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A Difficult Moment for Traffic Cops

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Old 06-30-19, 07:17 PM
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mmarshall
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Default A Difficult Moment for Traffic Cops

I'm not sure if this thread belongs more in Car Chat or Clubhouse, but it is an interesting, if somewhat long, 30-minute+ video.

It's always a difficult and awkward situation when cops have to arrest one of their own superiors...it makes the whole organization look bad. But a blue uniform, even with higher-ranking stripes on it, does not excuse someone or place them above DUI/DWI laws. We had a case here in Northern Virginia, not that long ago, where the Alexandria, VA Police Chief on the road, was stopped and arrested by ordinary police right next door, in Arlington, on a DUI/DWI charge (Virginia does not differentiate between the two like some other states do...you are either under the influence of you're not). In this video, in a small New Jersey town near Cape May, a police Lieutenant was stopped in his pickup truck by regular cops on patrol after calls came in of an erratic-driving black Silverado. Turned out he was 0.36 on the BAC....a whopper, four and a half times New Jersey's legal BAC limit. You can probably guess the rest of it.....I don't have to tell you much more.


I see no Palisades in stock. Guess I'll have to check back.

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Old 06-30-19, 09:11 PM
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Nice post MM.

You can tell it was definitely a difficult situation, but they handled it well.
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Old 07-01-19, 06:11 AM
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Originally Posted by bagwell
Nice post MM.

Thanks.

You can tell it was definitely a difficult situation, but they handled it well.
Yes they did....and so did their boss, other police Lieutenant, down at the police station, who was the current Supervisor on duty. When the two traffic cops called in, by radio, to report the unusual situation and ask for instructions, the supervisor told them to treat the suspect like they would any other, handcuff him, and bring him down to the station in the police car, in the back seat (he wanted to ride up front). In other words, strict police policy...no breaks or exceptions. His Chief would probably have also approved.

The fact that the suspect turned out to have an 0.36 on the numbers pretty much shows they did the right thing by nabbing him. He ended up losing his job on the force.

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Old 07-01-19, 07:20 AM
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I don't see what the issue is. Police get arrested all the time. Dumb idiot cop to drive while impaired. Send him to jail. And fire his ***.
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Old 07-01-19, 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
The fact that the suspect turned out to have an 0.36 on the numbers pretty much shows they did the right thing by nabbing him. He ended up losing his job on the force.
i don't need to watch the video, that's all i need to know. what he did was reckless and dangerous and he above all should know better. big mistake. no doubt he'll still enjoy his cushy pension for the rest of his days.
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Old 07-01-19, 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by LexsCTJill
I don't see what the issue is. Police get arrested all the time.
Most cops are honest....there are a few bad apples. I think what this video shows, though, is not so much that but how difficult it is for the honest cops to have to deal with the dishonest ones.....particularly when they are your superiors or outrank you.



And fire his ***.
Originally Posted by bitkahuna
big mistake. no doubt he'll still enjoy his cushy pension for the rest of his days.


He did in fact lose his job, though the video I posted didn't go much into the details of how it was done. This next article gave more info.It says he is no longer getting any police pay...though it is unclear if that also means a loss of pension as well.


https://nj1015.com/nj-cops-36-dwi-ar...et-for-a-year/


The drunk-driving arrest of a veteran South Jersey police officer whose blood alcohol level tested at over four times the legal limit is coming to light over a year later — because material members of the public obtained through public records requests was posted online.

Lower Township police Lt. John Chew, 48, was stopped in the Erma section of Lower Township in his Chevrolet pickup truck on April 27, 2018 after several 911 calls were received about an erratic driver operating at a high rate of speed, according to a case file posted online by an individual or group using the names "Real World Police" and "Real World Media." Lower Township police have acknowledged the documents and a body camera video when asked by New Jersey 101.5 about them.



After failing a roadside sobriety test, Chew, who had been off-duty at the time of the stop, was charged with DWI.

The arrest did not appear in a police blotter post on the Lower Township Police Facebook page for the time period of the arrest, or in reports posted in subsequent weeks. There did not appear to have been any coverage of it by the state's news outlets at the time.

"I requested it not be published at that time because an Internal Affairs complaint against Lt. Chew had been initiated and we are required by the Attorney General Guidelines to maintain confidentiality," Executive Officer Capt. Martin Biersbach told New Jersey 101.5 in an email Monday.

According to the arrest report, Chew blew a .36 during his sobriety test.



The 23-year-veteran of the force — who had just been promoted a few months earlier — was stopped by two officers on Honeysuckle Road just off Route 9. In video of the stop
the officers are seen in the position of investigating and eventually arresting a superior officer. They say they must do everything during the stop "by the book" because the stop will likely be closely scrutinized. One of the arresting officers during the video comments several times that Chew had been had been his first sergeant.

Police reports identify the officers at the scene as Patrolman Michael Nuscis and then-Cpl. John Armbruster.

The officers are seen in the video administering a roadside sobriety test, but Chew appears to have difficulty putting one foot in the front of the other, and holds onto his truck balance. Chew tells the officers he does not want to complete the test and he is placed under arrest.

The video shows man who identifies himself as a neighbor and friend named "Mike" offering to drive the pickup to Chew's nearby home — Chew tells the officers during the video he's only a half-mile from home — but the officers decline, saying Chew's superior officer told them the truck had to be towed.

Chew refuses to be escorted to the patrol cars that had stopped him. The video shows him walking over on his own and sitting down in the front passenger seat. The officers tell him he has to sit in the back and needs to be cuffed.

The video shows Chew crossing his arms and tucking his hands into his armpit, refusing to be cuffed. Chew is never seen wearing cuffs in the video.

Later, at the police headquarters, Chews gave a middle finger repeatedly to a fellow lieutenant when asked if he understood his Miranda rights, according to a supplementary arrest report.

"Upon asking the last question if he wished to answer questions he again extended his middle finger in my direction. I advised I would consider that a NO," Lt. William C. Priole.

Chew initially refused to sit for a booking photo but eventually agreed, according to the report. He announced he was retiring the next day, the report says. A supplemental investigative report included in the case file says he was informed he'd be suspended administratively.

An expert used by State Police in the past, and hired by Chew's legal team, reviewed his arrest and wrote a 12-page report alleging several problems with the investigation and arrest, including questioning the use of the smell of alcohol to and the observation of Chew's bloodshot eyes to determine he was intoxicated.

A summary of the case by Real World Police in its YouTube video description says Chew pleaded guilty on Sept 13, 2018 to driving under the influence and was fined nearly $700, was required to use an ignition interlock for six months following a seven-month license suspension, and was required to spend 12 hours a week in a intoxicated driver resource center. Biersbach told New Jersey 101.5 that was indeed his understanding of the penalties.

Biersbach also told New Jersey 101.5 Chew is no longer with the department or receiving any pay.

“We made every effort to assist Lt. Chew with his issues but were unsuccessful. We take our officers' behaviors serious on and off duty. My understanding is that a retirement has been filed for but I have no additional information beyond that. We wish him well in the future," he said in an email to New Jersey 101.5.

Chew is married with two children was a member of the county SWAT team, according to a Cape May County Herald report about his promotions.

According to correspondence published by OPRAmachine, a service that assists with requests for documents available under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act, materials in the case file were requested by Robert McKnight on May 30. However, he told Biersbach in follow-up correspondence that it wouldn't be necessary to send the video, because of the difficulties in delivering large video files.

Real World Media followed up with a request for the video and made arrangements for it to be delivered electronically. Biersbach told Real World Media there was no bodycam footage available from Nuscis because of a technical issue, but that the incident should have been completely recorded by Armbruster's footage, which was provided.

During Biersbach's correspondence with McKnight, the captain told him initially he was awaiting advice from counsel on releasing the documents, including DWI reports, tow reports, alcohol reports, investigation and supplementary reports, because the matter was subject to an ongoing investigation. When McKnight responds that the ongoing investigation has no bearing on the information he's seeking, Biersbach replies to make arrangements to send the files. New Jersey law generally requires at least certain information be made publicly available once an arrest has been made and charges filed.
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Old 07-01-19, 04:12 PM
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Most cops are honest?
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Old 07-01-19, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
I think what this video shows, though, is not so much that but how difficult it is for the honest cops to have to deal with the dishonest ones.....particularly when they are your superiors or outrank you.
So what? Every police force has its protocol on how to handle this type of situation. The body cameras were working as designed . These cops who arrested him might of acted differently if there were no cams.

Originally Posted by mmarshall
He did in fact lose his job, though the video I posted didn't go much into the details of how it was done. This next article gave more info.It says he is no longer getting any police pay...though it is unclear if that also means a loss of pension as well.
Good. I am glad he lost his job. Lost his pay
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Old 07-01-19, 05:52 PM
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either that lieutenant drank to excess every single day (including while on duty) for the last 10+ years leading up to this video or that breathalyzer needs to be calibrated because 99% of humans would not be able to stand on two feet at that BAC
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Old 07-01-19, 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by BoDarville
either that lieutenant drank to excess every single day (including while on duty) for the last 10+ years leading up to this video or that breathalyzer needs to be calibrated because 99% of humans would not be able to stand on two feet at that BAC
He is a pretty good-sized fellow (though not quite as big as I am). While a lot of variables are involved, in general, the larger the person is physically, the more alcohol it takes to affect them.
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Old 07-01-19, 06:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Kense
Most cops are honest?

In my experience, yes. I've only met one or two in my life that I thought were unreasonable or said/did something questionable.
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