Texas Bill Increases Penalities for Drunk Drivers Who Kill Police Officers

[TXCharlie]

http://www.thenewsconnection.com/cache/4/story.html

Editorials
March 30, 2007

By Bob Weir
Executive Editor

Drunk driving bill passes unanimously

Rep. Paula Pierson (D-Arlington) sponsored and helped pass a bill in the Texas House that will increase penalties for drunk drivers who kill or injure police, firefighters or EMS personnel while they are in the line of duty.

House Bill 1212, known as the Darren Medlin and Dwayne Freeto Act, passed the full House without objection. The bill is named after Grapevine police officer Darren Medlin, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver in 2004, and Fort Worth Police Officer Dwayne Freeto, killed when his car was engulfed in flames after being hit by a drunk driver last December.

“Every day, police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel are put in harms way to protect us all,” said Pierson. “When I see a drunk driver, I call 911. For each police officer, firefighter or EMS personnel taken off the road by a drunk driver, that is one less we can call when we need help. My hope is that this law will make people who have been drinking stop and think before they get behind the wheel.”

As important as this bill is, it should not be limited to casualties sustained by emergency personnel, but should apply across the board to include injury or death to anyone as a result of the callous indifference to human life displayed by those who consciously decide to impair their driving skills before rolling along the roadway in a wrecking machine. Until the law starts penalizing these maniacs with some serious prison time, every driver is risking life and limb when he/she takes the car out for a drive.

The Darren Medlin and Dwayne Freeto Act will be sponsored in the Senate by Senator Chris Harris (R-Arlington).

[Star Man]

I would love to see this in all 50 states.

[gozling]

I would love to see this in all 50 states.

+1

[countybear]

My hope is that this law will make people who have been drinking stop and think before they get behind the wheel.

As much as I appreciate and agree with the law itself, let's face reality. Drunks who get behind the wheel feel invincible, (the old 'it'll never happen to me syndrome). I can't imagine a drunk stopping as he (or she) is getting in their car and thinking, "I better not, I might accidentally kill a cop (or firefighter, or medic) and go to jail a long time..."

The laws are already on the books, just enhance the penalties and support them with "truth in sentencing".

[TXCharlie]

...just enhance the penalties and support them with "truth in sentencing".

Amen on that... As I've written in many editorials, when a prisoner is released early, that is a form of fraud committed by the Criminal Justice System on the public, since the public initially just hears the initial sentance, not the actual time served.

Before Truth in Sentancing laws, juries were not informed that a 20-year sentance may be reduced to 5 years (or to nothing if the parole board got forced into reducing prison overcrowding).

The stupid thing is though, juries are prevented by law into taking that into account when issuing a sentance (according to the judge's charge I received when I was on a jury). Ok...

[phantasm]

In NYC the ADAs LOVE to plea down. I've had probably 2 dozen arrests (patrol doesn't make many arrests) and I've yet to go to court for anything other than grandjury.