Damned if you do, damned if ya don’t.
It’s not like there have never been any incidences of people pretending to be cops….especially at night. And it isn’t like there is an easy way to determine (especially at night) that the vehicle behind you is really a cop or just a car with flashing lights on top.
And it isn’t like the suggested procedure if you aren’t sure is to turn on your emergency flashers and proceed to a lighted (and public) area in order that you can more easily identify the person as a uniformed officer with a badge and proper Police Department issued photo ID. ……
Unless, of course, you are in northern Porter County Indiana. Then, yer screwed unless you immediately pull over and wait to see what happens next.
It is bad enough that this happened. Worse, that Porter County has officers that behave like this (Sadly, nearly every police force has them (and knows it), and fails to weed them out) but worse, the Sheriff and his staff are “supporting our officer’s decision in this matter” .
This isn’t some lowlife with a record, where there (might) be a question regarding the decision not to pull over. Rather, this is a nurse, with absolutely zero record of criminal behavior. Yet the officer, Porter County Sheriff’s Department Patrolman William Marshall, escalated the incident into an arrest. Further, the police department and the County Prosecuting Attorney are pursuing this as a felony: resisting arrest.
The decisions made in this case bring into question the suitability of the officer to continue to exercise police powers. Further, the fact that his superiors, up to and including the Sheriff,support his actions bring into question the judgement of the entire department’s administration.
And now, they won’t back down. Nothing like doubling down on stupid.
This is Bad Policing. Period.
If they won’t come to their senses soon, she’ll end up with a felony charge which will later be overturned, but which will cause her difficulties finding employment as a nurse….which will end up in court….which will end in a multi-million dollar settlement that the County taxpayers will have to pay. All because some asshole didn’t get his authoiteh ticket punched that night.
And I will remember this next election. Both the Sheriff AND the Prosecuting Attorney that pursues this.
HT: Opie