Friday, December 4, 2009

No tickets in WPD vs. UPS crash

On November 24th a Woodstock Police car hit a UPS van turning into a driveway on Route 47, just north of U.S. 14. The crash occurred about 10:45AM, and I happened to drive by before a supervisor from WPD or a deputy from the sheriff's department arrived to take the crash report. The roadway was wet, but it was not raining.

According to the crash report prepared by Deputy #1654 (names are now omitted from crash reports written by the McHenry County Sheriff's Department), Ofc. Richard Dolan was following the UPS truck too closely, when the UPS truck turned right the strip shopping center at 1662 South Eastwood.

Both vehicles were southbound on Eastwood (Route 47). The UPS driver reported that he turned on his right turn signal, but moved to the left partially to make what I'll call a "country" or wide right turn. Ofc. Dolan reported that he thought the UPS driver intended to turn left, because he had moved toward the middle (two-way, left-turn) lane. Dolan braked but slid on the wet pavement, striking the right rear of the UPS van.

According to the crash report, no citations were issued. The UPS van driver was not cited; Ofc. Dolan was not cited.

I'm always curious when a police officer is involved in a crash and is the at-fault driver, when no ticket is issued. This happens more frequently than the public knows, because the traditional media do not report it fully.

Several years ago a serious crash occurred, involving a Woodstock Police car running hot through a red light by Wendy's. It was investigated by a McHenry County deputy sheriff, and no ticket was issued to the officer. When the citizen who was hit was later asked whether the officer was ticketed, his answer was, "Oh, can cops get tickets?"

It took him three years to collect the damages from the City of Woodstock, but he finally got his money; and then he was kind enough to call me and thank me for helping him.

In July 2008 a deputy pulled off a highway shoulder on U.S. 12 to make a U-turn and drive a prisoner to the McHenry County Jail. Unfortunately, he didn't wait for passing traffic to clear, and he struck the right side of a vehicle that was passing by. Not only did he not get a ticket for causing the crash, the crash report got manipulated at the sheriff's department, and the woman driver going by was put in the Unit 1 (the at-fault) position. There was $5,600 damage to the woman's car, and the Sheriff's Department or the County refused to pay her, because she was put on the report as Unit 1.

That crash should have been investigated by an independent agency, such as the State Police or a nearby municipal PD officer. It wasn't; the at-fault deputy's supervisor handled the crash report. Initially, the report indicated the deputy was at fault and he was placed as Unit 1. He complained loudly, and the sergeant re-wrote the report, placing the woman citizen as Unit 1; i.e., the at-fault driver.

Numerous deputies realized the deputy had caused the accident and were upset at the falsified crash report. But the sheriff refused to have it corrected, and the woman never got paid for the damages to her vehicle.

If a citizen causes a crash, he or she gets a ticket.

If a cop causes a crash, he should get a ticket.

By the way, McHenry County Sheriff's Department Deputy #1654 is Laura Larson.

5 comments:

Woodstock Advocate's Against Gus said...

Gus again you screw it all up. I know several McHenry County Deputies and it is their policy that an Officer involved in an accident must require a sign off from the non-officer invovled in the accident for a citation not to be issued. If you are going to report on those things that you do not know about at least get you facts right. As for the UPS drivers it sounds like he was quilty of Inproper Lane Usage to me
Because the last time I looked the center turn lane is a solid yellow line which is only meant to be entered in when you are going to make a left turn.

Woodstock Advocate's Against Gus said...

Gus again you screw it all up. I know several McHenry County Deputies and it is their policy that an Officer involved in an accident must require a sign off from the non-officer invovled in the accident for a citation not to be issued. If you are going to report on those things that you do not know about at least get you facts right. As for the UPS drivers it sounds like he was quilty of Inproper Lane Usage to me
Because the last time I looked the center turn lane is a solid yellow line which is only meant to be entered in when you are going to make a left turn.

Gus said...

You're kidding; right?

When MCSD responded to a FOIA Request for this crash report, it did not provide a copy of any such sign-off. Frankly, I don't think that such a policy exists.

If it does, an investigation is merited into how such a "policy" ever came about.

I can hear it now. "Hey, buddy, I'm going to give YOU a ticket if you don't sign off that I don't get a ticket."

But, who knows? Maybe there is such a policy. I'll find out.

Gus said...

WAAG, those deputies you know must be operating under MOP ("My Own Policy"). They are certainly not operating under General Orders of the sheriff's dept.

It is the investigating officer who is supposed to determine whether a violation of traffic laws occurred and, if so, to issue the ticket.

Now, I suppose that if the other driver begged the investigating deputy not to ticket the cop who caused the accident, then the investigating might now and would write up a "Fail to File" report, as a CYA.

I've been told that Capt. Cundiff trains deputies to issue tickets to drivers who cause accidents. And that is how it should be. Whether or not the at-fault driver is a cop.

It becomes news when a deputy does NOT issue a ticket to a cop who causes an accident. What does that look like to most people?

Gus said...

All this reminds me once again of the former chief of the Charleston (Va.) P.D., Reuben Greenberg.

When he was a rookie, he got into an accident enroute to a call. It was his fault, so he wrote himself a ticket!

Now that's my kind of cop!