First the good news... Fewer people are out on the streets driving drunk. According to our Eyes behind the badge, either because people are getting the message or because of the economic downturn it's getting increasingly difficult to find drivers who've loaded up and started up - which means we're all a little safer these days.
The bad news is that it's getting increasingly difficult to find drivers who've loaded up and started up. Bad news? Yep. When drunks were plentiful on the city's roads, catching them was like shooting fish in a barrel. Simply wait for an illegal lane change or a serving vehicle and odds are you've found a drunk. It seems that these days, the drunks are staying home or finding rides home.
The problem is that the men and women of the DWI unit are having to work a lot harder to keep us safe from the remaining people who just can't seem to get the message. Understand, it's not due to a lack of effort, it's simply because drunk drivers are harder to find these days. We doubt we'll ever see it but, the true measure of the DWI unit's success would be its obsolesence.
Since arrests are the measuring stick by which politicians and bureaucrats determine success, fewer arrests mean trouble for supervisors in the DWI unit. Never fear, Sergeant Josh McDonald has found a simple way to make sure that his unit maintains their arrest numbers... simply require officers to make a certain number of arrests per night.
Of course, quotas in law enforcement are highly illegal - they lead to officer desperation and law enforcement by any means necessary. It doesn't take a lawyer to figure out that quotas lead at the very least to questionable arrests and potential civil rights violations.
As of Friday night, officers in the DWI unit are required to bag 1.75 drivers per night who are allegedly already in the bag. We're really not sure what the hell the .75 thing is about. Does that mean 1 drunk and someone who's 3/4s drunk? Does that mean a BAC of .08 or above and a .06? In any case, it puts pressure on officers to arrest regardless of reasonable suspicion - perhaps even to manufacture arrests.
If an officer fails to meet their quota, they will receive a verbal reprimand. The second "offense" results in a written reprimand. The third quota failure results in removal from the unit. Our Eyes tell us that there is currently a DWI officer on a Personal Improvement Plan (PIP) for failing to meet Sergeant McDonald's quota.
Look, the officers of the DWI unit work hard. A reduction in the number of arrests because there simply aren't as many drunk drivers on the road is a good thing. The officers should receive a pat on the back not reprimands for failing to meet quotas.
This is just another example of poor management and arrogance of The 5th Floor. Just like over in SID, the DWI unit is playing fast and loose with the law. It's a state of affairs that is simply unacceptable. APD must be above reproach and the officers who lead the department must likewise be above reproach.
Certainly responsibility rests with Chief Schultz and his DCs, but ultimately the responsibility for the behavior of APD management rests with the mayor.
The good news is that we're all safer on the roads at night. The bad news is that - thanks to quotas - there's pressue on officers to make arrests regardless of merit.
30 comments:
Just pull over any vehicle with any form of Fire Department affiliation i.e. Union stickers, plates. You know they are gonna be drunk.
AFD, and BCFD are good for no less than 3 DWI's on any given night!
If not DWI than for sure beating there wives, kids, and or someother mischevious deeds.
The majority of the DWI unit arrests are from field officers that stopped a drunk and turn the investigation over to the DWI Officer.
The other numbers are from roadblocks.
The DWI officers log on at 6 pm, go to the gym work out, go have dinner, go get a cup of coffee, then around 10 pm wait for field officers to request them.
They stop taking field requests for assistance around 1 am so they can go home after their 10 hour shift.
DWI officers work a ten hour shift, and are required by their chain of command to work saturation patrol at least 2 nights per week.
While they spend many hours per the week attending court for overtime they are all volunteers for this unit.
With the level of crime increasing it's no wonder DWI numbers are decreasing...the field officers are not finding the drunks to hand over to the DWI officers because they are handling calls for service.
Maybe training is needed or maybe its time for the DWI officers to stop parking their cars waiting for field officers to call for them and actually go patrol the streets in search of the DWI offenders. Better yet, switch their hours to 9-5 Friday to Tuesday and Wednesday to Saturday or assign a DWI officer to each graveyard team.
Most are in the unit to get the overtime money. If the new hours won't work disband the unit (which won't be politically correct) and assign them to regular patrol.
It's a hard choice but the right one.
DWI unit usually get 3 or 4 arrests a night each anyways? whats this 1.6 number? or whatever it is?
10 hour shifts and after workout time and group lunch they only actually work 6 hour shifts! I know when I worked graveyard there were no DWI unit available after 3AM at the latest. Yet drunks are out till at least 6 AM if not 24/7.
Just disband them or put them in those highly needed and sought after power squads haha!
You caanot be that stupid. 1.75 per day in a four day work week is 7 arrests. Why would you think the readers do not understand? Do you think cops have a double digit IQ? We might not have advanced degrees, but we are not fools.
Of course the DWI Unit should get all that overtime without producing any DWI busts. How dare anyone question their sweet little gig?
I hear DWI units going 54 all night and have seen them have 2 or more drunks in custody at once... they are a hard working unit, and also the most visible unit in the department.
As for the whiners who complain that they can't get a DWI unit after 3.... hello... you are a cop right? You were never promised that you would get a DWI unit... you did get the NHTSA training right? Do your own DWI and stop complaining about the DWI unit... let them go look for their own too. Doesn't the Field Services SOP say that field units should do their own DWI?
As for the DWI unit guys... Make Josh look good... go out there and just arrest everyone... probable cause or not... get those numbers for him and for Les Brown who wants to be a Commander so bad he is allowing Josh to run wild.
Enough is enough! All I ever hear is complaining and all the complaints for the most part boil down to a lack of officers. The Mayor and chief should have had APD built up to 1250 real "accountable" officers five yes (5) years ago. Time for real chanage. Bye Marty!
I'm suprised you don't already know about the quotas SID and DWI units have to meet. It hasn't been recently, but unwarranted arrests have been going on for years. If they went back to busting drunks rather than making up stories, the public would trust them, but they have not earned the public's trust. Who is safe anymore? Anyone who is out between 10 and 2 know that the streets are almost empty. Most of us are already safe without them driving around fishing. It's all about overtime pay, and nothing else.
Come on, it's not that hard to find drunks...drive around and look for them all night. That's what the DWI unit does. There's the Caravan, there's the downtown bars, and sports bars all over town. BTW: Good job DWI Unit and any patrol officers that find these drunks and take them off the streets, quota or not!
APD should put the DWI guys back in graveyard squads. Let them answer to a field sergeant.
While your at it, disband traffic and put them back in squads also, dayshift and swing shift.
Let's do this to all the specialized units. We will get more work out of them and they can share their expertise with other officers.
This blog does nothing but insult officers. We are not fools and we should not alow this person divide us. Why would we allow a person insult our intelligence and turn us on our brothers.
No crying, just a better way to run things.
Why is it whenever someone says to try something different, the old school starts calling names? This is an important topic to discuss, I do believe it is worth our time to look into getting rid of a number of specialized units and placing them back in squads. This would better serve the public. And that is what we are here for, serving the public and not ourselves.
That's right. Lets disband all specialized units. That way, My hostage call can hold while the swat guy takes his domestic violence call. It should only take about a day of having a body lying on the street while we wait for the homicide detectives to clear their calls and be dispatched.
Decentralize the entire department. Getthe street manpower at least to 700. Crime WILL go down and then the DAs office and Judges will be to blame.
Look everyone DWI Officers work their butts off. Field Officers work their butts off. I know I am a Field Officer. I run from call to call all night and I am thankful when DWI Officers help me out. My Sergeant allows it because it keeps me free for my primary job.CALLS FOR SERVICE. This makes sense to me. Lets all take a breath and a step back and read the story. The problem is Sgt. MC Donald and all thoes that allow him to impose quotas on his officers. Quotas are ILLEGAL.
SWAT guy taking a DV. Now that's funny. That's like a motor officer taking a traffic accident.
"That's right. Lets disband all specialized units. That way, My hostage call can hold while the swat guy takes his domestic violence call. It should only take about a day of having a body lying on the street while we wait for the homicide detectives to clear their calls and be dispatched"
Now you know that is just fear mongering. Many other departments have decentralized and it works. Stop spreading fear. None of this will happen anyway, APD is too engrained in the old ways and officers are more interested in protecting their interests, instead of doing what is right for the community.
APD did Decentralize some of the units (motors, auto theft, burglary ect) probably before your time and guess what it did not work, so quit crying. We need all the units but for those officers/detectives in units that are 8-hour loafs, their supervisor should send them to the field. For the superisor in specialized unit that is a 8-hour loaf they to should be sent to the field. I know there are plenty of officers/detectives/ect. who should be working for creamland and rainbow bread. So all should quit milking calls and please don't be a 8-hour loaf. When you act that way all you do is put more work on your brother/sister.
I was here when we decentralized and the only reason it did not work was because of lard butts like yourself who did everything you could do to ensure it failed.
You are not interested in what is good for the public, you are only interested in yourself.
I like the way you now point fingers at people who milk calls, I am sure you are doing this to protect your own lazy butt.
Why did you pin on a badge?
Lt. B. Carr has a quota for Northeast day shift all though the coward will not put it in writing. This is typical of the worthless leadership on this department.
Northeast day shift has to write 30 traffic citations, 5 (@#$% with the homeless) citations, 5 graffiti referrals, and a BS Tac-plan every month.
A quota is a quota…
"I was here when we decentralized and the only reason it did not work was because of lard butts like yourself who did everything you could do to ensure it failed."
How dare you call me a lard butt I am a worker and always have been you don't even know me like I don't know you, but with your statement you need to go see Dr. Duran or her assistance take a few depression pills too. What a jerk you are, and your butt is probably full of dimples and or pimples YUCK....
Any way we all know some officers milk calls get over it its not new and it will continue through out your carrer and who knows maybe you are the one that needs to go work at Creamland hahahahahaha.
Well its not a quata its called standards just do it. Its really is not that hard at all. 30 cites I think the other area commands need 35 cites, no problem. Motors have to turn in over 100 cites might be double that don't work there but this has been going on forever. You might be one the the ones that milk calls and just add bs to your stats. Oh but now with tracs its wonderfull no more make belive cites I love that program.
Standards or Quota it's the same thing. What are they going to do sentence me to the field? Oh I forgot I’m already in the field. Been there done that.
we have a swat team?
You’re missing the point moron. The department says it has no quotas they have standards. It’s the same thing!!
With no standards or quotas a few of you would do nothing.
As a former 34 let me remind you that everyone bitches about the specialized units and the specialized units bitch about the field. Some of it is true both ways, but live with it. That's the way it's set up, and each does some aspects of the job well. Be happy with where you are at, and if not, switch. I still never understood why everyone thought they worked harder than everyone else. This is not the forum to be bashing your 82.
Eye---Do you have proof of this, or is this one of your made up fantasies?
What's the punishment for not meeting thier "Standards". Put you in the field?? That's what I thought...It's all BS
why do u gotta bring creamland and rainbow into this? last i looked they do their jobs?
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