Today I received a ticket in the mail. I was not pulled over. No officer saw me speeding. And yet, I, as a citizen, received a ticket in the mail for the sum of no less than $50. I was doing 15 over after a long 12-hour shift of working in the emergency room at my hospital of employment.
Interestingly enough, two Chattanooga police officers were recently caught on video drag racing. This was clearly not accidental, but an intentional violation of law. By Tennessee law (55-10-502), the crime of drag racing on public motorways is classified as a Class B Misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a year in jail.
The officers have come forward (only after the video surfaced, surely they would not have owned up otherwise) and admitted to their crime. Ironically, the two officers do not appear to be facing any sort of punishment for engaging in a criminal activity that, had I participated in, would most likely wind up ruining my clean criminal record and land me in jail. There has been no word on this case since the officers have confessed. I have little doubt that had these officers actually faced any penalty for their action, it would be known to media.
There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about police accountability. I feel that it is important for citizens to see that police are held accountable; otherwise, they will not regain the trust of Americans. We all know there are many wonderful cops who save lives out there, such as Chattanooga Police Officer Josh May who saved a small child by doing CPR in 2013. Police departments around the country need to show that their officers are held to the same high standards as civilians are. Lead by example.
Austin Greenwood, BSN, RN
Cleveland
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Not to be rude, but I would take my chances on the road with drag racing police cops (who have had advanced driving training and have performance vehicles) over an exhausted, sleep deprived driver who doesn't realize they are doing 15 over till they get the ticket (20 over is considered reckless driving) most likely on a residential street since they don't usually have ticket cameras on the freeway.
Diane Moore