4mo ago

Unbelievable

https://social.ridetrans.it/users/daihard/statuses/112941278386750975

Link in the post: https://publicola.com/2024/08/09/kevin-dave-officer-who-struck-and-killed-23-year-old-student-is-challenging-his-traffic-ticket/

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131 comments

The driver's license thing is misleading - he had an Arizona license, so "didn't have a Washington license", but was still legal to drive.
The department is legally not able to issue any discipline until the investigation concludes, and they are not able to conclude the investigation while the appeals process on the fine plays out. Due process is slow. Hopefully in the end he gets everything coming to him.
- Isn't the issue that he was living and working in Washington but still had an Arizona license? Most states require you to get that changed over within 6-12 months of moving there.
  He definitely wasn't commuting...
  
  You are required to obtain a new driver's license within 30 days of moving to Washington.
  https://dol.wa.gov/moving-washington
  
  I would also expect an officer of the law to abide by stricter standards as well, in this case I would assume obtaining a new license would be a requirement for employment (i.e. they can't start until they've applied for a WA state license). How can they be expected to enforce the traffic laws for a state they don't even have a driving license for? That's a pretty reasonable, basic standard IMO.
  I also think police officers should also be required to take, if not maintain, a commercial driving license test for their state. As a lay citizen, I see a lot of violations that seem to be improperly enforced, and I'm guessing a lot of truckers also get pulled over for total BS. I think professional drivers like police officers and truck drivers should be held to a higher standard because they're expected to operate vehicles in a much more dangerous way than regular drivers.
- I feel like this is a very naive process that implies due process works, albeit slowly, even for cops who fuck up. It doesn't work because cops, DAs and judges all protect each other.
  Also, most insurance companies will nail you for misrepresentation or fraud if your driver's license license address isn't updating accordingly with your current address, because different areas have different likelihoods for accidents.
  I just don't get why people are so quick to defend cops or give them the benefit of the doubt over stuff like this.

131 comments