"There was booze in the air that night, the cop's ni-night, Fernando."

Seriously, the Miami police are a freaking joke.

The latest incident, the Herald said, has now led to an internal affairs investigation as to why supervisors on the scene allowed Villa to avoid jail, an apparent violation of department policy.

We certainly wouldn't want to violate department policy. But, the law? Eh, we're cops -- who cares?

The latest Keystone Kops-like episode came when an off-duty cop was discovered passed out and drunk in his patrol car, the Miami-Dade, Fla., police department told local media.

Hey, I just saw this on the last episode of Dexter. Talk about life imitating art.

:)

Hey, I just saw this on the last episode of Dexter

Hahaha. Good call, Jahmekan. I freakin' love Dexter. Too bad the real Miami PD can't imitate the show in other ways . . . like effectively fighting crime for instance.

Just one more embarrassing event in Floriduh.

It's been hard to leave New England and find myself in this wasteland.

Although it's warmer and I've found many good friends down here.

Short of Seminole Indians, everyone is from someplace else.

It's not the deep South.

We need more liberals to come down and fight off the rabid right.

Special treatment, for above the law cops huh? If that was just an average citizen, their butts would be in jail. This is what happens when you lower the standards.

What is more liberal than a drunken cop, Rustyboy?

Just one more embarrassing event in Floriduh.

No kidding, Rusty. As I said on another thread recently, what the heck is goin' on in Florida these days? I mean, aside from the various PR debacles emanating from the Miami PD, you've got the gal who tried to sell her baby for $7k and the gal who took over a thousand porn shots of her own kids . . . and those are just this week's crazy goings-on in the sunshine state!!

Huhhhhhhhhhhhh ??? You mean cops aren't allowed to drive drunk? ..LOL

And if you photograph one driving drunk ... you'll get time in the slammer ! ..lol

Somethin is just not quite right ..............................

So it WAS Quinn in the car. I knew it. That guys needs to sober up and get over Deb. Geez, I mean who proposes to a hooker? Oh wait...don't answer that.

Hey PDK A-hole, some of US are not up to date on watching Dexter - Keep your comments to yourself about what's happening on shows! Some of us have to work for a living and cannot afford a recorder or Tivo.

Don't forget, Florida gave us Janet Reno, also.

@ about that

Why are you bashing on PDK?

I don't get your message. Who said anything about Tivo?

Hey PDK A-hole, some of US are not up to date on watching Dexter - Keep your comments to yourself about what's happening on shows!

Wow. I didn't realize saying that I love the show and agreeing w. someone else's comment about it necessitated a "spoiler alert." Sorry for being such an A-hole . . . [eyes rolling]

Oh, daryl, if only that would actually happen -- but, we can still dream, can't we? The really sad thing is, we taxpayers give these people a license to kill and instead of respecting that honor, an unbelieveable number of them turn out to be worse than the criminals. America has been turning on itself for decades, and now, there's no turning back.

P.S. to about that --

**Spoiler Alert**

-

-

-

-

Kevin Spacey is "Keyser Söze."

Daryl- don't forget George Bush and all those "hanging chads!

It looks like no coffee and donuts for this guy anymore! (well- maybe some coffee....)

Car 54 where are you?

Jupiter police aren't much better. Recently one was stopped for DUI in Martin County and allowed to go free after the cop discovered he also was a cop, excuse was that the working cop was too busy to process him. Also a Jupiter cop crashed his patrol car on Indiantown road into some trees on his way for duty, he was too drunk to drive in the morning! Nothing ever happens to these drunks except maybe some time off with pay.

I thought for sure they were gonna say his name was Joey Quinn...

@PDK - omg, I practically peed in my pants about the Keyser Soze comment! Love that movie. Thanks for the laugh : )

I thought for sure they were gonna say his name was Joey Quinn...

Careful there, impatient girl -- "about that" isn't caught up on Dexter yet, due to his/her hectic work schedule and lack of funds for a Tivo ;)

New penalty for DUI in Florida - a paid vacation.

I still don't know who shot J.R. - so please, no more posts at all.......from anyone........about anything

I still don't know who shot J.R.

Hahahaha!

@PDK - omg, I practically peed in my pants about the Keyser Soze comment! Love that movie. Thanks for the laugh : )

My pleasure, Lalipop. As an incurable smart-ass, I consider confessions of near-involuntary leakage to be the ultimate compliment ;)

You know things are wacky in Florida when news of criminality continues to be about the cops rather than the robbers.

Well I am glad the media acknowledged this pattern in FL first. Saves us Newsvine people the time...

You'd think after the recent Cops vs Super Troopers story that Police Chiefs would discourage these guys from using Miami as their own personal playground. But FL fuzz must like having their names in the paper. Why don't they just give them an extra week's vacation every year? It would save them the trouble of going to such an extreme, just to get some paid time off!

Kinda funny, the displaced yankees, bad mouthing the State of Florida. Only eight percent of the Florida population is native.Most of the rest, that are there legally ,are transplants from NY,NJ, the mid west. Florida simply has the right wing of those states in their population. The last FL cracker in office, was Lawton Chiles, a moderate Dem.

So when your bashing FL , your really bashing NY,NJ,MI , IA, etc.

@ scar

Exactly my point. But they all find their way here.

Hey, about that a-hole,

If you are working so hard at your job that doesn't pay you enough to have a Tivo, why are you trolling the Internet when you could be working at a real job? Get off the couch, put some pants on, and get off welfare.

Bad Troll!

What is it you get exactly...Cops smearing human feces on one anothers cars and passing out drunk in their patrol cars? As convenient as it would be to just blame it on blacks, mexicans, and democrats I'm not sure that makes any sense whatsoever.

Smearing feces on another cops car. And passed out drunk in your own car. Sounds like a college frat party. NOT officers of the law. I guess next they will be wearing toga's with a badge.

Frat kids wear badges?

"all of the political and ethnic groups"

You pretty much blamed the planet and exposed your ignorance at the same time. How ironic.

No, not ironic, Charles --- typical. It's much easier to lay blame on others when you don't have the guts to face the monster in the mirror.

Get real. I watched the standards drop to allow ethnic groups in. Either pass the same test or find another line of work. but no, the ACLU and all the others fought to make testing equal to that of a kindergarten class. We get people now who can barely get out of their own way or construct a legible sentence.

When you start seeing reports that look like a text message, you know something is up. Every time we tried to mandate college retirements, those same groups filed complaints and forced them back. So now you deal with these idiots. You get what you pay for in this world.

Scalzo- don't upset the libs- they get red in the face and start jumping up and down, then the cops get called, then the ACLU steps in, and it's just a big mess.

Get what we pay for? Oh, if only that were true! But I do agree with one thing --- standards should never be lowered, as it implies that one group isn't capable of attaining such standards.

The school I attended was pretty hard to get into. I got in because of my 4.0 average -- and paid my own tuition. I can't tell you how many times I was accused (by others who couldn't get in) of getting in because of affirmaive action, or some other program. I worked two jobs and maintained good grades throughout, but there were those who just couldn't (or wouldn't) believe that it was through my own efforts. Ironically, the same thing happens to my son -- who is not only a disabled Iraqi vet, but a chemistry major at a top school. Some, and let me stress, some who can't get in (because not all are like that) like to point the finger at him (instead of looking at their own shortcomings) and accuse him of getting a "free ride" through college!

Amazing -- the more things change, the more they stay the same.

This is just typical "above the law" behavior by cops in this country. They should be held to "at least" the same standard as everyone else. Cops have a bully mentality that is encouraged and supported by our society and I am not sure why. Everyone says, "Oh, but they put their lives on the line every time they pull someone over." Bull, there are other more dangerous jobs, like firemen, farming, solders, hell even crab fishermen. If they can't handle the pressure without abusing their authority, then hire people that can. This "code of silence" with the cops should be punishable by criminal prosecution and termination too.

Every time we tried to mandate college retirements, those same groups filed complaints and forced them back.

R. Scalzo -- does the "we" in your above statement indicate that you were personally involved in the standards efforts somehow? Not trying to start an argument or anything -- just curious to understand if your claims derive from personal experience to which the average citizen wouldn't necessarily be privy.

Terry: Those abusive actions are punishable offenses. The bad part is that the complaint needs to get to the correct person/persons. Couple that with the fact that a many people won't report the police because they feel that nothing will be done, or that their complaint will be blown off as a nuisance complaint (No further action required).

R Scarzo....you need to pull your head out. You are the type that tries to find every excuse to whine when there is no reason to. Lowered standards/testing has allowed many that look just like you into the system, and they are in the news for screwing up even worse than this case, and doing it on a daily basis. Of course you can't/won/t see this glaring fact because you don't want to. I could cite you many cases of this, but all you need to do is a little online research and you'd see for yourself.

Hey PDK,

R. Scarzo clearly never read Mark Twain in his push for higher educational standards.

It was Twain who said, "No one should use the word 'we' except Kings, pregnant women, and people with frogs in their pockets."

I think perhaps Mr. Scarzo is in the last group.

Devil's Advocate, I think you missed an important part:

"Superiors were summoned, the Herald quoted department officials, and Loftus was telephoned. When explained the situation, Loftus said he ordered Villa be booked and arrested."

So it is not as you say, "cops live by their own set of rules and the laws we all have to follow do NOT apply to them." It was one "rogue" cop that did not follow his superior's orders. Be careful not to generalize.

Under department policy, “promise to appear” notices are given in lieu of a physical arrest only for low-level misdemeanors, not felonies or DUIs.

er, RockDoctor...... how many times have you or I gotten away with a 'go home, clean up, and come back later when you're feeling better' from the cops?

It was more than "one" rogue cop---at least two cops responded and were the ones who let him go. And I'm sure if the media hadn't got wind of it we'd never have heard a thing. Try again.

Of course they operate by their own rules. Would they call a supervisor to make a decision about a drunk driver if it was you or me?

Daryl- just right!- he got all that from the U.N. and the IAEA, our friends.

So what would you do, ignore all that, or just go back to Moscow?

In this day and age, cops protecting other cops and acting like local warlords is not really new. You see a cop, you brace yourself as if you're facing a bully/criminal/etc.

What's worse is the families and friends of cops because you never really know who they are until you realize that they are related to a police officer. The sons are playground/school bullies, the wives expect to be treated like royalty, and their friends drive like they own the road because they have this "badge" plaything mounted on their windshield.

RockDoctor

Devil's Advocate, I think you missed an important part:

"Superiors were summoned, the Herald quoted department officials, and Loftus was telephoned. When explained the situation, Loftus said he ordered Villa be booked and arrested."

yeah, couldn't be that loftus is lying to cover his ass cause cops wouldn't do something like that.

Ritdog,

Still waiting for that transcript from Faux News so you can start making sense.

(Please, nobody tell him that the cold war ended decades ago and that the only people here from Moscow are sex workers.)

Sure you never left a bar after one too many. A great deal posting here are hypocrites having driven legally drunk. So easy to point the finger.

scalzo, i doubt many of the people who are posting have been passed out drunk at work, especially on a job that requires you to drive.

Sounds like Scalzo has a major drinking problem of his own, doesn't it?

Scalzo: Police officers are wearing a symbol of public trust 24/7, and when they are on duty they are NOT expected to be incapable of performing their assigned duties. First you post about this happening because of lowered standards, posters are being hypocrites because YOU assume that they all drink and drive? You sir are lost in your own world of hate.

Scalzo - I know I certainly haven't. I don't even bring the car when I intend to drink so I have absolutely no temptation to get in it.

Perhaps you have a problem if you are making excuses like that.

Yeah Saclzo.

I did. It was in 1980, a week after the law changed from .1 to .08. I blew a .09. The cop even said, "A week ago we would have let you go." I went to a four hour lock up in the drunk tank and spent thousands in fines and insurance. Where was my supervisor, telling me I could go home?

Amen

Hey! He was simply bringing new meaning to the phrase "Taking one for the team!"

At least use the correct grammar.

in most states if you are drunk in your car with key in the ignition you are considered driving drunk. came as a surprise to me--happened to my daughter when she fell asleep in her car. she had been out drinking and was dropped off at her car parked in apartment lot. went to her car to get something and fell asleep. even though she could prove she did not drive that night her key was in the ignition and got a ticket for drunk driving. think this cop should get the same treatment-won't happen.

In Florida if you are in your vehicle, with keys in your possession, you are a DUI. In virginia, you can be charged with DUI while inside the bar, with your keys in your pocket. These are cops and they know the laws, they should abide by them, but when was the last time you saw them doojng that??

I love it when I see a police officer fly past me at like 30 over the speed limit to only stop at the next red light...

He was passed out in his IDLING patrol car! Just having the keys in the ignition even if the car isn't running or in view will get you a DUI..........If your not a cop.

Listen, Joe, I was arrested for DUI because I was sleeping it off in the back seat of my own car in the parking lot of the bar!! Thank god, the judge threw it out or I would have a criminal record for trying to the right thing!

in most states if you are drunk in your car with key in the ignition you are considered driving drunk

Sorry, but case law in those states doesn't back up that statement. "CAN" is the operative word and sitting in the vehicle, running or not must be on a public roadway. Sitting in a vehicle , intoxicated on private property in many instances doesn't fit the criteria of "operation".

Most of the comments are based on misinformation or just a total lack of knowledge in this area.Some of the comments are just plain ignorant.

!! Thank god, the judge threw it out or I would have a criminal record for trying to the right thing!

Private property was the fact in your case. In any case, it's not a criminal record. It's a motor vehicle record. A DUI does NOT show up on a CCH unless it's involved with a criminal charge usually resulting from a injury or death.

Happened to me recently and had four cops from Hamilton, NJ knocking on my window. I had passed out because it was late after a party and the windows were frozen so I cranked the defrost. Luckily they let me go if I found a place to stay close by but damn it was scary waking up to that.

r. scalzo---the state of north carolina department of motor vehicles does not consider the parking lot -though privately owned-- as off limits to patrol cars. my daughter hired an attorney-the case was heard in court and judge decided against her. very costly mistake--right or wrong it's lucrative for the community and they continue to cite for drunk driving even if on private property and even if not operating the vehicle. professional drunks know to throw the keys in the back seat before sleeping it off-----''just in case''.

Listen, I don't know exactly where it shows up, but I do know that a DUI conviction would have been enough for me to lose my job. I also know that in the company I work for, when you apply for a job, they do a background check. If you have a DUI, you don't get hired.

Either way, I don't want one on any record associated with my name -- which is why I crawled in the back seat of my car, rather than drive. This particular cop had been overstepping his authority for many years (even ticketing people in their driveways) and after years of complaining, they finally retired him - but not before folks and businesses filed complaints with the Attorney General. This cop was not a criminal, and he never (that I know of) brutalized anyone, but he sure put a damper on any late-night partying or bar hopping. Not a bad thing in the long run.

Daniel, in my experience, those who make broad generalizations about cops are just bitter about having been caught doing something wrong and are unwilling to accept the consequences of their own actions.

In other words, if you have had enough personal experience with cops to make a judgement like that, then you need to change your lifestyle.

ap

Funny how someone who accuses someone else of generalizations is usually doing the same thing. I guess that "a" stands for a$$#0!e.

That's the point, Mike...sometimes we do things to others so that they know how it feels when they do it. I'm not going to call you a vulgar name, though.

I'm not a cop, I just don't see the point in this hate-fest towards cops...just because there are some bad apples doesn't mean that they are all corrupt. Move to Mexico for awhile and then come tell me how awful our police force is in this country.

Oh, me thinks he doth protest too much!

Seriously, daryl and mike, don't you just love it when one American citizen (I'm assuming, here), tells another American citizen to leave the country just because they happen to disagree?

No, thanks, ap, I think we'll stay right here where we were born and keep exercising our right to voice our own opinion. And, while we're at it, maybe, just maybe, help to rid our police departments of corruption!!

In what universe does stating that I'm not a cop = protesting too much? And how did you interpret my comment to mean that I was telling them to leave the country? My point was that they should experience a different part of the world to get another perspective.

I agree that we should rid our police departments of corruption, but I'm not going to stand by while everyone stereotypes all of them. Police officers are humans just like any one of us, and some are good and some are bad. If people made generalizations about any other group of people, I bet you would jump all over them.

move to mexico to find out how bad our cops are. once again, two wrongs don't make a right ap.

Thank you, Hatr_Hurter -- I was beginning to think either I couldn't read or that Mexico had become part of the U.S.!!

I apologize to Daniel for my initial comment. I was trying to use a rhetorical device, but it came across badly, I guess. In the future, I will just be blunt:

Just two weeks past Thanksgiving, and you all want to gripe, you can't be grateful for anything or anyone. There may be some bad cops, and they deserve to be punished, but your life and property are pretty dang safe compared to the rest of the world because most of them are out there doing a tough job really well. Oh, and again: I am not a cop.

Kat, key words from my comment: "for awhile", meaning not permanently. I wasn't telling anyone to leave because they disagreed with me. Just thought they should try to see things from a different perspective. You read way too much into my comment.

I don't think so, ap. Unfortunately, going to another country just to witness corruption from police isn't necessary. In some cities, like my own for instance, hardly a week goes by where we don't hear something about a cop selling drugs or even robbing citizens (the latest involved shaking down Polish immigrants). The most heinous of all were the arrest of two cops who had raped a woman who had a fight with her boyfriend at the bar, and was walking home intoxicated. They offered her a ride home, assisted her in opening her door, forced their way in and took turns raping her! A neighbor heard her screams and dialed 911. One of the cops was caught running down the hall with no pants, and I don't remember how they caught the otner one (but they did). These two are the poster children of what's wrong with cops. This sounds like something from a television show, but it happened right here in one of the largest cities in the country.

Speaking of other countries, I was pulled over while driving in two different countries --- Japan and Canada. And, even though there was a language barrier (in Japan) and an illegal turn in Canada, both officers were as respectful (albeit, firm) as they could possibly be. While married to my ex (who was in the military), we were constantly driving across the country. I can honestly say that when we had encounters with State Troopers, they were almost always repsectful and professional. That's how any officer of the law should be, but unfortunately, not always.

And, what's with scolding people for airing their gripes? You think that means they're not grateful or thanful for what they work for? I think you may be a pretty nice person, but don't get so offended because people don't feel the same way you do. Maybe, just maybe, their experiences were different from yours.

kat--my daughter had years of dealing with this citation--hundreds of dollars in legal fees and higher insurance cost. lost job opportunities --and on and on. the insurance companies in north carolina have a very cozy relationship with the state legislators. insurance companies love to charge exorbitant premiums to people with dui tickets. if she had been drinking and drove her car i would have no sympathy for her but in this case she was a victim of an over zealous cop. add insult to injury---- it was a woman cop. so much for women sticking together.

Fair enough, kat. But just remember that you only hear about the bad stuff on the news. When nothing happens, it doesn't make the news. It is very unfair to say that most of our cops are more criminal than the criminals. I admitted that corruption exists in our police force, why won't you admit that there are many, many good cops?

Kind of reminds me of an incident that occurred in my area. An officer totaled his patrol car, he was driving in a 25 MPH neighborhood, he wasn't responding to any calls, but "miraculously" did damage to his vehicle more consistent with a 55MPH+ impact. No investigation, no breathalyzer test, no statements by the officer. The whole thing was simply called a "steering wheel malfunction" by the department. Anyone else would have been arrested on the spot and charged with "reckless endangerment" or some other similar charge. Police misconduct won't stop until we start holding those who abuse their authority criminally responsible.

caddy, rotflmfao....Super Troopers for sure!

That's what came to me.... where's the 'bear suit'????

Hey, CSI Vegas had a Miami spinoff, maybe Reno 911 is trying for the same thing!

I'm gonna pistol whip the next guy who says Shenanigans!

Crash,

As appalling as I find the fact that he was sent home... we still live in a country where he is presumed innocent. No matter how bad it looks, he deserves pay until he is convicted. At that time, he should go to jail for violating the public trust and be fired. But I do not support a 'rush to judgement' for anyone. I agree with everyone here who says he should be treated like any other drunk. That includes innocent until proved guilty.

it's not become, it's been dangerous for about 30 years now.

It was dangerous in 92 when I worked there