Police Officer Accused of DUI in Fatal Wreck

Lockport, Illinois Police Officer, Edward Stapinski is being charged with reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence after a crash that killed a man on the night of December 20th. Stapinski was allegedly driving his Mitsubishi Gallant at speeds of about eighty miles per hour on Highway 55 when he lost control, flipping his vehicle and hitting a Toyota Camry head-on. Mike Wong, the driver of the Camry, was killed in the crash.

Stapinski was taken to a nearby hospital according to reports, where his blood sample showed that his blood alcohol level was .223, which is about three times the legal limit. According to reports, Associate Judge Maureen Feerick said that Stapinski held the public trust as a police officer and that his job should had “given him insight” into the consequences of such actions. Stapinski’s bond was set at $750,000, and he is forbidden from driving, will have to surrender his passport and any firearms in his possession as well as his firearm identification card. If convicted, he is facing three to fourteen years in prison.

The family of 29 year old Mike Wong is devastated, fearing that Stapinski will receive special treatment in court because he’s a police officer. It will be interesting to see the outcome of this case that may have been prevented with a law mandating ignition control devices on all vehicles. It’s becoming a common thing to hear about the police officers who are paid to keep us safe endangering our streets. It’s time for Congress and all of our states to do something about this growing problem.

Fort Worth Police Officer Charged With Intoxication Manslaughter

Jesus Cisneros, a Fort Worth, Texas police officer, is being investigated after a collision in his patrol vehicle that killed a young mother on December 11th. According to reports, Cisneros’ blood alcohol level was .17 at the time of the wreck. That is over two times the legal limit (in Virginia it would be an "aggravated" DUI with a mandatory minimum jail sentence). He was also allegedly traveling at speeds doubling the posted speed limit of 35 mph.  This would constitute a separate Class 1 Misdemeanor in Virginia, reckless driving by speed.

Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead seemed embarrassed at the entire situation. He told the family of the victim that he would do everything in his power to ensure that justice prevails. Cisneros has turned in his resignation, and is no longer working for the police force. He turned himself in on December 21st . He is being charged with intoxication manslaughter. He was released from jail after posting a $25,000 bond. He is not allowed to drink alcohol, leave Tarrant County, or operate any vehicle that doesn’t have an ignition interlock device installed. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

There are two little boys in Forth Worth without a mom now. The ignition interlock device should have been installed in the police vehicle before the crash, and maybe their mom would have made it home safely on that night. The interlock device should be installed on every vehicle sold! It’s an easy way to save lives and keep our streets safer.  We have the technology to stop drunk driving, we simply lack the will and the integrity to do it.

Alcohol is a mind altering drug.  If our government wants to sell us this drug freely, and we can consume it in public so easily, then there should be something to stop us from getting behind the wheel when our judgment is impaired. If even the police officers whose jobs are to keep drunk drivers off of our streets aren't able to control their own drinking and driving, then that shows that we have a huge problem that isn't being solved with the current system that relies primarily on punishing people who have already been caught driving drunk.

Chief Halstead says that he is investigating several other police officers on the force as well. Apparently, Cisneros and several other officers were celebrating a birthday party at a bar the night of the wreck. The chief wants to know why no other officer stepped up and prevented Cisneros from driving. He says that as police officers, they are always held to a certain standard of conduct, even when not on duty. My thinking says that the other officers were probably consuming alcohol as well. Judgment is impaired while drinking, and it shouldn’t be their responsibility to stop a fellow officer from driving after drinking when the government can solve the problem permanently with an ignition interlock.

Finally, somebody gets it.

I don't know Martin B. Hamilton, but I sure do like the way he thinks. Mr. Hamilton advocated for universal ignition interlocks in a recent editorial in the Johnstown Breeze. Even better, he has picked just the right time to make this argument. Why not, he asks, tie the bailout of the automakers to a requirement that every new car come with an ignition interlock? This is brilliant, but of course our elected representatives will probably fail to implement this obvious solution to the problem of drunk driving.

Hamilton's argument is simple. "At the inconvenience of including people who don’t drink at all, these devices would ensure no one drives drunk. It would make society suffer for the sins of a few, but the added cost would surely offset the amount of lives saved." And how much would it cost? Well, not a whole lot. These devices could easily be manufactured for less than $50 if they were produced on a tremendous scale that the US auto industry offers. And yes, it would require that we breathe into the machine before turning the key. But we have to breathe anyway! So why not save lives and money while doing what we have to do to keep our hearts beating?

Clue: some people would lose money. Auto manufacturers would sell less cars because people wouldn't wreck their vehicles while driving drunk. Insurance companies would derive less revenue because there would be less risk to insure. The goverment would sell less alcohol and get less tax and sales revenue, not to mention the fines from drunk driving convictions. The police would have less work to do and their employment numbers would decrease. MADD would go out of business and their fat salaries would be history. So think about it and decide for yourself - should we save lives or help Jack Daniels and his friends make more money?