Union protects cop who drove drunk at 143 mph - here's another union story for ya:
Cop Drives Drunk at 143 MPH, Union Reuses to Let Him Get Fired!
By Warner Todd Huston
These are the kind of stories that makes one shake his head both in disgust and bewilderment. The Denver police union has stuck up for a brother… one that was driving drunk at 143 MPH endangering fellow officers and the public alike. Why? Because unions are stupid, that’s why.
The officer, Derrick Curtis Saunders, was clocked at 143 MPH by a Colorado State Patrolman. When the trooper stopped Saunders he discovered the off-duty Denver policeman was also drunk. Not only that but the drunk officer driving at 88 MPH above the posted speed limit was doing all this in a borrowed car. He also endangered a passenger in that car! There are so many violations of standards, the law, good sense and trustworthiness that it boggles the mind here.
For the incident, Saunders was charged with driving while impaired and reckless driving. He was fined $300, served five days in jail, and performed 100 hours of community service. Back home in Denver his own police department reviewed his suitability as a policeman and decided to fire him for his monumental disregard for the law.
On Dec. 7, Denver Manager of Safety Alex Martinez issued a statement about officer Saunders which read in part: “Your misconduct demonstrates a willful and wanton disregard of Department values and demonstrates a serious lack of character related to fitness to hold the position of police officer, a Category F violation.” And so, the Denver police fired Saunders.
Well, that was the final straw for the Denver police union. I guess they felt it was bad enough that Saunders was so maligned by that evil, rotten city official that they just couldn’t stand by while kindly officer Saunders was fired for his minor slip up.
The Union duly objected to this “harsh” penalty.
The penalty is “disproportionate to the offenses alleged and/or is excessive so as to be punitive rather than corrective in nature,” according to the appeal, filed by the Denver Police Protective Association’s lawyers.
Seriously? This criminal cop was speeding several times the speed limit, was drunk, was in a borrowed car, had a passenger that he endangered, and was convicted of all this, yet the union doesn’t see the good sense in firing this guy? Seriously!?
Perhaps Saunders has some other troubles, too. Recently Saunders had an altercation at a local McDonald’s that culminated in what the counter workers claimed was Saunders drawing his service revolver and waving it at them. Why did he do this? Apparently because the McDonald’s workers weren’t serving him fast enough. Saunders was recently cleared of those charges, but still, add in this new speeding altercation and we see what might amount to one troubled fellow, one that should not be a cop.
Like I said, this is why unions should be eliminated most especially from areas where public safety is the number one goal. Unions have shown themselves to be incapable of making adult decisions for our public employees. Public employee unions are antithetical to good government. They should be made illegal like they were previous to 1958.
rightpundits.com |
