.

“A [arrest] head, R[release] tail,” Wilson said.

“Okay,” Brown replied. {Then you hear the coin flip}

“This is tails, right?” Wilson asked.

“Yeah, so release?” Brown responded.

“23 (the police code for arrest),” Wilson replied. The officers decided to charge Webb with driving too fast under the conditions and reckless driving."

Ahh, you're right.

July 27, 2018, 10:09 AM

parabellum

They didn't get fired for nothing at all, y'know.

The flippant fucking attitude and berating the motorist didn't help their cause.

Look at it this way- The state of Georgia just gained two more high school volleyball coaches. Then they can flip all the fucking coins they want.

July 27, 2018, 10:16 AM

PowerSurge

Theyre more suited for flipping burgers at McDonald’s and not policing the streets.

July 27, 2018, 10:18 AM

parabellum

...maybe have that cute sophomore into the office again for "counseling".

Being the coach has its advantages.

July 27, 2018, 10:19 AM

pedropcola

News reports being somewhat south of a game of telephone these days, but... If they didn't have an actual speed detection ability and they relied on the speedometer of the cruiser while it was catching up, that is pretty fucking stupid. Maybe they caught up and in trail noted the speed but that isn't what it sounded like in the article.

I've done plenty of stupid shit. I don't record it though.

July 27, 2018, 10:38 AM

oddball

quote:
Originally posted by parabellum:
There are a couple of lesbians with openings today.

July 27, 2018, 11:48 AM

wishfull thinker

Let's see: If the cop had to go 80 to catch the miscreant then the miscreant wasn't going 80. Even if she, the 'speeder', was over the limit, there was nothing to show that was the case, not even a note by the lez, er cops. So the cop was doing 80 on a road that was slippery and wet, didn't know how fast the driver was going, was relying on her own camera to record her own speed, couldn't decide to ticket or arrest, colluded with another cop that apparently wasn't there from the front to decide the proper course of action, failed to do so and then played silly buggers to decide. That about it?

The only thing other than any facts left out of the article was whether or not the chief has stopped banging his head on his desk yet.

July 27, 2018, 11:50 AM

MikeinNC

quote:
Originally posted by vinnybass:

Maybe she was going eighty, but the fact that they had to go fast to catch up to her doesn't necessarily prove that.

Yes you are correct, in NC the officer only has to give his opinion to the speed estimation, and a layman can testify to the speed. The RADAR/LIDAR devise is only to corroborate the officer's opinion -that must be made before the speed measuring devise is used to corroborate it.

Pursuing a suspect can be used for the speed estimation and it is documented in the speed block indicated by "P"-meaning pursuit followed by the number.

But we all agree that the flipping a coin was complete and total bullshit, and unprofessional. And they deserved to be fired.

Do your job, do it professionally and don't let your opinion/politics/etc get in the way.

"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker

July 27, 2018, 11:59 AM

jhe888

quote:
Originally posted by slabsides45:

Nicely done.

July 27, 2018, 12:42 PM

StarTraveler

I've lived in or just outside the city of Roswell for almost 30 years. In my interactions with them, Roswell police officers have always been very professional. These ladies, as someone said, fired themselves.

I couldn't get the video to play. Assuming the woman wasn't driving on Georgia 400 (which cuts through the center of Roswell, speed limit 65 MPH, with 80-85 common) or the two or three stretches of state highway in town that may be posted at 55 MPH, she was probably doing 35 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. If memory serves, reckless driving in Georgia is 25 MPH over the posted speed limit, so she must have been doing over that.

The other thing that struck me as odd is that Roswell generally has one officer assigned to each car. With two officers involved in the stop, there were probably two police cars on scene, making me wonder if there was something else going on with the stop or if the second just stopped to help the first due to the driver's speed? Either way, the young ladies fired themselves and the chief just had to verify it.

July 27, 2018, 12:55 PM

hile

quote:
Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Anything over 80 was an automatic arrest in my book...no ifs ands or buts....

That probably depends on a number of factors, namely what's the posted speed limit? (80 in a 75 is far different from 80 in a 55 (where most traffic is going close to 55.)) What is the flow of traffic, regardless of the posted speed limit? A road I travel daily is posted 55, but the customary rate of travel is 70-75? I wouldn't write someone just for going 70-75 on that road.

July 27, 2018, 01:06 PM

StarTraveler

Finally got the video to play on my phone. This took place on Highway 92, which has a 45 MPH posted speed limit over its entire length through Roswell. What the officers did was stupid.

July 27, 2018, 01:52 PM

arfmel

Oh, Georgia! Whew! I thought we were talking about New Mexico!

July 27, 2018, 01:58 PM

tatortodd

quote:
Originally posted by StarTraveler:
Finally got the video to play on my phone. This took place on Highway 92, which has a 45 MPH posted speed limit over its entire length through Roswell. What the officers did was stupid.

Everyone involved was stupid. According to the video on Fox, the driver passed a cop on a 2 lane road/highway because she was late for work. Then the similar aged female police officers decided to double down on stupid and do a coin flip.

July 27, 2018, 02:31 PM

StarTraveler

quote:
Originally posted by tatortodd:
quote:
Originally posted by StarTraveler:
Finally got the video to play on my phone. This took place on Highway 92, which has a 45 MPH posted speed limit over its entire length through Roswell. What the officers did was stupid.
Everyone involved was stupid. According to the video on Fox, the driver passed a cop on a 2 lane road/highway because she was late for work. Then the similar aged female police officers decided to double down on stupid and do a coin flip.

Agreed, but I believe they just stopped on a two lane side street since one wouldn’t stop on the highway. Highway 92 stated in the video is six lanes (3-each way) for its entire run through town. She was still doing at least 35 over the limit and couldn’t have expected a good outcome.