Saturday, December 10, 2011

"I've got a badge - it's made of metal!!"

In this world of madness and violence, we as a society must make great strides to keep the violent crazies off the streets. That being said - I'm talking about the people with the badges, not the ones wearing the handcuffs.

From WBTV.com: Charlotte cop charged with assaulting drunk driver after accident

38 year-old Rick McVicker was driving drunk down NC Highway 51 on Wednesday when he failed to stop for a red light and crashed into the rear end of the car in front of him. Luckily for all those involved, no injuries were reported from the crash. In fact, if you view the related news video clip for the story, you can find a snapshot of the Pontiac that Bonita Jones, the woman who was struck, was driving with her 8 year-old grandson in the vehicle. The report doesn't provide the best possible angle to determine the violence of the impact, but it seems like the rear bumper of the Pontiac was barely touched. Looks to me like McVicker slammed on his brakes just a half second too late and slid up with a little love tap to the vehicle in front of him.

McVicker, who openly admits to being drunk during the accident, got out of his car and walked up to the driver-side window of the vehicle he had struck. And this is where the story gets crazy. McVicker claims he was tapping on the window of the vehicle to try to make sure that everyone inside was OK. Bonita Jones refused to roll down her window, instead choosing to call her son, David Jones, a member of the nearby Charlotte, NC police force. David Jones, who was off-duty at the time, arrived on the scene before the local Matthews PD. Jones came up behind McVicker, and without saying a word, grabbed the man and threw him violently to the ground, and proceeded to beat the living hell out of him.

McVicker spent a few nights locked up in the pokey for his DWI. When he was released yesterday, his face was still a mottled mess of black and blue. Ofc. Jones, on the other hand, is on administrative leave still receiving pay pending the results of an investigation. Due to department regulations, Jones is currently unable to comment on the incident, but McVicker was able to be reached after he was released from his cage. Showing what I believe to be genuine remorse for his actions, McVicker readily admitted that he was drunk at the time, and that he considers himself to be an alcoholic who will be seeking help for his problem "immediately".

It's often difficult to comment on a story like this, with so many varied interests possibly tweaking the strings of the presentation. But as the cliche says, a picture is worth a thousand words. And from where I'm sitting, it looks like there is a deeper dent in McVicker's cheek than the rear-bumper of mama-Jones' Pontiac. I'm not defending drunk drivers here. I agree with McVicker's assessment that what he did was deplorable, and that he should be appropriately punished and seek therapy. But the operative term there is "appropriately". There is nothing "appropriate" about getting your face slammed into the pavement by an off-duty cop. If mama-Jones' son had not been a cop, we would be reading a very, very different story right now, regardless of if there were any injuries sustained in the accident. For years now judges across this great nation have been making examples out of DUI cases to scare people away from the behavior. I say it's past time we made an example out of this law-enforcement officer and hang the pig out to dry. The cops need to learn that their job is to "Protect and Serve" the entire community, not just the people they're related to or the people who sign their checks.

Of course, by the time the results of the investigation of the event are finalized and released, just about everyone but McVicker and the police department will have forgotten about the whole fiasco, and life will simply move on. Goose-stepping to the rhythm of the police-state war drums. Get in line, or we'll cave your fucking face in.



Three Monkeys Say: The flames are all long gone, the pain lingers on

No comments:

Post a Comment