FMPD Officer DUI Arrest

How many of yawl thinks he should lose his job? I feel bad for him, but he should have known better not to drink and drive. How did he know that the arresting deputy and his father is a Klans member? Anyone?

[NewsHound]

FORT MYERS, Fla. - A Fort Myers Police Officer was arrested early Saturday morning at a Lee County Sheriff's Office D.U.I check point. Officer Leon Young faces misdemeanor DUI Alcohol 1st Offense charges.

He was released from jail on a surety bond Saturday just before noon.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest report says deputies saw the car Young was driving pull into a parking lot just before the D.U.I. checkpoint at 7070 College Parkway. Believing the driver was trying to avoid the checkpoint, deputies approached the car.

The deputy said Young's eyes appeared to be blood shot and watery and he was speaking with a "thick tongue". The deputy said he could smell alcohol on Young's breath.

The deputy also saw a green leafy substance on Young's shirt that he believed to be marijuana. Canine deputies also smelled narcotics in the air, but when Young's car was searched, no marijuana was discovered.

According to the report, Young did not want to do the field sobriety check and just asked to be taken to jail. Eventually Young agreed to take the field sobriety test. Young was then placed under arrest.

When Young was asked to take a breath test he told the arresting deputy that the deputy was part of the KKK, the arresting deputy's father was part of the KKK, and Young would not take the breath test.

Reacting to Young's arrest Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker told WINK News, "I am extremely disappointed. This is not the conduct that we would expect from one of our officers. State Statute and department policy requires due process and Officer Young has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation and an internal affairs investigation."

Source (http://www.winknews.com/news/local/38274089.html?imw=Y)

Of course he should loose his job. With the current tight budget and shortage of street cops the last thing they need is another cop with a revoked license pushing paper for 6~12 months.

Reacting to Young's arrest Fort Myers Police Chief Doug Baker told WINK News, [b]"I am extremely disappointed. This is not the conduct that we would expect from one of our officers. State Statute and department policy requires due process and Officer Young has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a criminal investigation and an internal affairs investigation

In other words he would fire him right now if he could. I expect a department urinalysis won't go well for him either. He'll probably accuse whoever has to test him of being racist too. :roll:

Thats ballsy using the race card right away to get out of trouble. Due to his statements on that end, get rid of him. Whats next him calling the department racists for not getting a new car. Some rookie in the academy would love that job in these times.

Years ago another FMPD officer was in the same predicament, and he return to work after he received help for his problem. With that being said....should Young have the same opportunity? I say yes, but if there were drugs involved then he should be fired. My question is why did this agency rehire him in the first place, he doesn't seem to enjoy police work, and will milk any so call injuries he receives. We are not blind to the fact that he is an unhappy human being. I do feel sorry for him but if he doesn’t get his act together and think about making changes in his life he will continue his journey to destruction. Racist occurs in every nationality, whether you’re white, black, Latino or Asian, this will only end when the world ends. This situation has absolutely has nothing to do with race, so let not make this a race issue. He needs to stop with all the excuses and face the fact that he got busted and now he needs to deal with the consequences. We are all brothers and sister…...that is until you screw it up!

TLC

You are correct when you said another FMPD officer was in the same situation and received a second chance. At one time or another, every Officer will make a mistake on and off duty! If you haven't, just wait ,because you will.

I highly disagree with you when you characterized Officer Young as an unhappy/lazy individual. Just because Officer Young does not smile in your face everyday or hang in your circles does not make him an unhappy indiviual. Just because he does not jump out his patrol car and get into a foot chase every day does not make him an unhappy or lazy individual. Must I remind you, how many people in current leadership positions at FMPD have? How about Hart, Daniels, and now Baker? Were they more Politicans than Police officers ? No disrespect to any of the past or present Chiefs but if you have been around long enough, you may or may not disagree. Don't be so quick to characterize people as unhappy or lazy when they do not conform to your standards.

If Officer Young made comments to the Deputy about being associated with the KKK then Leon was wrong, however, Officer Young was not in uniform representing FMPD at the time of his arrest. Must I remind you that there have been FMPD officer's that have been heard by fellow officer calling black people the N word or Hispanics wetb__ks! I know that LEO's are held to a higher standard but like as said before every one steps on it!

As for Leon being involved with drugs, if you believe that then you are the one that needs to take a urinalysis! If the arresting Deputy saw a green leafy substance then whey didn't he seize it (plain view doctrine)? If the dog hit on his car then why didn't they find drugs? I am willing to bet that if Leon took a drug test after the incident you would not have found any illegal narcotics in his system. I hate to say this about another LEO but it sounds like a little creative writing to me! Do you know Officer Young, I mean really know him? I know Leon Young and I'm proud to call him on backup and as a friend! Judge not less ye be judged

Why should he lose his job? Is he the first cop ever to drive drunk? How many of us drive drunk but are fortunate enough not to get caught? "He that is without sin, cast the first stone" He didn't hurt anyone, or cause any property damage. We all know, we've conducted stops, the person is obviously drunk and we just call a relative or a cab.

What about brother's in blue? How about cops watching out for cops? Now a days we just drive a bus over each other. Then we complain about not having enough people on the road, or how morale is low, etc...It's US vs. THEM! How many "civilians" were right there when Andy got shot and didn't lift a finger to help him?! Only people he had in his last moments were the boys in blue. With that said, where the hell are the boys in blue standing up for a fellow officer?! He messed up, one night should not equal an entire career.

As far as the "KKK" comment, who cares? How many of us don't use the words: "Mope" (however you'd spell it) "******" "Wetback" "Spic" etc...

As far as LCSO...guess we'll just wait see how much proffesional courtesy we'll give you in the future.

Reference the comment: "How many of us drive drunk but are fortunate enough not to get caught?"

Please speak for yourself. If you drive drunk that's on you. You're endangering yourself and others when you make that decision. Not to mention getting caught like Leon and risking losing your job. If you're a cop then you've seen what drunk driving does in a crash (if you ever worked one), so it's not something I would be proud of if I was you, because you make it sound that way. Stop blaming other cops or LCSO for Leon's arrest. After all, isn't this why they held a DUI check point..to catch drunks..?!?!Who knows, maybe if he didn't get an attitude with them, they would've took him home..just maybe..!!! I'd rather see him pulled over before he kills himself or someone else. It's not alway about the "Brotherhood" and what the other cops coudl've or would've done. It's about Leon putting himself and other cops in that situation. If you're a cop then practice what you preach, it's that simple. Yea it's all fun n game when you make it home drunk...until you get pulled over.

[jjc]

How is "Mope" a racial slur? As far as I know, it means; uneducated person or someone without ambition.

I do not feel anyone is blaming LCSO or advocating driving while intoxicated. Are we rushing to judge Leon and forgeting about the Constitutionary right of due process. Were you there on scene to witness the incident? Have you ever lost your cool or been provoked into saying something negative. Is it beyond belief that a fellow cop would make a bad arrest. Have you ever been stopped for speeding and asked for professional courtesy. Have you ever cut anyone a break? No one is above the law or without sin!

We should also remember that criminals and the media are eating this story up because it tarnishes our department. The media is very quick to condem LEO's when they get into a negative incident but how often do you see them cover the story after a LEO is found innocent or the incident unfounded?

Mope is indeed a derogatory term meaning "Most Oppressed People Ever". The term was often used in political discourse in Northern Ireland. Do you often use terms that you don't know the meaning?

LCSO have been messing with FMPD for the past few years. The reason is because they need to feel all big and badass because they know they can't hang in the city like the Fort Myers crew. They are pansies. They are causing a rift in law enforcement in SWFL. Not just in the city, but everywhere. Start writing up every little infraction to LCSO when they are in YOUR city, on duty or off.

Don't be a trouble maker, do you think ALL LCSO deputies feel that way? I don't think so. Most of us have no problems with LCSO, maybe you too gave them attitude when you were pulled over! Look at all the services they donated around Andy's funeral and everything else they've done for us. I think both agencies work good together. And weren't FMPD officers present on scene when Leon was arrested? It was a joint DUI task force. I wouldn't call them what you just called them in your post, you should apologize. The quote "Start writing up every little infraction to LCSO when they are in YOUR city, on duty or off.[/quote]
" is a very childish thing to say. GROW UP


LCSO have been messing with FMPD for the past few years. The reason is because they need to feel all big and badass because they know they can't hang in the city like the Fort Myers crew. They are pussies. They are causing a rift in law enforcement in SWFL. Not just in the city, but everywhere. Start writing up every little infraction to LCSO when they are in YOUR city, on duty or off.

[jjc]

Mope is indeed a derogatory term meaning "Most Oppressed People Ever". The term was often used in political discourse in Northern Ireland. Do you often use terms that you don't know the meaning?


Judge not - congratulations on your ability to google! But "Mope" is not used in that way. It is not a racial slur. It means someone without ambition or education, which happens to be 50% of the people we come in contact with each day in this job. So to quote Judge Not; Do you often use terms that you don't know the meaning? BTW Judge not, How is that Disney web surfing going with the new internet policy in place?

"Judge Not!"]You are correct when you said another FMPD officer was in the same situation and received a second chance. At one time or another, every Officer will make a mistake on and off duty! If you haven't, just wait ,because you will.

I highly disagree with you when you characterized Officer Young as an unhappy/lazy individual. Just because Officer Young does not smile in your face everyday or hang in your circles does not make him an unhappy indiviual. Just because he does not jump out his patrol car and get into a foot chase every day does not make him an unhappy or lazy individual. Must I remind you, how many people in current leadership positions at FMPD have? How about Hart, Daniels, and now Baker? Were they more Politicans than Police officers ? No disrespect to any of the past or present Chiefs but if you have been around long enough, you may or may not disagree. Don't be so quick to characterize people as unhappy or lazy when they do not conform to your standards.
If Officer Young made comments to the Deputy about being associated with the KKK then Leon was wrong, however, Officer Young was not in uniform representing FMPD at the time of his arrest. Must I remind you that there have been FMPD officer's that have been heard by fellow officer calling black people the N word or Hispanics wetb__ks! I know that LEO's are held to a higher standard but like as said before every one steps on it!

As for Leon being involved with drugs, if you believe that then you are the one that needs to take a urinalysis! If the arresting Deputy saw a green leafy substance then whey didn't he seize it (plain view doctrine)? If the dog hit on his car then why didn't they find drugs? I am willing to bet that if Leon took a drug test after the incident you would not have found any illegal narcotics in his system. I hate to say this about another LEO but it sounds like a little creative writing to me! Do you know Officer Young, I mean really know him? I know Leon Young and I'm proud to call him on backup and as a friend! Judge not less ye be judged

Yes, you are correct when you said officers will make mistakes on and off duty. Obviously you do not know the difference between making mistakes and breaking the law or do you? I have seen enough accidents and fatalities to last me a life time. I know many officers including myself who are responsible when it come to alcohol. They have their spouses or friends to be their designator drivers. Now regards to LCSO, maybe if Young was more of a happy drunk rather then a mean drunk then maybe the deputies could have taken his happy a** home. All Young can do now is thank his lucky stars that he not sitting a home waiting to go on trial for manslaughter. God was obviously on his side that night. Sorry to ruffled your feathers; you seem very upset with this whole ordeal or maybe even angry. You too can receive help for that.

The white FMPD officer who was arrest for DUI years ago was allowed to return to work after he received help; I said it once and I’ll say it again, I also believe that Young should have the same opportunity. Baker has an obligation to give Young that same opportunity. Unfortunately admin picks and chooses who they want to help. Just ask Serge, he can tell you his feelings on this subject.

The press release had this to say:
“The deputy also saw a green leafy substance on Young's shirt that he believed to be marijuana. Canine deputies also smelled narcotics in the air, but when Young's car was searched, no marijuana was discovered.” All I said is “IF” there was drugs involve then he should be fired. “IF” may be a small word but have a huge impact on how people interpret it. Dude, don’t take what people say too literally, you will just waste a lot of energy.

As far as characterizing Young, I may have been a bit harsh. I am aware that Young had issues in his personal life prior to leaving the agency the first time, and now he had to deal with his DUI arrest. I will say this I wish Young all the best, and hope he can learn from this.

TLC

I am going to have to agree with Judge Not! How can you leave comments on this site constantly slamming admin on the way it has disciplined/or fired officers in the past but you are quick to condem Leon without knowing all of the facts and circumstances. I smell a little hypocrisy in the air!

Chief Baker is not like our past Chiefs of Police and I am confident he will make a wise/and just decision on Leon's situation. Until then, work hard, pull yourself up by your own boot straps, and maybe you'll get promoted one day! Pinheads!

LCSO have been messing with FMPD for the past few years. The reason is because they need to feel all big and badass because they know they can't hang in the city like the Fort Myers crew. They are pussies. They are causing a rift in law enforcement in SWFL. Not just in the city, but everywhere. Start writing up every little infraction to LCSO when they are in YOUR city, on duty or off.

You are such an ignorant human being; I can't believe you work at our agency. The majority of us real cop do not think the way you do. LCSO if a fine agency and was there when we needed them. You are an idiot and an embarrassment to our agency. You need to grow up dude.

LCSO have been messing with FMPD for the past few years. The reason is because they need to feel all big and badass because they know they can't hang in the city like the Fort Myers crew. They are pussies. They are causing a rift in law enforcement in SWFL. Not just in the city, but everywhere. Start writing up every little infraction to LCSO when they are in YOUR city, on duty or off.

You are such an ignorant human being; I can't believe you work at our agency. The majority of us real cop do not think the way you do. LCSO if a fine agency and was there when we needed them. You are an idiot and an embarrassment to our agency. You need to grow up dude.

I agree, you are a fool and must enjoy stirring the pot. You must have a personality conflict and cant get along with others. LCSO is a fine agency and they do the same thing we do, arrest SH*& bags, fight crime and put up with the same BS politics we do. KNOCK IT OFF

Chief Baker,

Bring Leon back! See through LCSO BS and reinstate Leon and make sure he seeks treatment. Look at the crap thats going on at LCSO now and bring him back after the case is thrown out! Leon deserves a 2nd chance just like other officers that have been in similar situation. If you can beat up a prisoner and keep your job than you should be able to keep your job if you drive drunk! If you fire warning shots at a fleeing suspect and don't report it than you should be able to keep your job if you drive drunk! If you pick up a hooker and get pulled over by LCSO than you should be able to keep your job if you drive drunk! If you go out gay bashing after a night of drinking than you should be able to keep your job if you drive drunk! If you lie (and get caught) on another detective to try to try to make her seem incompetent than you should be able to keep your job if you drive drunk! Don't throw stones at a glass house!