My family and I went out to eat a few nights ago and while we were eating we noticed a few guys sitting at a table laughing it up having good ole time they had been drinking I don't if they were drunk but they were pretty loud and very noticable. there were 7 of them. and all of them had a beer in front of them. When they got ready to go we over heard there waitress tell them good night and have a saft night well it turns out that all but 1 was a cop just starting there shift and the 1 cop was a highway patrol. My problem is not that they were drinking but drinking and driving and just going to work. I was in shock. I didn't know what to do. hubby called the next morning and told them what we witnessed but I don't think they will do anything about it

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 11:11 pm:

I don't think they should be drinking and then going to work! Aren't most of them, hopping in a car to do their patrols?

A 16yo girl was recently killed, by a drunk driver crashing into her! That's so hypocritical of the cops to drink and THEN go to work!

My husband is a newspaper photographer and does a lot of driving in the course of his job and he would never drink before going to work. I'm a nurse and I barely drink anyway, but I certainly wouldn't drink any alcohol right before going to work, either.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 05:59 am:

Coincidentally, there was an article in the Chicago Tribune a few days ago. Different police departments here have different rules. The link doesn't want to work, but if you go to the Chicago Tribune and search for +Worth +police +blood +alcohol that should do it. (Worth is the name of a community mentioned in the article.)

"A random survey of Chicago-area departments shows that alcohol limits in contracts range from 0.08 in Oak Park, to 0.04 in Aurora and Oak Lawn, to 0.02 in Crystal Lake and Orland Park. Numerous other towns do not address a limit in their contracts."
...
Studies show that impairment can begin at 0.02 with slight euphoria, mild relaxation and possible lightheadedness, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Effects at 0.04 include lower inhibitions, some minor impairment of reasoning, lowering of caution and behavior that may become exaggerated with intensified emotions, the agency says.

Personally, I think cops should be like airline pilots - nothing to drink for X hours before going to work. For pilots I think it is 8 hours, maybe 12. I might be willing to reduce that a bit for cops, but to be sitting around drinking beer just before going on shift - wrong, wrong, wrong. If it was me, I'd report it. From what you said about how the waitress acted, I'll be they are there frequently before they go on shift - and that is wrong, wrong, wrong.

By Crystal915 on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 12:28 pm:

Well, my father is a police officer, and I know that he could drink one or two beers and still be completely sober. He has an extremely high metabolism. However, I don't think he would ever drink before a shift, maybe have a few the night before a shift, but never right before. I think that it's inappropriate, and if their superior officers smelled the alcohol, they would be suspended, probably off the force.

By Karen~admin on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 03:14 pm:

I'm not going to debate how many drinks it takes to impair one's judgement, etc., because we all know, as Crystal says, each person's tolerance for alcohol varies.

BUT - NO one should be going to work under the influence - ESPECIALLY a public official/fireman/policeman. I will agree, THAT is wrong, and makes absolutely NO sense to me. What can possibly be their defense if they cause an accident while in pursuit BECAUSE they had been drinking? True, an accident could happen anyway, but let's face it, chances are that much greater when you've had a drink or 3 or 4......and if blood alcohol tests were done in such a case, I for one would be furious that my tax dollars were paying an officer of the law to *protect and serve* while drinking.

By Kaye on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 03:40 pm:

My hubby works at a petro chemical plant. If he is on call, which means they might call, he isn't allowed to have a sip. If he gets called and shows up and someone suspects he has had a beer, then they can do a pee test and it is ground for instant firing. No exceptions. Often he shows up only to have to write up paperwork. I can't imagine police officers doing so before a shift.

So in the future...LOL..that lovely cell phone camera should have been used. Take pictures, send them to the police station, and if you get no responses to the media. It is okay and we shouldn't sit by and pretend that it is.

By Tink on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 04:23 pm:

Ditto Kaye! It wouldn't matter to me how many they'd had, what they're tolerance was or their BAC levels. It's simply a terrible public image to send to anyone and if something were to happen, you know that Blue Line would close up tight and the public would never know.

By Reds9298 on Friday, October 6, 2006 - 05:41 pm:

Ditto Tink, Karen, and Kaye! Would someone want me teaching small children with one or two beers in my system? I hardly think so. Regardless of someone's tolerance it shouldn NOT be allowed.

Getting something done about it however, would be another story completely, like Tink said.