See how often DWI suspect mentions his law enforcement status (Opinion)

For as many times as he mentioned he was the warden of the Essex County Correctional Facility, I'd say Charles Green knew he was in trouble and trying to get out of it.

Edison police officers pulled him over last month on suspicion of drunk driving. They say he was driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly struck two cars. When they questioned where he was coming from his first response was, "Home." When asked where he was heading to his answer was the same. "Home."

He also failed several field sobriety tests, such as simply reciting the alphabet and not backwards either, just forwards. "A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, G, J, I."
Walking and turning and a one-leg stand also proved problematic according to NJ.com.

Not much of this would be newsworthy except for the fact that Green repeatedly mentioned his law enforcement status throughout the stop. In a video from NJ.com that is only 99 seconds long he mentions it three times. It would appear he felt he should be off the hook since he belonged to this particular boy's club.

“I’ve been a law enforcement officer 36 years. Can y’all tell me something, why am I going through this right now?” Green asked incredulously.

Whether it's former officer Pedro Abad who killed two friends in a drunken wrong way crash into a tractor trailer after leaving a Staten Island strip club or the Charles Green case, most of us will be outraged to think an officer deserves special privilege when breaking the law. Especially something as dangerous as drunk driving. Which brings me to a point.

A point about PBA cards and the average New Jerseyan's hypocrisy.

PBA cards and FOP cards have been used for the longest time in traffic stops to get out of tickets. The unwritten rule being: if you know a cop you can get away with things. It's wrong. Just as wrong as a drunk law enforcement officer trying to get out of a DWI arrest based on his job.

I've heard all the blather about 'it's just a professional courtesy', it's 'just to let other officers know the driver is a clean, upstanding citizen', they 'don't get you out of serious things like drunk driving.' On that last one? I've heard first hand stories where they did exactly that in the past and it's shameful. The whole idea of PBA cards being used to get out of tickets is shameful. Yet most people seem to embrace them, excuse them, justify them. Many of them the same people who will sit and cast judgement on Charles Green's repeatedly mentioning his law enforcement status in the DWI stop. If he was wrong, then so are you to use a PBA card. In fact, at least he risked his ass for 36 years. What did you do? You knew a guy?

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