** bowing to the powers of the moderators **
Posted on 03/24/2006 5:43:03 PM PST by tbird5
Gestapo-like tactics prompt outrage, complaints among owners, citizenry.
In the ongoing effort to keep public places clear of intoxicated citizens and drunk drivers, some police agencies are using a controversial tactic – going directly into bars and restaurants to make arrests.
Such is the situation in northern Virginia, where Fairfax County Police are targeting patrons suspected of having one too many.
"[Officers] were talking to one of the guests, then physically pulled him off the barstool," Richie Prisco, general manager at Champps bar told the Reston Times. "They were really aggressive and nasty."
According to the report, police are hauling customers outside of establishments to conduct sobriety tests, then arresting them for public drunkenness should they fail.
Tavern owner Jimmy Cirrito says it was intimidating and unnecessary to have some ten officers show up in SWAT-like attire. He notes police seemed to be tagging people at random, despite their telling bar owners they had undercover agents inside, calling in to provide specific descriptions of certain individuals.
"They tapped one lady on the shoulder – who was on her first drink and had just eaten dinner – to take her out on the sidewalk and give her a sobriety test," Cirrito told the paper. "They told her she fit the description of a woman they had complaints about, and that they heard she was dancing topless."
Jack booted thugs.
This is really going to backfire I think.
Subject: Smart Lawyer
A Lawyer ran a stop sign and was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy.
Thinking he was smarter than the deputy because he had a higher education,
the lawyer decided to have some fun at the deputy's expense.
"License and registration, please," the deputy said.
"What for?" the lawyer asked.
"You didn't come to a complete stop at the sign."
"I slowed down, and no one was coming."
"You still didn't come to a complete stop. License and registration,
please."
"What's the difference?"
"The difference is that you have to come to a complete stop. That's the
law. License and registration, please!"
"If you can show me the legal difference between slowing down and stopping,
I'll give you my license and registration, and you give me the ticket. If
not, you let me go and no ticket."
"Exit your vehicle, sir," the deputy said, after which he took out his
nightstick and began beating the lawyer. "Do you want me to stop or just
slow down?"
This is occurring in Texas as well, they have gone into hotel bars there even though the patrons only have to walk to their room, not drive.
On one hand, you advertise and spend money trying to attract tourists and convention business, and then on the other you raid the people you have attracted and give them a nice public intox arrest as the highlight of their visit.
In these cases, take you convention and tourist business someplace other than Virginia and Texas. It is a self-solving problem and will be very beneficial for Las Vegas.
---"They tapped one lady on the shoulder – who was on her first drink and had just eaten dinner – to take her out on the sidewalk and give her a sobriety test," Cirrito told the paper. "They told her she fit the description of a woman they had complaints about, and that they heard she was dancing topless."---
Major lawsuit!
Is there no crime in Texas and Virgina?
According to the report, police are hauling customers outside of establishments to conduct sobriety tests, then arresting them for public drunkenness should they fail.
This sounds like Battery to me, not to mention Police Oppression, denial of Constitutional rights of Due Process, etc. Any lawyers care to comment?
These are the same cops we are all going to be dealing with in the comming police state. Power is "intoxicating"...We should have a test for that.
"Is there no crime in Texas and Virgina?"
Nope, we ain't got no crime in Texas. We're all stone sober and law abiding citizens.
Well except for a woman drowning 5 of her kids in the bathtub and another woman cutting the arms off her baby and a couple of guys dragging a guy to death and shooting a president or so. There might be a few other little incidents too.
But thank God and good, diligent law enforcement that we don't have any demon drunks in bars enjoying themselves.
Drunks are safer to pick on than the growing MS-13 problem in Fairfax County.
I'd really like to hear a lawyers take on this. I was under the impression that public intoxication arrests were to be made on people who are disturbing the peace, harrassing others, etc..
Since when is it illegal to be drunk?
isn't our economy in the tank enough without trying to push it completely over the edge with ruining some of the only business' that are just barely keeping up?
Is this sarcasm?
It is still legal to buy booze, you jus can't consume it or transport it for some reason.
Sheesh!
Canned air blast toward "T" key - again.
I thought about getting drunk next week, anyone coming for me?
Minority report, not that far off....
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