Stupid Recruits

[Jackalope]

Police recruits face street-racing citations

Brent Whiting
The Arizona Republic
May. 19, 2007 12:00 AM

In an apparent case of street racing, two recruits for the Glendale Police Department have been cited by that agency for criminal speeding.

Thomas Franklin Durham Jr., 25, and Sean Robert Tobin, 26, both of Glendale, are awaiting trial in City Court, officials said Friday.

In addition, the Glendale department, which hired the pair Dec. 11, has launched an internal investigation, said Officer Matt Barnett, a Glendale police spokesman.

Barnett said that both men remain police recruits pending the outcome of the court case and the internal investigation.

Neither Durham nor Tobin could be reached. Both have not returned phone calls placed to them by The Republic seeking comment about the criminal case.

The pair, who were behind the wheel of private vehicles, apparently were off duty May 9 when they were caught barreling side-by-side along Grand Avenue at a speed of 86 mph, according to the citations filed against them Thursday in the Glendale court.

Under state law, speeding becomes a criminal offense if a person exceeds the posted limit by more than 20 mph.

The pair were pulled over by a Glendale traffic officer in the 4600 block of Grand Avenue, the citations say. That stretch of roadway has a posted limit of 45 mph, placing both suspects more than 40 mph over the limit, according to the citations.

Under the law, they could receive as much as 30 days in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted. A court hearing is set for June 7.

In addition, their prospect of becoming full-fledged peace officers hangs in the balance.

They have completed basic training but not yet been certified as Arizona peace officers, said Tom Hammarstrom, executive director of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, or POST, the agency that certifies law officers throughout the state.

Both were set to graduate from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy on May 11, two days after they were pulled over in Glendale, but Hammarstrom said he has been unable to determine if they, in fact, were allowed to graduate.

POST may launch its own investigation of the pair after Glendale completes its internal probe, Hammarstrom said.

There was no immediate indication when Glendale may complete its investigation.

Reach the reporter at brent.whiting@arizonarepublic. com or (602) 444-6937.

I've busted my ass for five years trying to get hired, and these retards blow it for a 30 second thrill.

[Ducky]

86? That's it??? I do faster than that on the intersta..... I mean...

ummmm





Wow, that's fast!

[conalabu]

So does Virgin, Ducks.

[lewisipso]

It's real popular to race bikes and cars illegally for the younger generation. It's like a cultural thing. A lot of new(er) young(er)officers are doing things like this that they should be enforcing against. It's a shame for more ethical persons trying to become those officers who can't get hired.

I drive faster on the interstate too Ducky. But at least there's a higher speed limit.

[TXCharlie]

There's a 45-mph street in Dallas (Regal Row, if I recall), where hundreds of kids converge & drag race. Several have been killed and seriously wounded, not only from the racing itself, but from stabbings & shootings over bets and drug deals that go sour among the audience.

It's a huge mess when it happens - The police have a major job on their hands to disperse it, akin to a small riot.

[countybear]

Better they lose their jobs as recruits than as officers, we take enough heat for stupidity...