Posted on 07/01/2004 6:32:27 AM PDT by 11th Earl of Mar
Report: Janklow Avoided Tickets 16 Times
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Former Rep. Bill Janklow, who resigned from Congress after being convicted in a highway death, was stopped 16 times by state troopers during his last term as governor but was never ticketed, according to a South Dakota Highway Patrol report.
Troopers felt they should not ticket Janklow out of respect for his authority and, in some cases, fear of retribution, said the report, written by the patrol superintendent, Col. Dan Mosteller, for Gov. Mike Rounds.
Mosteller said he never issued orders to go easy on Janklow. The two previous heads of the Highway Patrol, state Sen. Gene Abdallah and state Public Safety Director Tom Dravland, said they also did not order troopers not to stop Janklow.
Janklow was attorney general from 1975 to 1979, governor from 1979 to 1987 and re-elected governor in 1994. He was elected to Congress in November 2002 but resigned in January after being convicted of second-degree manslaughter, speeding, running a stop sign and reckless driving. He was speeding on a rural road when he ran a stop sign and struck a motorcyclist.
Prosecutors said he had a long habit of speeding.
Janklow told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he never asked for special treatment.
"I have never in my life said to a law enforcement officer or suggested to them that I not get a ticket," he said. "I was going on official business and I had the authority to exceed the speed limit when I had the emergency equipment on my vehicles."
While governor, he had emergency lights installed on vehicles he drove.
Janklow said he had to speed sometimes because he couldn't always fly.
"Almost every incident where I was driving as governor I was going to important things for South Dakota," he said. "I lived in Pierre. Pierre is 100 to 150 miles from anyplace where there's concentrations of people."
But he said officers had the right to cite him.
According to the report, obtained first by the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls:
-Four troopers did not ticket the former governor because they "felt they were instructed not to arrest the governor or feared repercussions by doing so."
-Five said they did not issue a ticket out of respect for his office.
-Five others said they thought the governor had authority to do what he was doing.
-Two officers had left the Highway Patrol and no reasons were given for their failure to issue a citation.
A more detailed report on Janklow's driving is part of the court records sealed in connection with Janklow's trial for the deadly crash that occurred last August.
Mosteller told the Argus Leader the report has prompted a new emphasis on making sure troopers know and understand the agency's policy on traffic stops and discretion in deciding whether to issue warnings or tickets.
"I said regardless of who it is or what they are or what they think they are, there'll be no backlash or no criticism from my office, nor will there be any criticism coming from the governor's office," Mosteller said.
A check by The Associated Press last year of computerized court-system records showed Janklow received 12 speeding tickets in 11 South Dakota counties from 1990 to 1994 and paid more than $1,000 in fines for driving as much as 20 mph over the speed limit. The records showed no speeding tickets after Janklow became governor again in November 1994.
"Because I could!"
More equal than others I guess.
I'm sure he didn't oppose any of the revenue collected when others paid their speeding tickets.
We've got the same situation here in Penna, with lib-dem scum Gov "Fast Eddie" Rendell's cars getting stopped for speeding. At least they haven't killed anyone... yet. Made the papers, but they squelched it.
Yep, if the ones who we (foolishly) empower to enact and enforce laws are not bound to them, then why should the citizenry be bound to them?
Because, they're Better than we are.
And, of course, the money gained is to be used "For the Children."
Four troopers did not ticket the former governor because they "felt they were instructed not to arrest the governor or feared repercussions by doing so."
You don’t “feel you were instructed.”
You were either instructed to let him speed or you were not instructed to let him speed.
Feelings!
feared repercussions...and hoped for favors?
And now that somebody's dead, they're claiming that they "felt" they were instructed, I guess by the unspoken thoughts and invisible policies of their unnamed superiors.
It’ll work provided they haven’t already started writing the ticket. Maybe that’s just specific to certain departments. The tickets are usually sequentially numbered and they have some explaining to do if tickets mysteriously disappear. They leave themselves open to charges of bribery and other things.
But it is true, they’ll usually not ticket other police/deputies, firefighters, corrections officers, etc.
And it may also be true that, as a state official, he can speed if he has emergency equipment. I don’t know.
They usually have some trick or other. I remember that Gray Davis was in his car and stopped a time or two between Sacramento and Los Angeles for speeding. But I recall that he had a state vehicle and a CHP driver, so he wouldn’t have been the person getting the ticket even if one was issued.
OK, gov, lets do the math: Assume distance of 200 miles:
following speed limit of 65: 3 hours, 4 minutes
"normal" traffic speed of 70: 2 hours, 51 minutes
speed where you'd get stopped (80): 2 hours 30 minutes.
So you're saving about 20 minutes (and how many lives). Of course, you'd save much more time if you're doing 90+, but he wouldn't do that, would he?
*Hooligan Ping
How much more can I say about this shmuck? Every trooper that let Janklow off after actually stopping him for various traffic infractions contributed significantly to Mr. Scotts death.
The Judge that imposed the 100 day county jail sentence, no community service, no fine, nothing but 3 months of 'yse, sir, Mr. Janklow, would you like another pillow or the current pay-per-view in your county jail room/resort big screen tv' 'what would you like for dinner tonight, sir' ;do you have enough refreshments in your cell, Mr Janklow' etc., etc., ad nusium,,, needs to be sentenced to a few hours laying in the same coffin as Randy Scotts' busted up corpse suckin on worms and dreaming of life as a peasent citizen.
And then take Sturgis & their bike rally, stuff a soiled pair of pink panties on top of the whole darn town and put up multiple 75mph speed limit signs on main street in honor of Rep Janklows loving political/personnal/behind the wheel accomplishments.
Eat Crap S. D. Killing bikers in a state that touts it's love for them & their wallets sucks. Encouraging the behaviour that led to this killing gives S.D. their very own Chappaquidic(sp?)-T.Kennedy-ruling class-get-out-of-jail-free card.
Sturgis needs a new "FRENCH" theme.
OK, I'm finished ranting. Thank you for your time. <|;-)~~
"I did it...because I could!"
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My brother in law is in the Army and has a lead foot. He always shows his military i.d. and has yet to get a ticket.
This stuff is very common.
He'd better slow his ass down before, like Janklow, he kills someone.
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