Democracy In Albany - New York Politics ||

Albany County Toughens DWI Prosecution

By DIA, Section News
Posted on Fri May 16, 2008 at 04:45:30 AM EST

Sounds good to me seeing as we were one of the worst counties in the state when it came to this.

Albany County District Attorney David Soares has quietly adopted a stricter policy to govern the handling of misdemeanor drunken-driving cases, an internal document revealed.

A memo obtained by the Times Union details guidelines that prosecutors must use in negotiating DWI plea bargains, which let motorists admit guilt to lesser offenses and avoid possible jail time.

Because...

"One of the biggest problems was that we were always ranked so poorly in getting DWI convictions," Crouch said of the state Department of Motor Vehicles statistics that show the number of convictions annually in New York's 62 counties to DWI and drunken with ability impaired (DWAI) offenses.

The rankings then show what percentage of the total convictions are for DWI for each county.

Based on that system, Albany has ranked 55th, 61st, 57th and 60th between 2003 and 2006, a stretch that includes the administration of former District Attorney Paul Clyne.

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Albany County Toughens DWI Prosecution | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)

Here's my thoughts..... (none / 0) (#1)
by jackknight on Fri May 16, 2008 at 07:50:38 PM EST

http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=4862057&page=1

Is this our old Kate B? (none / 0) (#2)
by jackknight on Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:27:53 PM EST

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing yet another media outlet portraying police officers in a negative light. It seems so easy for others to point out the downfalls in the police profession, the FEW officers that may not follow policy or make the wrong decisions. How easily we forget the things police officers do for us in our times of need so we can focus on why we think that "90% of all officers are crooked". It's the police officer that is at your door in your time of need, they are the ones you turn to when you are a victim of domestic violence, how easily we forget the patience of an officer when we need some advice on how to help our drug addicted adolescent, how quickly forgotten the hours they spend searching for your runaway 12 year old. Where are these stories in the media??? Where is our gratitude for the officers that wake up every day and put their lives on the line??? Not all police officers are crooked, not even close to 90%, it's the age old concept of one bad apple ruining it for others. A police officer is still a person, just like any other employee out there, they go to work with the intent to do the best they can at their job, to serve their community and attempt to do their best to keep our streets safe. They are no different than any other individual who wakes up in the morning, goes to work and does their job. Are there no other occupations in which we look out for those we work with? Does a nurse not ever look the other way when a fellow nurse forgets to wash her hands? Does a teacher not ever overlook a fellow teacher's lenient grading? These police officers do the best they can, maybe if we stopped portraying this occupation in such a bad light and started focusing on all the positive work they do for our communities they may feel less inclined to keep the shelter of the blue and protect their fellow officers.
Posted by:
kateb0430 10:48 PM
Mark As Violation

Albany County Toughens DWI Prosecution | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 hidden)

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