Cops May Lose Their Jobs For Arresting Rich Guy

We live in a good ol’ boy system': OK cops say officials tried to block businessman’s DUI arrest
Travis Gettys TRAVIS GETTYS

Police in an Oklahoma town said city officials tried to block the drunken driving arrest of a well-connected businessman and have threatened officers after they refused.

Brian Haggard was stopped two months ago by Chelsea Police Officer Nicholas Pappe and charged with driving under the influence, reported KTUL-TV.

Police said a flurry of telephone calls soon came from influential officials in the city, including the police commissioner and city manager, asking officers to go easy on Haggard.

“I was shocked when I received the phone call from the police commissioner,” said Travis Hogan, assistant police chief. “I thought he knew better than that.”

Hogan said the police commissioner asked to come pick up Haggard and take him home instead of citing or arresting him, and officers declined the request.

The city manager then showed up at the traffic stop, which Hogan said was highly unusual and clearly intended to help Haggard escape legal trouble – and the businessman asked the officer for a break

“If you would give me a free pass tonight, I would sure appreciate it,” Haggard told the officer in an exchange caught on cruiser camera video.

The officer continued the arrest, and Hogan said city officials have made clear since then they are unhappy with him and the police chief.

“We live in a good ol’ boy system here in this town,” Hogan said. “My officers have received threats. I personally and the chief has received threats to our jobs.”

www.rawstory.com...
Klik for more
Yup one phone call and the city managers showed up at the scene of a crime, wonder if you or I jaywalked how many city leaders could we call..wait a min there is none on your speed dial??.. hah!.. pay the fine or goto jail son..

a reply to: Spider879

Star and flag.
It is all about the money.
Even when rich people get arrested, their trip through the justice system is different than other folks.
They hire a lawyer that is expensive. But those lawyers aren't necessarily expensive because they are good, they are expensive because they already have the judges in the bag. The dirty little secret that no one wants to admit to, but it is real. Judges are bought and paid for ahead of time, the high-priced lawyers just call in their chip and the trial is directed their way.

a reply to: Spider879

Wow... that cop deserves a medal for that. I think all police officers should get the "afluenza" inoculation like this one did.

a reply to: Spider879

Just goes to further show that even when our corrupt politicians do wrong (and we know they do plenty) and actually get caught, there are all kinds of strings pulled to save their asses.

This was just a rich businessman, what happens when a high powered political worm gets busted? Even less.
The board is full of examples that I'm sure we've all read.

Every idiot who got involved to try and prevent this arrest should be charged with obstruction or any other law that applies, and lose their jobs.

ID

originally posted by: ItalianDressing
Every idiot who got involved to try and prevent this arrest should be charged with obstruction or any other law that applies, and lose their jobs.

ID

No doubt. How many videos do we see where a spouse or friend interjects on behalf of somebody getting arrested only to get tazed and arrested themselves?

originally posted by: Cuervo

originally posted by: ItalianDressing
Every idiot who got involved to try and prevent this arrest should be charged with obstruction or any other law that applies, and lose their jobs.

ID

No doubt. How many videos do we see where a spouse or friend interjects on behalf of somebody getting arrested only to get tazed and arrested themselves?

Excellent point.
Imagine if the cops tazed the city manager.....

Yep money to play the game! I had a friend who's father was in Real Estate, but he liked to drink and drive. He got arrested a couple of times and I was asking him what happened. $80,000 and he walked with case dismissed. His attorney took the Judge and DA to lunch, payoffs made, and case dismissed. It was my first knowledge as a kid that it was all about if you could pay or not. I suspect that if this guy has as many official friends that a Judge and DA will manage to make the case get dismissed. I know another guy arrested 5x for DUI but never convicted due to paying a well connected attorney who was friends with the State Attorney. Corruption is rampant. I found out just how rampant later in life.

a reply to: Spider879

We never hear about officers refusing to give free passes to fellows and superiors. I would bet that the threats to their livelihood are much more real in those cases.

Are you kidding me? If I was on a cell phone saying "i'm at this location, come help me deal with this cop right away" the cop would pistol whip me unconscious, throw me in his car, and bail immediately IF I WAS LUCKY!

Wtf...

A cop can kill with impunity... armed, unarmed, kid, adult, male, female, usually black, sometimes white or latino... almost always poor, disenfranchised. They get paid leave when insignificant "people" get ripped away but arrest a rich person and their career is in jeopardy.

How is this okay? How do we live like this?

a reply to: Spider879

That is how many, many of the wealthy roll...through money, connections and blackmail they get out of things...that they should be held responsible for...just like the rest of humanity.

a reply to: Kali74

How is this okay? How do we live like this?

I'll tell you how, and why. This video will stir up some emotions. Maybe it will even go viral !

But next week at this time, a couple thousand people will have watched this, but 100 million people will have watched the new Beyonce video.

I think that there should be an additional charge of bribery should be included. However, the police should also charge those city officials with obstruction of justice and see if there is more there. And the citizens need to be starting to do a recall on those officials and get them out of office.

When I started policing many, many years ago I was more of a smartash than I am now. I asked the Sheriff if he could give me a copy of the list. He asked me "what list". I told him "the list of people that I should not bother trying to arrest or ticket because they are above the law". The Sheriff got pissed and told me to leave the office. I never did get that list so I treated everyone equal. I was called a few times to dismiss tickets but I told the Sheriff that I was going to do my job and send them through. He would just contact the prosecutor and have him refuse to prosecute the case.
Some officers told me I was just wasting paper but I felt it was important that I, at least, did my job.

originally posted by: Kali74
Wtf...

A cop can kill with impunity... armed, unarmed, kid, adult, male, female, usually black, sometimes white or latino... almost always poor, disenfranchised. They get paid leave when insignificant "people" get ripped away but arrest a rich person and their career is in jeopardy.

How is this okay? How do we live like this?

Pretty much what I was going to say, but you probably said it better than I would have. Paid leave, then a little desk work, then back on the street. We know how the cops roll, now we can see how the rich and well connected gets the job done too.

It's this sort of thing that makes me pray our economy and money fail soon, regardless of how it effects me. Hopefully a crash will level the playing field.

originally posted by: Kali74
Wtf...

A cop can kill with impunity... armed, unarmed, kid, adult, male, female, usually black, sometimes white or latino... almost always poor, disenfranchised. They get paid leave when insignificant "people" get ripped away but arrest a rich person and their career is in jeopardy.

How is this okay? How do we live like this?

You don't. You have the internet. Name and shame. Make damned sure that everytime this happens the names of everyone involved is posted on the net. In the past all it took was for the local journalist and/or editor to be pressurised. This is no longer the case. Ensure it's goes viral ASAP.

Outrageous. They should call the police. Oh wait... how about they get to work ?

a reply to: butcherguy

don't taze me bro

Jesus Christ.

The cops did the right thing in this story.

Can we leave the negativity for one of the numerous Posse Comitatus threads...

Continuing to see negativity, even in the good, is only going to make things worse.