Thanks RG

The swelling hasnt even completly gone down from the cleos deal and now another black eye thanks to RG

That's what you get for banging female squad mates and getting tanked instead of staying at home with your wife. We can only hope that he'll be in the unemployment line soon. Leaves little to wonder why he was kicked out of SID! Oh yeah, thanks man the rest of us now have to deal with your stupidity. :devil:

Who is doing who now??

It's more like who did what now. :twisted:

Spill it!!

Deputy was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident early sunday morning. Sources say another deputy tried to cover it up? Im sure theres more to come.............

Stop making crap up and starting trouble!!!!!!

[CTFUUU]

SMH

Stop making crap up and starting trouble!!!!!!

Look at the arrest report .............

so, who has the big mouth that spilled the beans anyways?
had to have been someone who was there, go run your mouth to
whoever you can call at that hour, so you are named king of gossip.
gossiping is 1030 you know.
why can't you keep your mouths shut
someone did something wrong
but would you want everyone running their mouths if
it was you, let alone post it on this ridiculous site.
grow up and stop worrying about being up to date on the gossip
and concetrate on doing your job

so, who has the big mouth that spilled the beans anyways?
had to have been someone who was there, go run your mouth to
whoever you can call at that hour, so you are named king of gossip.
gossiping is 1030 you know.
why can't you keep your mouths shut
someone did something wrong
but would you want everyone running their mouths if
it was you, let alone post it on this ridiculous site.
grow up and stop worrying about being up to date on the gossip
and concetrate on doing your job



WELL SAID!!!

i read about it in the newspaper this afternoon....

It was quite apparent that the incident involving RG was not handled correctly by the MCSO supervisor or the FHP. If anyother citizen would have returned to the scence 2 plus hours after leaving the scene of the accident they would have been arrested for DUI. which, according to several who were present on scene know that he was. I believe he was stupid for resigning, he could have claimed he was shook up in the accident and banged his head and left but did not know what he was doing until he realized later when he regained full faculty of himself. At that point he could have claimed this as his defense and without any evidence taken for the DUI, he would have kept his job. He could have gotten a doctor to be a witness that when one sustains a head injury they sometimes loose there faculties. But the real problem here lies with the MCSO supervisor who did not do his job and and the FHP officer. FHP unwittinly just set a precedent on the local news by stating that basically anyone who is intoxicated can run, return several hours later intoxicated and they cannot be arrested. Good work idiots. This whole incident will be reviewed at higher levels and I look for MCSO personnel and FHP personnel too take some serious heat and possibly start searching for other employment. When something of this magnitude gets rolling it will be hard to stop. RG leave contact information. Attorneys are interested in speaking to you. Help is here, though wrong, you were also wronged.

[CTFUUU]

It was quite apparent that the incident involving RG was not handled correctly by the MCSO supervisor or the FHP. If anyother citizen would have returned to the scence 2 plus hours after leaving the scene of the accident they would have been arrested for DUI. which, according to several who were present on scene know that he was. I believe he was stupid for resigning, he could have claimed he was shook up in the accident and banged his head and left but did not know what he was doing until he realized later when he regained full faculty of himself. At that point he could have claimed this as his defense and without any evidence taken for the DUI, he would have kept his job. He could have gotten a doctor to be a witness that when one sustains a head injury they sometimes loose there faculties. But the real problem here lies with the MCSO supervisor who did not do his job and and the FHP officer. FHP unwittinly just set a precedent on the local news by stating that basically anyone who is intoxicated can run, return several hours later intoxicated and they cannot be arrested. Good work idiots. This whole incident will be reviewed at higher levels and I look for MCSO personnel and FHP personnel too take some serious heat and possibly start searching for other employment. When something of this magnitude gets rolling it will be hard to stop. RG leave contact information. Attorneys are interested in speaking to you. Help is here, though wrong, you were also wronged.LMMFAOOOOOOOO get over yourself RE-RE! HELLO, the dumbarse left the scene of a crash, did he happen to think "Uggh duh, somebody might be injured and I caused it?". No, he didn't think that or, apparently give two shyts if someone was injured. He hauled arse and a witness followed him. He was obviously only looking out for himself, when he called for a ride from the woods that he ran into. Oh, and I don't think it was the "love of his life" that he called for assistance from. Maybe it is, but she doesn't have the "ring on her finger". Imagine defending that you fool. You pity his arse, like you pity yourself (another apparent fugg up that was once employed by the MCSO, but is no longer). You fuggin idiots crack me the fugg up, that's why you're not COPS anymore! You hate MCSO so much that you spew this BS propaganda on here to fuel your own fire. If you could only see it's pointless and shows how wrong you were from the beginning for this job.

was this deputy drug and alcohol tested when he returned to the scene?

CTFUUU

if he was so in the wrong then why was he not arrested for DUI? I believe the citizens should get an understanding how this is not so? please explain?

It was quite apparent that the incident involving RG was not handled correctly by the MCSO supervisor or the FHP. If anyother citizen would have returned to the scence 2 plus hours after leaving the scene of the accident they would have been arrested for DUI. which, according to several who were present on scene know that he was. I believe he was stupid for resigning, he could have claimed he was shook up in the accident and banged his head and left but did not know what he was doing until he realized later when he regained full faculty of himself. At that point he could have claimed this as his defense and without any evidence taken for the DUI, he would have kept his job. He could have gotten a doctor to be a witness that when one sustains a head injury they sometimes loose there faculties. But the real problem here lies with the MCSO supervisor who did not do his job and and the FHP officer. FHP unwittinly just set a precedent on the local news by stating that basically anyone who is intoxicated can run, return several hours later intoxicated and they cannot be arrested. Good work idiots. This whole incident will be reviewed at higher levels and I look for MCSO personnel and FHP personnel too take some serious heat and possibly start searching for other employment. When something of this magnitude gets rolling it will be hard to stop. RG leave contact information. Attorneys are interested in speaking to you. Help is here, though wrong, you were also wronged.

Should you open your bias eyes and think before you grasp for anything you can to strike at MSO. For my 20+ yrs as a LEO I have seen time after time that a DUI charge could not be pursued because the suspect was GOA and located later. It’s too hard to get a conviction because the suspect’s defense is always that they had a few drinks before returning to settle their nerves. Don't attack the Trooper for doing his job as difficult as it was to 10-15 another LEO. A non-LEO would not have been charged with DUI if he/she was away from the scene for any length of time. Has that sent a message out to all that drive DUI? Sure it has for the past two decades but so has all the other court decisions that have come down. How about not pursuing vehicles under many circumstances? I’m sure I don’t have to explain that one to you! :oops: :evil:

RG was a good Deputy and a good person. He is human and he did make a mistake. No one knows that better then him right now. We all have error’ed at one time or another.

I also support the supervisors and FHP's decisions made that night. To the earlier post, if you think the supervisors were covering anything up, then why did they call for a K9 and the helicopter to search for a suspect that they suspected of being a deputy. Sounds to me like they handled it as they would have with any citizen.

Is RG Garst?

Deputy arrested after crash
STAFF REPORT
PALMETTO — A Manatee County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Sunday on charges of leaving the scene of a traffic crash, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

The deputy, Richard James Garst, was involved in two crashes early Sunday, according to FHP reports. A witness in the first crash found the deputy’s truck at the scene of the second crash at 69th Street East and Erie Road.

Garst, who was arrested and taken to the jail, said he was unaware of the first crash, according to FHP reports. He returned to the scene of the second crash to have his truck towed, state troopers said.

The charge of leaving the scene of a crash is a misdemeanor.

Glad he was MSO, and not BPD!!!!

RG you can now get a job a make a living. Making what you make and dealing with back stabbers who claim to be your friend in person and then stab you and talk trash on you behind your back is no way to live. Next year at this time you will be a much happier person. MSO has the lowest class of employees because they have one of the lowest pay scales for LE officers in the state. Just read thru any of the postings on this site and it sounds like trailer trash arguing over whos trailer is bigger. This is a blessing in disguise.

funny when a pig gets busted so all you other low budget pigs can point a finger.In all reality he wins Rg gets a permotion cant get a worse job.Pigs should stick together alot more after all your life sucks you make 40k a year and 99 percent of society hates you!!!!!!!! ps sucks to be you

I was unaware that a police officer would make a decision like that and would rely on his or her own discretion to make an arrest or not in the situation given and the circumstances involved. I was under the impression that the officer makes arrest on the probably cause and facts at hand and then the state attorneys office decides if there is enough to prosecute or not. . I would hate for you and your experience to respond to a DUI manslaughter containing the same set of facts, ie: supsect fled the scene and returned later, when involving a loved one of mine. I would consider it a real tragedy for the driver to escape with felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident with death/or great bodily harm instead of DUI manslaughter. Keep up the good work.

in my day when a fellow officer got is trouble all those from the dept would rally around them and help them at this sad moment. I am wondering if the MCSO operates with such childish and harmful outlashes at everyone. I have read thru many of the postings on this site (this topic and many of the others) and I must say that I am very saddened to see a dept lash out against there brothers/sisters. I guess coming from a dept with a strong union and such a strong loyalty to fellow officers it catches me by surprise to see this kind of behavior. I would be appaled to consider myself an employee of this dept. Actually I would be ashamed to even condsider the MCSO as part of the law enforcement brotherhood. There is an old saying "by the grace of God, there goes I". You people need to wake up and realize that a fallen comrade is a sad situation not a time to bad mouth them. Just an old retired NYC detective here who still believes in loyalty. And for the record, this would have never gotten to where it is at from where I come from.

As a retired Philadelphia Lt, working some of the meanest streets in the nation, especially through the mafia crime wars of the 70s and 80s, I am very upset to have heard the news at 11 on your deputy. As sad as it may seem and after reading the posts on here I am inclined to respond to the post from the gentleman who stated: funny when a pig gets busted so all you other low budget pigs can point a finger.In all reality he wins Rg gets a permotion cant get a worse job.Pigs should stick together alot more after all your life sucks you make 40k a year and 99 percent of society hates you!!!!!!!! ps sucks to be you


This guy has the best and most honest post on here: his statement 99% of society hates you! I JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY ITS TRUE THAT THE REST ON HERE LIKE TO POINT FINGERS JUST LIKE HE SAYS. Even he knows and understands that cops should stick together. What he says is true: cops dont make enough money and the job does suck alot of the time, but you people need to unite! Glad I never had to work for a department like yours.. You people have no idea what I got your back means.

In reference to the deputy not being arrested for DUI, it is not FHP or MSO fault. You can thank all of the DEFENSE ATTORNEYS who handle DUI cases for that.

DUI"S are the most defended cases to be brought into court. A DEFENSE ATTORNEY will use any excuse imagineable to get their client off the hook. Many people charged with DUI have highly paid jobs that would make it very embarrassing for them to be found guilty in a court of law. Some, such as airline pilots, if they are arrested will lose their jobs. Enter the DEFENSE ATTORNEY who as I said before will use any means to clear their client.

This deputy was treated like any other person who runs from a DUI and is caught or returns to the scene later. Check court records for yourself and you will see. FHP (who worked the case) is going by case law that has been created by DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. So if you want someone to blame blame them.

[CTFUUU]

As a retired Philadelphia Lt, working some of the meanest streets in the nation, especially through the mafia crime wars of the 70s and 80s, I am very upset to have heard the news at 11 on your deputy. As sad as it may seem and after reading the posts on here I am inclined to respond to the post from the gentleman who stated: funny when a pig gets busted so all you other low budget pigs can point a finger.In all reality he wins Rg gets a permotion cant get a worse job.Pigs should stick together alot more after all your life sucks you make 40k a year and 99 percent of society hates you!!!!!!!! ps sucks to be you


This guy has the best and most honest post on here: his statement 99% of society hates you! I JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY ITS TRUE THAT THE REST ON HERE LIKE TO POINT FINGERS JUST LIKE HE SAYS. Even he knows and understands that cops should stick together. What he says is true: cops dont make enough money and the job does suck alot of the time, but you people need to unite! Glad I never had to work for a department like yours.. You people have no idea what I got your back means.I can't defend anyone who doesn't stop at the scene of a crash they caused, to check on the person(s) they hit. Granted we have all made mistakes, but when self preservation (keeping your job) means more than another human beings life or safety I have to go with my conscience and my oath.

Let's please not forget the three innocent victims at home. Think about his wife and kids and put yourself in their shoes.

ctfuuu

I thought the reason he lost his job was becasue he did not stop? why would stopping have preserved it? what you say and was has occurred dont equate. And if your answer was because he was intoxicated, then obviously some others did not do there job, like the superisor who was on scene, fhp or IA.

WE REALLY DO STAND ALONE IN THIS AGENCY, THAT IS REALLY SAD.
IF THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOESNT UNDERSTAND WHY SOMETHING IS DONE THEN LET THEM EDUCATE THEMSELVES NOT COME ON THIS SITE AND READ ALL THIS CRAP. CTFUUUUUU OR WHAT EVER YOUR NAME IS YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF FOR NOT ONLY TALKING ABOUT BUT WRITING SOMETHING BAD, WHEN WE ALL KNOW UNLESS YOU WERE THERE YOU DO NOT EVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, ABOUT A BROTHER IN ARMS.

RG SCREWED UP AND HE KNOWS IT AND IF YOU CALL HIM HE WILL TELL YOU. BE A MAN OR A WOMAN AND TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT DONT TRASH TALK SOMEONE WHO YOU DID WORK WITH LIKE HE IS YOUR W30 BABY DADDY. THAT IS SO DISRESPECTFUL AND KARMA IS GOING TO KICK YOU IN THE A.S.S. ONE DAY

Should you open your bias eyes and think before you grasp for anything you can to strike at MSO. For my 20+ yrs as a LEO I have seen time after time that a DUI charge could not be pursued because the suspect was GOA and located later. It’s too hard to get a conviction because the suspect’s defense is always that they had a few drinks before returning to settle their nerves. Don't attack the Trooper for doing his job as difficult as it was to 10-15 another LEO. A non-LEO would not have been charged with DUI if he/she was away from the scene for any length of time. Has that sent a message out to all that drive DUI? Sure it has for the past two decades but so has all the other court decisions that have come down. How about not pursuing vehicles under many circumstances? I’m sure I don’t have to explain that one to you!

SORRY BUT I HAD TO RESPOND TO THIS IDIOTS ANSWER. 20 YRS EXP? THE STATE ATTORNEYS OFFICE MAKES THE DECISION TO FILE OR NOT. THE OFFICER ARRESTS ON HIS PCA. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT IF YOU RESPONDED TO A ACCIDENT AND A VICTIM WAS DEAD AND THE OWNER OF THE SUSPECT VEHICLE RETURNED TO THE SCENE TWO HOURS LATER YOU WOULD NOT ARREST THEM FOR DUI MANSLAUGHTER? YOU WOULD JUST ARREST THEM FOR FLEEING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT WITH A DEATH? AND YOUR DECISION WOULD BE BASED AT THE SCENE OF THIS EVENT FROM CASE LAW? WHAT CASE LAW ARE YOU REFERRING TOO? MADD AND SADD WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THIS CASE AND I ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WOULD LOOSE YOUR JOB AT THAT DECISION. IT IS NOT UP TOO YOU AT THE SCENE TO MAKE THIS KIND OF DETERMINATION. AND IF YOU DID YOU ARE AN IDIOT AND I HOPE NOT A REFLECTION OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN THIS COMMUNTIY. CHECK WITH YOUR STATE ATTORNEY...

FHP could not make an arrest for DUI because it was two hours after the accident by the time RG showed up. What did he do during those two hours? Perhaps that's when he drank his beer, no one knows but RG. If a person leaves the scene and no one sees them, there is no way any jury or judge or anyone can rule out that the individual may have gone somewhere and drank. Imagine a person who backs into someone's car outside of Walmart, then goes home. Two hours later, FHP shows up at his doorstep. During this two hours, the person has consumed four beers. Can you arrest him for DUI? No. There is no one to prove he was drunk at the time of the accident.

CTFUUU

if he was so in the wrong then why was he not arrested for DUI? I believe the citizens should get an understanding how this is not so? please explain?

its obvious, because of the time frame, plus no one can say he was behind the wheel, the so called witness said he was bald, he is obviously not bald, so he had to have admitted it.

Why hash this out and drag peoples names through the mud moreso than has already been done?

Let it go and go on.

RG?
It may not seem like you have much support...
What you did was wrong, you knoqw that.
But let the first among the rest of us who have never done wrong, throw the first stone...
Best of luck to you in whatever you do and wherever you go...

God Bless...

[mso2]

He made a mistake and now he is paying for it with his career and his reputation. How may of you civilians out there get busted for something like this and you deal with the legal issues and its a done deal. Because he's a cop it gets major air play and he and his family havee to deal with that.

He was a good cop he made a mistake and now he's out. Don't forget he has been there for many of you on the job. So instead of blindly bashing him, remember he was, is a brother who stood sholder to sholder defending the same thing you all have. We all know of somebody who has let alcohol cause problems in their lives.

Tell me if your family member would have done this, would you hang them out to dry. I have big sholders i can handle the public. Most don't understand what we do and see daily anyway.

Hello Folks

I would like to chime in on some of the misconceptions I am reading in your forum. First, leo's should effect arrests based on there probable cause and reasonable suspicion that the person they are charging with a crime would lead a reasonable and prudent person (jury) to believe in fact such person did commit, was about to commit the crime they are charged with. Though prima facia evidence is required at trial it does not have to be presented in whole at the time of the arrest. This is where the sao will further build its case before trial or drop charges and avoid a trial. Most arrests are open and shut and thats the states job to put all of the facts together and that is why they use experts and often convict on circumstantial evidence cases. Officers who have arrested in good faith are not deemed liable for acting in such good faith. Case in point. The female astronaut who was arrested in Orlando. She was charged with a whole array of charges. Will these charges need to be proved at trial for a conviction, absolutely. Did they need to be proved at the time of arrest for first appearance, not at all. Was there enough PC for the charges, yes! Will the state be able to prove them, probably not. Were the officers correct in making the charges, absolutely. Should they have said case law this or case law that or theres not enough for the jury be taken into account.. not at all. They should concern themselves on probable cause to make the arrest and charging the person, period. Case law (also known as precedential law or decisional law) is not always standing and often interpeted in many contexts and often over ruled and thrown out. In my opinion should the deputy have been charged after returning to the scene with DUI? If he was intoxicated and with what has been debated, it appears he was, then absolutely he should have been.. One comment I read was what if someone leaves and then goes and drinks and returns. There is what is called a Blood Alcohol Calculation. If he says he drank 4 beers or whatever in the past two hours and his blood had been seized, tests of this sort would confirm or deny what he is saying.. If he was intoxicated for a longer period the levels would confirm it. Whether there would have been a case to proceed to trial or not should be left to the state.. Believe me if he was guilty of such and was arrested the SAO would have traced his movement for the previous 12 hours and witnesses would have been located test results would have been conducted and the chances of him not being linked to the accident and proving he was the one that fled would have been slim. Proabably very likely someone out there saw him get behind the wheel. State would have located them. He would have probably pled out to the charge if he was in fact guilty. I dont understand why the charge was not made at the time. The PC existed. What if one of the victims had bumped there head and they at the time did not complain of anything serious or feel seriously hurt. What if they would have went home and went to bed and died in there sleep from a blood hemorage in the brain or something other that was not presentable at the time of the accident. someone would have been seriously taking some heat. Definately too late at that point to secure the blood evidence. Stay Safe!

I am just a dumb citizen and I must admit that most of my contact with police comes from reruns of cops or CSI but I am hoping someone from the police community could enlighten me on something. I have read thru the forum and all of the cops seem to say that they could not have arrested the deputy because there were not witnesses to him driving. I suspect he is a normal sized fellow who fled on foot thru the woods. Running and impacting the ground. That time of morning probably yielded a moist grass and dirt surface. Did anyone even check to see if there were foot imprints. I bet he returned wearing the same shoes he ran away in. How about his cell phone? I bet withing 10 mins of the accident several calls were made from his phone. Did anyone investigate who he would have called if he did. I would think it would not be too hard to place him at the scene with a little investigation and would think this would be police investigation 101..

Sometimes the word "decline" carries allot of weight and it is not because of the LEO's efforts.
DECLINE DECLINE D :lol: ECLINE

[CTFUUU]

ctfuuu

I thought the reason he lost his job was becasue he did not stop? why would stopping have preserved it? what you say and was has occurred dont equate. And if your answer was because he was intoxicated, then obviously some others did not do there job, like the superisor who was on scene, fhp or IA.You obviously missed my point completely. My point was and is this; I would never have the back of someone who's morality is so low that he wouldn't at least stop and say "Are you ok", before he took his flight.

Dear Localattorney

Though the last thing this young deputy needed was a DUI charge on top of his current situation, I was a little taken back that he was not charged. Your reference to the blood alcohol calculation would have proved or disproved any inference that he left the scene and then consumed alcohol in the 2 hours he was gone. When a persons body weight is calculated to whatever they claimed to have drank, ie; beer with a certain alcohol to water content or liquor with a certain alcohol to water content, the BAC levels can be calculated to deternmine how long consumption was and at what rate. Not sure why the officers on here are not aware of this. I was very shocked by the one who says he is a 20 yr veteran and a defense could be used that the person left and had a few drinks before returning to scene to calm there nerves.

Why??? Its because retrograde extrapulation is not recognized by the courts anymore. Thats why I believe the 20 yr vet gave that opinion.

Seems like there were several MCSO on scene why wait for FHP? Unless they did not want to do the dirty work. Or does MCSO not work and crashes or any DUI's. Who made the decision for FHP to work this mess. Did the FHP officer know the deputy?

Reverse extrapulation works only in cases where the individual can be placed behind the wheel by a credible witness. Reverse extrapulation would work in dealing with an accident where the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were conducted, but by the time the individual was transported to the facility where the intoxilyzer was used, his BAC was below the prima facia of .08 g/210 ltrs. You cannot use reverse extrapulation to prove a person was drunk at the time of the accident if you cannot prove that the individual was driving. For those out there that think he should have been arrested for DUI, it would be an illegal arrest. Could they have matched his boots and seen the foot imprints, yes, but again, all you Grissom types, you are thinking that this is some heinous act of violence, NO, it's a DUI/ Leaving the scene of the accident. Unless it involved serious injury or death, NO ONE can be expected to try and push so hard for evidence that really isn't there for a lowly misdemeanor charge. RG resigned because he was charged a misdemeanor. Most of the civilians that read this cannot relate. A first time misdemeanor might get some of you all on probation for 6 months and cost a little in fines. For Police Officers, it gets you fired, it gets your name plastered on the news, and brings embarassment to your family, friends, and your agency. It sucks. I feel for RG.

Seems like there were several MCSO on scene why wait for FHP? Unless they did not want to do the dirty work. Or does MCSO not work and crashes or any DUI's. Who made the decision for FHP to work this mess. Did the FHP officer know the deputy?

what i was told, was FHP had no troopers available, so they called MSO to work it, then all of a sudden FHP showed up on scene, no one from MSO knew FHP was going to respond.

Confused,
Remember a few years back a Palmetto PD SGT. was charged with the same thing after he left the scene of a crash as well?? He was demoted to Cpl, then reassigned, lost his DL and after his DL was good again he was promoted back to SGT. and he continues to work there today as if nothing ever happened. So RG did not have to resign, he chose to resign as precedence was already in place!

I don't know RG well, but from what I do know, he is a class act. Haven't the majority of us done things while under the influence we regret?

Confused,
Remember a few years back a Palmetto PD SGT. was charged with the same thing after he left the scene of a crash as well?? He was demoted to Cpl, then reassigned, lost his DL and after his DL was good again he was promoted back to SGT. and he continues to work there today as if nothing ever happened. So RG did not have to resign, he chose to resign as precedence was already in place!


If my comments led someone to believe that RG HAD to resign, then they were misinterpreted. My comments were directed at those individuals that believe that RG should have been charged with DUI. My argument is that FHP made the right call in not charging him. What RG did on his own was his decision. If my comments hint at something else, then I am wrong.

Confused,
Remember a few years back a Palmetto PD SGT. was charged with the same thing after he left the scene of a crash as well?? He was demoted to Cpl, then reassigned, lost his DL and after his DL was good again he was promoted back to SGT. and he continues to work there today as if nothing ever happened. So RG did not have to resign, he chose to resign as precedence was already in place!

I wish Sheriff Wells would follow example from Sheriff Gee. When Gee took office at HCSO a few years back, he promised every deputy that if they were arrested for DUI they would be fired. To my knowledge, Gee has kept that promise.

DUI is a serious crime. It claims the lives of thousands of people every year. If you don't agree, just go to one of MADD's annual candle light vigils. I guarantee you will shed more than a few tears.

There is no excuse for driving drunk. AAA will tow your car and drive you home for free even if you've reached the maximum calls for service on your account for the year. There are always Taxi cabs available. Pick a designated driver. Have a friend or family member pick you up. Camp out where you got drunk. Deputies can call dispatch and arrange for a ride home. People choose to drink and drive.

Deputies should know more than anyone else the dangers of drinking and driving. MCSO should adopt a new policy. Every law enforcement officer who chooses to drink and drive should expect and receive what Sheriff Gee gives his deputies... a pink slip.

So what your saying is we don’t all make mistakes right? But DUI we all should be fired because we chose to do that right? I just want to get this straight. So lets figure out what we do not choose to do:
Domestic Violence? Opps, it slipped I didn’t mean to hit her/him.
Sexual Harassment? Not my fault it was an accident.
Agg assault with a firearm?
Battery
Fraud
Check kiting
Child abuse

Should I go on or are we human. We do all make mistakes however we are held to a higher standard. Would anyone else be fired for any criminal act they have committed? I believe the Criminal Justice Standards has a list of crimes that your certification would be pulled for, if these are committed then you go or fight it.

If you do something wrong, you should have to pay the price, regardless if you are in law enforcement or not. Cops arrest people and put them in jail for things they do themselves.