I'm in complete agreement except for one thing. The thug with a badge knew that the victim could either die or not give consent in time for the CYA blood draw to reveal any possible impairment to be detected. That's why they should have contacted a judge to give them a warrant.Napoleon the Clown wrote: ↑2017-09-03 11:11pm It's mildly upsetting when a uniformed thug (I am referring to Jeff Payne here, in case it wasn't clear from context) attempts to violate an unconscious man's 4th Amendment rights and arrests a nurse for following the law, the hospital's policies, and basic medical ethics and the uniformed thug isn't so much as put on paid leave during the investigation. It is mildly upsetting that he threatened to take patients to another hospital when driving an ambulance. His behavior, on camera, should result in an "internal investigation" that involves looking at the video and audio evidence and saying, "Yep, he did everything wrong here. He is fired." Any other job and he'd have been out on his ass long before now. I'm not gonna be passive about police brutality, and how often it goes unpunished.
So maybe he's part of another police union. He's probably union, though. Even though Utah is Right-to-Work and he can't be required to join a union (unless Utah's Right-to-Work laws make an exception for police), who would say no to a union that can pretty much promise you they'll stop you from getting fired for just about anything? Most unions aren't so utterly powerful, so utterly corrupt, that they'll make sure a member is completely shielded from consequences. Making sure that the person isn't arbitrarily shitcanned, or fired under false pretenses is one thing. Protecting someone who violated every single law related to their actions? That's entirely different.
If the truck driver chose to take the UHP to court (and he could... how easily he could win under these circumstances is another question entirely) then being able to show even a trace of anything in his blood would strengthen their defense massively. A competent lawyer could claim that engaging in a high speed chase after getting identification of the vehicle and license plate was reckless and endangered the public more than breaking off pursuit and apprehending the guy at another point. Would it work? Dunno. But being able to say "Oh, he was on this so his reflexes weren't up to snuff!" would help them massively.
I don't trust police when they defend other police. Their word is immediately suspect. My only solace is that the victim is also a police officer, so the chances of justice are higher. Payne shouldn't be employed as a LEO in any capacity ever again, and he shouldn't be allowed to be employed as an emergency medical responder in any capacity ever again given his behavior.
Here's the straight truth on the blood sample: It would need to be proven that the victim were in some way inebriated. If they wanted to protect him from such allegations, they could wait until he was conscious and able to consent. Not that they would need to, because the crash was in no way his fault and in no way suggested some manner of inebriation or impairment.
To me this is simply a shithead bully with a badge who decided to kidnap (fuck the legal definition, people have been charged with kidnapping for locking a door and disabling a phone) a nurse who was doing what the law required of her because she dared to refuse his unlawful orders despite doing so politely and explaining why.
The worst part is that I doubt Detective Payne the Micro-Penis will even be demoted, let alone shitcanned and put in a cell for 25-life like he belongs.