Florida Highway Patrolman Sues over 100 officers and agencies for $1 million

So here’s the background on this: Florida Trooper Donna "Jane" Watts' observes the same Miami PD car on the turnpike driving in speeds in excess of 100mph weaving in and out of traffic. She finally nails him, officer Fausto Lopez , and arrests him. In turn she is subjected to months of harassment by other officers in other departments including her own.

The Florida Highway Patrol trooper at the center of firestorm after she pulled over a speeding cop at gunpoint said fellow law enforcement officers have created a "life-threatening" situation that caused her to be in such fear for her safety she has become a "hermit." Trooper Donna "Jane" Watts' 69-page lawsuit, filed in federal court Friday, seeks more than $1 million in damages. She is suing more than 100 police officers and agencies, and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The suit alleges 88 law enforcement officers from 25 jurisdictions illegally accessed her personal information more than 200 times, violating her privacy.

Now, as a part time LEO myself, I cant for the life of me understand the animosity directed towards Trooper Watts’. Sure, police extend some common courtesy to other LEO’s when it comes to minor (and I stress minor) traffic incidents like speeding and the like, but to expect to be let off the hook for repeated reckless driving really boggles my mind. In my department an officer extended the “courtesy” of allowing a neighboring LEO to call his wife for a ride when he was pulled over for a DUI (as is done with many people, police and civilian alike) but when he refused and told the officer to piss off he was promptly dragged into jail and charged with DUI, resisting arrest , and aggravated battery for trying to take a swing at the arresting officer. While it certainly caused some bad blood between the two departments, NO ONE in our department thought the arresting officer was in the wrong or questioned what he did.

I just cannot understand the mentality of the defendants in this case. If police don’t follow the laws, why should anyone else.

So a police officer gets harassed by other police officers for trying to do the right thing by way of attempting to enforce the law that by which she was trained and obligated to carry out...?

How dare she attempt to force other police officers to do the same.
Pfft.

reply to post by SirMike


The station of Police Officer is distinct from Sheriff and deputy. One is de jure, the other is de facto. The station of Police Officer is more likely to attract people who are power hungry.

No it's not hard to believe. Police everywhere are out of control. Just look at all the video evidence on You Tube and Live Leak.

FHP are pretty famous for pulling over off duty LEO officers and extending them no courtesy and giving them tickets.

I remember one federal officer telling me the FHP were nothing more than "The Ticket Police".

And this is not the first time there was a miami pd / fhp run in.

I think maybe the FHP sort of brings this on themselves.

reply to post by CranialSponge


Dont get me wrong ... she was probably in the wrong to draw down on him, but the arrest was perfectly justified. One of things they stress at the Academy/PTI these days is to drive safely unless the situation warrants it. There's no faster way to a suspension/dismissal then a bad accident. Think of the civil liability the Miami PD is under when one of their officers drives like this on duty let alone when hes off!

reply to post by SirMike


That's funny. I had a "minor" speeding incident (5 over, always courteous to LEO) that cost me several hundred dollars. Nobody extended to me any courtesy.

Also, I have never had a friend who has had a DUI get extended the courtesy of a ride home instead of a ride to the clink.

It's nice to hear that the laws don't apply to "you guys", and ironically, in a thread where we are discussing an officer who is getting harassed for upholding the law.........

Originally posted by cybro
No it's not hard to believe. Police everywhere are out of control. Just look at all the video evidence on You Tube and Live Leak.

No, police everywhere are not out of control. With 100's thousands of interactions between LEO's and the public a day an occasional incident is not indicative of a widespread trend.

reply to post by sixswornsermon


Do you have any idea how many DUI's are escorted home, allowed to sleep it off, walk the rest of the way, call a ride? I would estimate that somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-35% of all suspected DUI's are given the soft treatment because they don't have a bad driving record and were cooperative.

And how did a minor speeding ticket cost you several hundred dollars?

reply to post by SirMike


Are you calling him a liar because his experience has been different from your LEO experiences?

Originally posted by HandyDandy
reply to post by SirMike

 

Are you calling him a liar because his experience has been different from your LEO experiences?

Clearly he doesnt have the facts, doesnt make him a liar, just ignorant.

On the issue of a 5mph speeding ticket costing him several hundred dollars, with several being between $300 and $700, unless he missed court repeatedly, didn't pay his fine, had his license suspended, etcetera, I certainly am calling him a liar.

The only DUI's that go free are the illegal aliens everyone else gets thrown in jail for the revenue. If they are lucky they only go to jail. A lot of times the police gang up and beat them to death just for the fun of it. It's ok every dog has his day. They party is going to end sooner or later.

Interesting story you found there..

That dash cam video was something that could justify her actions, but I can't give much of an opinion as far as the LEO and how they should treat other officers.I wouldn't even try.

I do wonder what she was thinking when she saw this cruiser blow by though...

I also would like to know what the officer was thinking when he finally realized he was the one getting pulled over...

Strange world we live in...

If this is the same case we all watched on threads here where she arrested him on the interstate shoulder and had him in the back until after the sun came up....I very strongly applauded her action. I saw nothing wrong with it because the fool was a menace and wasn't even doing anything on-duty or official in his insane speed run down the highway. Someone who didn't see him could have changed lanes at the wrong moment and WHAM... Dead civilians because a cop with a God complex thought the speed laws were only for the 'little people' to follow.

I hope she wins and further? I hope the jury awards above the amount being sought. It's about time cops learn the hard way their badge means nothing for being above the law while Off-Duty. Even SPEED laws. None of them.

reply to post by SirMike

And how did a minor speeding ticket cost you several hundred dollars?

Good question, but just this last year I had a ticket for running a red light that cost me $176...

Seems like highway robbery...

Originally posted by SirMike
reply to post by sixswornsermon

 

Do you have any idea how many DUI's are escorted home, allowed to sleep it off, walk the rest of the way, call a ride? I would estimate that somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-35% of all suspected DUI's are given the soft treatment because they don't have a bad driving record and were cooperative.

And how did a minor speeding ticket cost you several hundred dollars?

No I do not, and DUI should be punished for the sake of deterrence. My circumstances don't really matter TBH.

I'm just observing the cavalier attitude you seem to have concerning the application of laws, that is for "you" different than it is for "us".

Sorry, but that ticks me off.

Also, not a cop hater at all.....

If the cop was speeding whilst off duty, then he deserves to be stopped and ticketed.
If the cop was speeding whilst on duty, for no good reason, then he deserves to be stopped and ticketed.
This is no different to what the rest of us could expect, and rightly so, as it's simply the law.

The actions of other officers simply shows the extent of the criminality that is rampant in some places. Who the hell does she think she is ticketing a fellow police officer? I mean, they are above the law... are they not?

reply to post by SirMike

On the issue of a 5mph speeding ticket costing him several hundred dollars, with several being between $300 and $700, unless he missed court repeatedly, didn't pay his fine, had his license suspended, etcetera,

If he got that in DeKalb county, Ga. he might be telling the truth..

Originally posted by tsurfer2000h
reply to post by SirMike

 

And how did a minor speeding ticket cost you several hundred dollars?

Good question, but just this last year I had a ticket for running a red light that cost me $176...

Seems like highway robbery...

Seems about right to me. And I wouldn;'t call $176 "several hundred dollars" either.

reply to post by schuyler


I will restate the important part of my message:

" I'm just observing the cavalier attitude you seem to have concerning the application of laws, that is for "you" different than it is for "us"."

I was figuring in my time BTW, because that is how I looked at the total cost of the infraction. I went to court, argued, and lost.