Veteran SPD officer quits after failed marijuana test

[News Flash]

Veteran SPD officer quits after failed marijuana test
CITY OF SARASOTA -- Sarasota police Officer Mark DeFraties, a 19-year police veteran, resigned during an internal investigation after he failed a random drug test.

DeFraties admitted to smoking marijuana on Christmas Day. The department held random drug screenings the next day and DeFraties told his supervisor that he would fail the test.

DeFraties had been criticized most of his career at the department for not being self-motivated and enthusiastic, personnel records showed.

DeFraties wrote in a letter to Chief Peter Abbott, "On the few occasions I thought I would not be able to handle things any longer I resorted to marijuana," DeFraties wrote. "It was the only thing that helped me cope when I felt there was no hope."

DeFraties wrote also that his job was the most important thing in his life. DeFraties continued, "I throw myself at your mercy and hope you are able to forgive me as well."

Chief Abbott said DeFraties will lose his state law enforcement classification. The department's findings were sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

DeFraties was hired in 1988 as a patrol officer. Before he resigned, DeFraties patrolled an area from the bayfront to Lockwood Ridge Road.

DeFraties was suspended for three days in 2003 after a supervisor said he was unprofessional during a missing person's investigation and he also left his shift early without permission.
Click here (http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080119/NEWS/801190324/-1/Help07) for the full story.

He was busted fair and square. Good job getting rid of him.

He was busted fair and square. Good job getting rid of him.

No pal, your wrong and its sad that Defraties is gone. He was not a blow hard or jerk and its sad that he let himself get so turned around that he blew his job. It was his choice to use and now he has paid a high price. That is fair but, once upon a time, Defraties was a great cop. What happened?

I detest losers who make excuses for their poor behavior but this man wasnt a loser and at least some of the responsibility for any good cop that stops trying lies in the leadership. Maybe Defraties let the BS affect him and now the money that went into training him, the experience, and his job are gone. It was a long spiral down and maybe it could have been stopped. :?:

Defraties is not the only one losing out.

Good Luck Mark.

This is really too bad for this officer but, I have to say, I find it hard to feel sorry for him. He himself is a drug user and, as a police officer, is also a person who has undoubtably helped a large number of non-violent drug users along their way to prison. Sure 19 years of training is wasted. Sure Mark DeFraties may not be able to collect his pension and his family will suffer. But who cares about that?! We got bad guys to put in jail!!! Let's go get 'em!!!

This situation really begs the question, how many hours did Mark DeFraties spend being interrogated about the source of the marijuana he smoked on Christmas day. He has no 5th Amendment right to protect a third person. His testomony can be forced whether it was his father brother or mother-in-law. Is anyone really trying to find out where this cop got the dope??

Mark DeFraties did his job. Now, for something that is really completely unrealted to his job he is suffering a large array of collateral effects that will harm him and his family much more than the joint he smoked on Christmas day possibly could have. Should we feel sorry for him? Absolutely not!! It was tough cookie for all of those people minding their own business and smoking a bowl rather than having a margarita on Friday night. They had to go to jail and suffer the collateral damage as well. Mark DeFraties will not even have to suffer the indignity of having his home searched. The Sarasota PD knows there was contraband there shortly before, of his own admission. Why not go and search for it now??

The truth is that this officer has it easy compared to everyone he arrested for marijuana during his career. He's just another cop who, like the Nazis driving their charges to Treblinka, was just doing his job. He didn't make the law, did he? Just enforced it.... No personal responsibilty there either.

I would suggest that Mark DeFraties stop drowning in his own self-pity, throwing himself upon the mercy of his superiors and presenting himself as sick and instead start crafting a carefully worded apology to be delivered on bended knee along with a pledge of one year's indentured servitude to every person who he arrested or helped arrest for marijuana related offenses during his 19 year career. He should think about the more the 850,000 people (alomst 90% for simple possession) who were arrested in 2006.

Mark DeFraties is just one man, only notable because he became ensnared by his own hypocrisy. History will shame him, as it will the rest of his colleagues who have pushed forth a "War on Drugs" that is truly nothing more than a war on ourselves and a way to produce revenue. It would be a shame to have more than 850,000 marijuana arrests (about 45%) of all drug arrests cleared from the criminal court calendar each year. Who would the cops bust, who would prosecutors prosecute, how would the defense bar rack up billions in legal fees? The system would fall apart and somebody might get laid off. Imagine a defense attorney waving a sign that says will defend for food.

Nahh...It's just business as usual... I feel really bad for you Mark DeFraties.

Ford Banister

To the last two posters and anybody else that think they have the answer. I would suggest that you take your comments to some other medium. Mark screwed up. Did he screw up over one month or 19 years, no body knows. But he screwed up. No body other than Mark and his family are suffering right now. He chose this path for his career and he has to deal with the results. I worked with Mark on a few occasions. He never was a ball of fire but he did the job. Don’t know what happened to cause this problem and obviously can’t help the problem but not going to condemn Mark. Just let it go and worry about your life and career. If it makes you feel better to beat someone up well you may need to look at why. Mark. Don’t feel bad for you since you brought this on yourself and I think you let down many more people other than just yourself, but I wish you well and hope you can pull out of this and go on. LEARN……………..

To Guest,
The purpos of a chat line or medm is to read the opnions of othrs, write ur own, etc. U say othrs shld go somwhr els to xprs their opnions but contrbut urs. Thats cnsrshp. Thx for offrn ur opnion but if u dont wnt to read what othrs r sayn why did u log in?

About Defraties. SOB wht wr u thnkn? Thn agn ths wld make a good blues tune.

Had a tok, got smkd , got bstd, n spld my guts. Actd lik a song brd and sang em the blus bout my blus but they wrnt listnin. Now I got tha outta wrk blues. :twisted:

Peace.

Hey whats your name. Your not typing on your "digi". What the hell kind of crap is that.

Hey whats your name. Your not typing on your "digi". What the hell kind of crap is that.


There u go agn, gt a cntrl prob dont ya?? C u can nt lik it but u cnt cntrl it. Drvs u nts dont it!! Chill. . .Baby....its all gd. :twisted:

Naw, doesn't bother me. Just a bunch of rookies eating cookies.

Naw, doesn't bother me. Just a bunch of rookies eating cookies.

Gld to c u gv it up. Wanna cookie???? :wink:

PEACE.

Naw. Still on donuts and coffe, black no sugar..............

Naw. Still on donuts and coffe, black no sugar..............
I simply eat a little bit less, so I can still add the cream and sugar to the coffee. And I go to the gym so my arms don't get skinny. ;) :)

Actually it was a 7/11 red hot bean and beaf burito, LOL. Worked 17 of my 25 north district nights so needed the heart burn factor. Good for you with the gym thing. Not a problem, just having a little fun with this guy.

Another reason SPD do not deserve any respect

Stunning use of the english language.................

He picked up his English while being the wheel man on a garbage truck :lol: