Color me skeptical. PI laws are the new “disorderly conduct” in the LEO arsenal. They’ve proven to be a great way to harass folks for being female, gay and/or not-white. The state of Texas seems to particularly enjoy the broad scope of their PI laws as evidenced by the frequent “stings” in which they enter a bar and arrest the patrons therein for PI.
Strangely, this tends to occur mostly in gay bars or bars whose clientele are predominantly Hispanic or Latino.
What do you want to bet the breathalyzer was left in their other police car. And let me guess no blood was drawn after the arrest either. Being a smart ass does not mean your are intoxicated merely not amused by being harassed by the cops. I have known the feeling many times. My brother also knows about the texas cops. He and a friend were walking down the street. A abilene city cop pulls up beside them and asks them what they are doing. They tell him heading to my grandfathers house. Well the cop proceeds to accuse them of starting an arson fire a few miles away. How they made it a few miles on a foot on a 110-115 degree day we never figured. Anyhow he searches them handcuffs them and takes them to my grandfathers house. He tells them since he did not find any lighters on them that they are free to go but he would be watching them. Seems they later caught the arsonist and it was not my brother or his friend. The cop was being a dick. The Abilene, Texas city police department has a real carrot up their butts superiority complex.
Heh, come to NC, we have judges that through out DwI if the breathalayzer isn’t used in a timely manner(typically within 1-1 1/2 hrs) let alone against PI charges.
March 16th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Color me skeptical. PI laws are the new “disorderly conduct” in the LEO arsenal. They’ve proven to be a great way to harass folks for being female, gay and/or not-white. The state of Texas seems to particularly enjoy the broad scope of their PI laws as evidenced by the frequent “stings” in which they enter a bar and arrest the patrons therein for PI.
Strangely, this tends to occur mostly in gay bars or bars whose clientele are predominantly Hispanic or Latino.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
PI is more and more frequently becoming a POP (Pissing Off Police) charge, kind of like disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace.
March 16th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Shouldn’t there be an easy way to disprove public intoxication? If you blow 0 on a breathalyzer, it woud seem to me that should settle the matter.
March 16th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
What do you want to bet the breathalyzer was left in their other police car. And let me guess no blood was drawn after the arrest either. Being a smart ass does not mean your are intoxicated merely not amused by being harassed by the cops. I have known the feeling many times. My brother also knows about the texas cops. He and a friend were walking down the street. A abilene city cop pulls up beside them and asks them what they are doing. They tell him heading to my grandfathers house. Well the cop proceeds to accuse them of starting an arson fire a few miles away. How they made it a few miles on a foot on a 110-115 degree day we never figured. Anyhow he searches them handcuffs them and takes them to my grandfathers house. He tells them since he did not find any lighters on them that they are free to go but he would be watching them. Seems they later caught the arsonist and it was not my brother or his friend. The cop was being a dick. The Abilene, Texas city police department has a real carrot up their butts superiority complex.
March 17th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Heh, come to NC, we have judges that through out DwI if the breathalayzer isn’t used in a timely manner(typically within 1-1 1/2 hrs) let alone against PI charges.
Of course we now have the BATmobile, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBTN-_94qAA
March 17th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Public Intoxication=Contempt of Cop
March 17th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
The OC meme is getting almost psychotic at this point. Have we had our mental evaluation lately?