Tom Lyons on the arrest of Trooper Clifford F. Fisher
Tom Lyons on the arrest of Trooper Clifford F. Fisher
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Lyons, Herald-Tribune
Charges were filed against an off-duty Florida state trooper who deputies say was intoxicated at a Siesta Key bar on a recent Wednesday night.
Deputy Mark Eve's report says he arrived to see the bar's security staff ejecting two men. One ejectee was going quietly. The other, Trooper Fisher, was resisting, so Eve said he ordered him to the ground, but he didn't comply.
When Eve used force, Trooper Fisher pushed back and then ignored other commands, Eve's report says.
Eve tried force again. That time, Trooper Fisher pushed back "so hard that I was knocked to the ground, hitting my head on the floor."
Bad move. There's no winning a fight with on-duty cops. They bring on more weapons and/or more on-duty cops until you lose, and then you're charged with everything possible, including felonies such as battery of a law officer and resisting arrest with violence.
The report says Eve finally forced the man to the floor and also Tasered Trooper Fisher when he tried to get up. And yet, Trooper Fisher was only charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence, both misdemeanors.
Without violence? No battery of a law enforcement officer? What's with that, you wonder?
I asked Lesaltato if that's why "officer discretion" resulted in what looks like very lenient charges.
Lesaltato couldn't be expected to answer frankly, of course. But, purposely or not, his answer was more revealing than expected.
"The bottom line," Lesaltato insisted, "is that deputy made the arrest of another police officer."
Good point. Yes, that's probably the remarkable thing. And Eve will probably get undeserved criticism from some colleagues for it. But maybe reducing charges to a fraction of what a civilian would face is all a deputy can do if a drunken, off-duty Florida state trooper who forces him into a public wrestling match for a crowd to see everything.
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