Officer: Traffic stop lacked 'professional courtesy'
An off-duty police officer complains he didn't get 'professional courtesy' in West Des Moines.
By JENNIFER JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
February 15, 2006
Once Sgt. Ken Brown flashed his police identification card, he expected the West Des Moines officer who pulled him over for driving with dim lights to just wave him along.
It was a cold December night. Brown, who was traveling with his wife and two young children, was anxious to get home before their van, which was having electrical problems, stalled.
Instead, to Brown's displeasure, the officer demanded his driver's license, then spent several minutes running background checks that Brown thought were unnecessary for someone who had identified himself as a Des Moines police sergeant. He was not ticketed, but later, a block from his home, Brown's vehicle died.
The next day, Brown, who has been a police officer for 13 years, filed a written complaint about the West Des Moines officer's conduct. Brown said he wasn't given the "professional courtesy" officers extend to one another.
"As long as I've been an officer, any time I've stopped another law enforcement officer, once they've identified themselves or I found out they're law enforcement, then I treat them accordingly," Brown said. "It's called professional courtesy. And I felt like I didn't get that, considering my vehicle was having problems. It's not like I was doing 100 miles per hour through West Des Moines."
Special treatment?
Brown's reaction to the incident raised questions about special treatment for off-duty law enforcement officers. Police ethics instructors said officers shouldn't expect any courtesies.
"I know this quote-unquote professional courtesy occurs out there," said Rod Van Wyk of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. "I'm not going to deny it happens. It gives law enforcement a black eye."
Van Wyk said it confirms what people already suspect: Police officers are free to violate traffic laws because they're immune to tickets.
West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O'Donnell dismissed Brown's complaint, saying his officer, Bryan Grube, treated Brown the same way he would treat anyone else.
"As a veteran police officer and supervisor, you understand the importance of officers being fair and consistent in their treatment of individuals with whom they have contact," O'Donnell wrote in a letter to Brown, which he copied to Des Moines Police Chief Bill McCarthy.
Brown, who agreed to be interviewed after The Des Moines Register obtained documents from his complaint file through an open records request, pointed out that he wasn't speeding, and the car troubles were outside his control.
But there is a certain understanding among officers, especially during minor traffic stops, he said.
"I'm not saying you can drive like you're a stunt man and just be reckless," he said. "I'm not saying you get a pass for that. But normally, a minor infraction, if you're going 5 or 10 miles over the limit and you get stopped and you identify yourself, usually there's a professional courtesy amongst officers. You know, 'Hey, just slow down.' And you get a warning."
Arlan Ciechanowski, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy's assistant director, said: "When you begin to talk in that manner, where does the line stop? Will you give an officer a break at 10 over? What about 20 over? What if they are drunk?"
More serious ethics violations — such as income tax evasion, embezzlement or conviction of a felony — can lead to an officer's decertification, Ciechanowski said.
Larry Edwards, a 32-year Des Moines police officer who is now retired, said there is no sense of obligation for an officer to take care of another police officer.
On traffic stops, officers have the option of giving anyone a warning, said Dave Murillo, a 28-year officer and president of the Des Moines Police Burial and Protective Association.
"If they're polite to me and remorseful about what they've done, I'll give anyone a break, whether they're a citizen or another officer," Murillo said. "But depending on the magnitude of offense, if cutting them some slack would put the officer's butt in a sling, they're not going to do that."
If, for instance, an off-duty officer runs a red light and injures another driver, a ticket is almost automatic, Murillo said. The same is true for more serious crimes, he said.
"Can you imagine the ramifications to police administration if we didn't arrest a thief who was wearing a badge?" he said. "It'd be catastrophic."
Van Wyk said even small ethics violations are wrong — and that includes accepting gratuities such as a cup of coffee from a convenience store. He said he knows officers argue that a free drink won't prompt them to give that business any favors, but it's still over the line.
"When it comes to police officers, I think the public expects a higher standard. If we're going to call you Iowa's finest, what does that mean?" Van Wyk said.
'Higher standard'
Academy Director Penny Westfall, who teaches the police ethics classes, drills the "higher standard" concept into recruits' heads. "I say, 'If you can't uphold that, now is the time to not choose this as a profession, because society expects that of us,' " she said. "Another officer should never, never put another officer in a difficult situation."
Brown, who is assigned to the detectives bureau in Des Moines, said he never asked for any favors during the Dec. 4 incident, and he doesn't fault Grube for pulling him over.
"You see a vehicle with no lights, of course, you're going to stop them," he said. "But he treated me like I was some burglar on the prowl, or just some suspect up to no good, which I was not happy with, especially with my wife and kids in the van."
Brown said he is also upset that Grube didn't give his family adequate assistance when the van broke down a few blocks away.
Chief O'Donnell said he called Brown to resolve the complaint informally, but Brown was adamant that Grube owed him an apology.
After an internal affairs officer interviewed Brown, his wife and Grube, O'Donnell concluded that Grube, who has seven years' experience, followed all department policies. The chief said Grube thought he had escorted Brown to a place where he could make it home safely without being struck by another car due to the dim lights. He didn't know Brown's car broke down after it turned onto a side street.
McCarthy, Des Moines' police chief, said Tuesday he intends to talk to Brown but hadn't had a chance to yet. He has faith in his officer. "Kenny's an honorable person," he said.
Department policy is to be fair with everyone, McCarthy said.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060215/NEWS01/602150378/1001/archive
Welcome to the world of us serfs, officer Brown.
An off-duty police officer complains he didn't get 'professional courtesy' in West Des Moines.
By JENNIFER JACOBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
February 15, 2006
Once Sgt. Ken Brown flashed his police identification card, he expected the West Des Moines officer who pulled him over for driving with dim lights to just wave him along.
It was a cold December night. Brown, who was traveling with his wife and two young children, was anxious to get home before their van, which was having electrical problems, stalled.
Instead, to Brown's displeasure, the officer demanded his driver's license, then spent several minutes running background checks that Brown thought were unnecessary for someone who had identified himself as a Des Moines police sergeant. He was not ticketed, but later, a block from his home, Brown's vehicle died.
The next day, Brown, who has been a police officer for 13 years, filed a written complaint about the West Des Moines officer's conduct. Brown said he wasn't given the "professional courtesy" officers extend to one another.
"As long as I've been an officer, any time I've stopped another law enforcement officer, once they've identified themselves or I found out they're law enforcement, then I treat them accordingly," Brown said. "It's called professional courtesy. And I felt like I didn't get that, considering my vehicle was having problems. It's not like I was doing 100 miles per hour through West Des Moines."
Special treatment?
Brown's reaction to the incident raised questions about special treatment for off-duty law enforcement officers. Police ethics instructors said officers shouldn't expect any courtesies.
"I know this quote-unquote professional courtesy occurs out there," said Rod Van Wyk of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. "I'm not going to deny it happens. It gives law enforcement a black eye."
Van Wyk said it confirms what people already suspect: Police officers are free to violate traffic laws because they're immune to tickets.
West Des Moines Police Chief Jack O'Donnell dismissed Brown's complaint, saying his officer, Bryan Grube, treated Brown the same way he would treat anyone else.
"As a veteran police officer and supervisor, you understand the importance of officers being fair and consistent in their treatment of individuals with whom they have contact," O'Donnell wrote in a letter to Brown, which he copied to Des Moines Police Chief Bill McCarthy.
Brown, who agreed to be interviewed after The Des Moines Register obtained documents from his complaint file through an open records request, pointed out that he wasn't speeding, and the car troubles were outside his control.
But there is a certain understanding among officers, especially during minor traffic stops, he said.
"I'm not saying you can drive like you're a stunt man and just be reckless," he said. "I'm not saying you get a pass for that. But normally, a minor infraction, if you're going 5 or 10 miles over the limit and you get stopped and you identify yourself, usually there's a professional courtesy amongst officers. You know, 'Hey, just slow down.' And you get a warning."
Arlan Ciechanowski, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy's assistant director, said: "When you begin to talk in that manner, where does the line stop? Will you give an officer a break at 10 over? What about 20 over? What if they are drunk?"
More serious ethics violations — such as income tax evasion, embezzlement or conviction of a felony — can lead to an officer's decertification, Ciechanowski said.
Larry Edwards, a 32-year Des Moines police officer who is now retired, said there is no sense of obligation for an officer to take care of another police officer.
On traffic stops, officers have the option of giving anyone a warning, said Dave Murillo, a 28-year officer and president of the Des Moines Police Burial and Protective Association.
"If they're polite to me and remorseful about what they've done, I'll give anyone a break, whether they're a citizen or another officer," Murillo said. "But depending on the magnitude of offense, if cutting them some slack would put the officer's butt in a sling, they're not going to do that."
If, for instance, an off-duty officer runs a red light and injures another driver, a ticket is almost automatic, Murillo said. The same is true for more serious crimes, he said.
"Can you imagine the ramifications to police administration if we didn't arrest a thief who was wearing a badge?" he said. "It'd be catastrophic."
Van Wyk said even small ethics violations are wrong — and that includes accepting gratuities such as a cup of coffee from a convenience store. He said he knows officers argue that a free drink won't prompt them to give that business any favors, but it's still over the line.
"When it comes to police officers, I think the public expects a higher standard. If we're going to call you Iowa's finest, what does that mean?" Van Wyk said.
'Higher standard'
Academy Director Penny Westfall, who teaches the police ethics classes, drills the "higher standard" concept into recruits' heads. "I say, 'If you can't uphold that, now is the time to not choose this as a profession, because society expects that of us,' " she said. "Another officer should never, never put another officer in a difficult situation."
Brown, who is assigned to the detectives bureau in Des Moines, said he never asked for any favors during the Dec. 4 incident, and he doesn't fault Grube for pulling him over.
"You see a vehicle with no lights, of course, you're going to stop them," he said. "But he treated me like I was some burglar on the prowl, or just some suspect up to no good, which I was not happy with, especially with my wife and kids in the van."
Brown said he is also upset that Grube didn't give his family adequate assistance when the van broke down a few blocks away.
Chief O'Donnell said he called Brown to resolve the complaint informally, but Brown was adamant that Grube owed him an apology.
After an internal affairs officer interviewed Brown, his wife and Grube, O'Donnell concluded that Grube, who has seven years' experience, followed all department policies. The chief said Grube thought he had escorted Brown to a place where he could make it home safely without being struck by another car due to the dim lights. He didn't know Brown's car broke down after it turned onto a side street.
McCarthy, Des Moines' police chief, said Tuesday he intends to talk to Brown but hadn't had a chance to yet. He has faith in his officer. "Kenny's an honorable person," he said.
Department policy is to be fair with everyone, McCarthy said.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060215/NEWS01/602150378/1001/archive
Welcome to the world of us serfs, officer Brown.
.