I don't like to dump on police officers but that traffic stop (that lasted more than an hour!) was like nothing I've ever experienced in a traffic stop. The police were basically just jawboning with Brian like they were all buddies while Gabby was seated in the police car. When it became apparent that the cops were considering Gabby the aggressor and even contemplating arresting her and taking her to jail, I was just shaking my head.
It was rather bizarre.
If you go back over the past thirty years...the recruitment and hiring practices are out-of-whack for the police. Doesn’t matter if you are talking urban or rural.
The cop who drove Brian to the Bowen Motel for the night shared with Brian that his own wife had anxiety. Once she was prescribed medication for anxiety, she was a much better person. Made his quality of life better too.
Add this to the fact the cop arranged for Brian's motel stay to be reimbursed. Meanwhile, cop gave Gabby the name of a public shower facility where she could pay $4-5 for a shower.
FWIW...
Have you ever been pulled over because somebody dialed 911 and reported an altercation between you and one of your passengers?
The police did what was reasonable and logical at the time. The separated the two participants, interviewed them both, and interviewed the eyewitness who saw the original altercation.
The police decided not to arrest Ms. Polito for her attack on her boyfriend. Instead they made them stay the night apart from each other.
That seems like a reasonable action given what was known then.
She was the one hitting on him. So yes, she was the aggressor.
In the not too distant past the police were inclined to allow victims of domestic violence to refuse to press charges. This required police to leave some people in situations that threatened their well-being when they might have been coerced into not pressing charges.
Many jurisdictions enacted laws which require police to arrest one participant if the other, as in this case, shows signs of injury. The cops spent over an hour finding a way around this law. They decided that Petito’s intent was critical to the necessity of charging her. That is not what the legislature expected to happen in cases like this.
Since Laundrie would have signed a waiver of the “no contact” order the next morning, the police decision perhaps would not have changed a thing.
I can guarantee the NEXT time those cops are in that position, they WILL arrest. It happens more than what is commonly known, cops give them a break and something terrible happens.
I’ve read about cops that have suicided themselves over the guilt over their decision that if they had only done what they should have done.