Suppose the following occurred:
Your car is parked on the street in front of your residence at 8:00 PM, when you hear an impact (from inside the house), run outside and discover the vehicle has been totaled by another vehicle that's fled the scene. The other car has lost one of it's wheels and continued down the street on just three tires, leaving drag marks for 1/2 mile.
You call "911" on your cell phone and follow the "tracks" until you find P1 vehicle, abandoned at the curb. Inside (in plain view) is a prescription pill bottle on the driver's side floorboard.
You return to your home and wait approximately one hour for the police to arrive. Just prior to their arrival, the R/O of P1 returns to your location in a vehicle driven by his father. He offers no explanation or excuse for his driving or flight, but appears to you (an untrained citizen) to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
The police arrive, speak briefly with the driver and without conducting any FSTs or other follow-up regarding possible DUI tell you that:
1) There was no hit and run, since the driver returned to the scene voluntarily (even though he fled earlier).
2) They don't think he's DUI.
3) No written report will be completed since this is a "property damage only" collision w/o special conditions such as DUI impairment or Hit and Run. You are told to exchange information only, even though you request a complete investigation, a written report and are willing to prosecute.
You request a supervisor respond to the scene, one arrives and despite your request for an official investigation (and report), he concurs with the officers' previous assessment.
The next AM, you use the R/O's ID and find he has a "Face Book" page, where a few hours later he:
1) Admits being DUI at the time of the collision.
2) States how "lucky" he was that the cops didn't arrest him.
You make copies of the "Face Book" page, contact the agency's W/C and again request a formal report. Several hours later, you note the suspect's page has been deleted from "Face Book." You confirm that the suspect's vehicle was never searched, is still parked where it was left and that the pill jar is still in plain view. The W/C reiterates that "no crime" occurred and info was exchanged. The request for a formal report is deemed as "unreasonable."
The name of the agency is unimportant. The location where the collision occurred is a residential area, where there have been numerous complaints about reckless driving from the homeowners.
How would you view this incident as a private person and what do you (as a LEO) think about the way it was handled?
Your car is parked on the street in front of your residence at 8:00 PM, when you hear an impact (from inside the house), run outside and discover the vehicle has been totaled by another vehicle that's fled the scene. The other car has lost one of it's wheels and continued down the street on just three tires, leaving drag marks for 1/2 mile.
You call "911" on your cell phone and follow the "tracks" until you find P1 vehicle, abandoned at the curb. Inside (in plain view) is a prescription pill bottle on the driver's side floorboard.
You return to your home and wait approximately one hour for the police to arrive. Just prior to their arrival, the R/O of P1 returns to your location in a vehicle driven by his father. He offers no explanation or excuse for his driving or flight, but appears to you (an untrained citizen) to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
The police arrive, speak briefly with the driver and without conducting any FSTs or other follow-up regarding possible DUI tell you that:
1) There was no hit and run, since the driver returned to the scene voluntarily (even though he fled earlier).
2) They don't think he's DUI.
3) No written report will be completed since this is a "property damage only" collision w/o special conditions such as DUI impairment or Hit and Run. You are told to exchange information only, even though you request a complete investigation, a written report and are willing to prosecute.
You request a supervisor respond to the scene, one arrives and despite your request for an official investigation (and report), he concurs with the officers' previous assessment.
The next AM, you use the R/O's ID and find he has a "Face Book" page, where a few hours later he:
1) Admits being DUI at the time of the collision.
2) States how "lucky" he was that the cops didn't arrest him.
You make copies of the "Face Book" page, contact the agency's W/C and again request a formal report. Several hours later, you note the suspect's page has been deleted from "Face Book." You confirm that the suspect's vehicle was never searched, is still parked where it was left and that the pill jar is still in plain view. The W/C reiterates that "no crime" occurred and info was exchanged. The request for a formal report is deemed as "unreasonable."
The name of the agency is unimportant. The location where the collision occurred is a residential area, where there have been numerous complaints about reckless driving from the homeowners.
How would you view this incident as a private person and what do you (as a LEO) think about the way it was handled?
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