Police in Georgia use "coin flip" to decide whether to arrest someone over speeding

[bcla]

Apparently they used a "virtual coin toss", but it was a program meant to give a 50/50 outcome. Not just a ticket, but whether or not they'd handcuff the suspect and take her to the station for booking.

https://www.11alive.com/article/new...ief-responds-to-coin-toss-arrest/85-573647080

It was all caught on bodycam video, which the arrestee had to get help from a news station to obtain. However, nothing seemed to happen until this request was made.

https://www.facebook.com/RoswellGAPolice/posts/10155370328586631
The following is a personal message from Chief Rusty Grant:

On April 7, 2018, Roswell Police Officers Courtney Brown and Kristee Wilson made an arrest subsequent to a traffic stop. Brown apparently based her decision to arrest the violator on a coin toss app that was on her cell phone. After I became aware that this incident occurred, I immediately initiated an internal investigation into the matter. I then placed both officers on administrative leave. Since this is an open internal investigation, I cannot discuss the details of the incident until the conclusion of the investigation. This behavior is not indicative of the hardworking officers of the Roswell Police Department. I have much higher expectations of our police officers and I am appalled that any law enforcement officer would trivialize the decision-making process of something as important as the arrest of a person.​

 

[bcla]

OK - there was another twist to this. Apparently the "coin-flip" didn't actually decide it. It came up tails which they said would result in releasing her and just giving a ticket, but the senior officer on scene said arrest anyways.

 

[KingCrusher]

Definitely should be suspended, not terminated though (assuming they haven't done dumb stuff like this in the past).

 

[Disney Ron]

Definitely should be suspended, not terminated though (assuming they haven't done dumb stuff like this in the past).

I'd can both those idiots. Why were they laughing? Make an example and get rid of these 2 clowns!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I saw that on the news. Unbelievable!

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

Definitely should be suspended, not terminated though (assuming they haven't done dumb stuff like this in the past).

Seriously? Abuse of power should not be tolerated.

 

[bcla]

Seriously? Abuse of power should not be tolerated.

Yeah I get the flippant attitude, but in the end they didn't actually use any random chance to decide and arrested her as a judgement call. It was an arrest for going 85 MPH in a 45 MPH zone, so arrest wasn't unjustifiable. It may have just been an inside joke - kind of gallows humor. But they did it - on camera.

That they would even say all that stuff while body cams were running is a little bit nutty. Anyone remember the nurse arrested in Salt Lake City. The body cam footage is what buried them.

 

[KingCrusher]

Seriously? Abuse of power should not be tolerated.

Does a 4 week suspension scream tolerance to you? It doesn't to me. It sends a very clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated. Why does our society expect everyone to be terminated when they make a mistake?

 

[KingCrusher]

Yeah I get the flippant attitude, but in the end they didn't actually use any random chance to decide and arrested her as a judgement call. It was an arrest for going 85 MPH in a 45 MPH zone, so arrest wasn't unjustifiable. It may have just been an inside joke - kind of gallows humor. But they did it - on camera.

That they would even say all that stuff while body cams were running is a little bit nutty. Anyone remember the nurse arrested in Salt Lake City. The body cam footage is what buried them.

You make a good point. 85 in a 45 is absolutely arrest worthy. Frankly I'm more concerned with making an example of her than the police. Only one of them was endangering lives and it wasn't the police.

 

[Disney Ron]

Does a 4 week suspension scream tolerance to you? It doesn't to me. It sends a very clear message that this behavior will not be tolerated. Why does our society expect everyone to be terminated when they make a mistake?

Oh please they weren't suspended until the news station brought up the issue with the police department. They are 2 clowns that should not be in uniform. If you're in a public position like this you deserve to lose your job.

 

[bcla]

You make a good point. 85 in a 45 is absolutely arrest worthy. Frankly I'm more concerned with making an example of her than the police. Only one of them was endangering lives and it wasn't the police.

Still - with the release of the body cam footage, local prosecutors decided to drop the charges. If it went to trial all the defense needed was to show the body cam video.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

OK - there was another twist to this. Apparently the "coin-flip" didn't actually decide it. It came up tails which they said would result in releasing her and just giving a ticket, but the senior officer on scene said arrest anyways.

Reminds me when I was a kid. Coin toss goes against what I want Ok 2 out of 3.
The cops gigglingly did what they wanted anyway.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Yeah I get the flippant attitude, but in the end they didn't actually use any random chance to decide and arrested her as a judgement call. It was an arrest for going 85 MPH in a 45 MPH zone, so arrest wasn't unjustifiable. It may have just been an inside joke - kind of gallows humor. But they did it - on camera.

That they would even say all that stuff while body cams were running is a little bit nutty. Anyone remember the nurse arrested in Salt Lake City. The body cam footage is what buried them.

That they gigglingly arrested her anyway like little children who do what they want anyway despite the coin flip, is no reason to commend them.

 

[bcla]

That they gigglingly arrested her anyway like little children who do what they want anyway despite the coin flip, is no reason to commend them.

Not commending them. Just saying that with all the talk about using a "coin flip" it wasn't necessarily a factor other than the cops goofing off. The reporting is that both were formerly Atlanta Police officers and they were talking about it like this was common there.

 

[KingCrusher]

Oh please they weren't suspended until the news station brought up the issue with the police department.

That's not the fault of the cops in question though. That's the fault of their department's leadership.

 

[tvguy]

Warning, ticket or arrest in most areas are at the discretion of the officer. In my past life when I was on the law enforcement career track in the academy we were taught to try and decide what action we were going to take before we got out of the car. Only change that decision based on circumstances that happen after you get out of the car.

Flipping of a coin certainly seems to push the envelope in that regard, but really, with most police departments, a coin flip is what is going on in an officer's head before they step out of the patrol car.
A speeder who promptly pulls over, is probably going to stand a better change of getting a warning. especially if they clearly seem remorseful. A speeder who takes their time pulling over, argues that they weren't speeding, probably is going to push the warning to a ticket.
And at least here, a speeder does not physically get arrested unless they refuse to sign the citation

 

[dish rag]

Despicable really. That must have been a traumatic experience. I hope she's compensated somehow for this. The giddy and flippant attitude of those officers should cause them to be banned from policing. They don't have the maturity that it takes.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

They clocked her doing 85 in a 45. I don’t care if they were flippant or giggling. She was going way too fast, driving recklessly, could have killed somebody with that driving. She deserves to have a traumatic experience so she doesn’t do it again.

 

[dish rag]

They clocked her doing 85 in a 45. I don’t care if they were flippant or giggling. She was going way too fast, driving recklessly, could have killed somebody with that driving. She deserves to have a traumatic experience so she doesn’t do it again.

She deserved to have happen what the law calls for. Not to be made sport of or embarrassed.

 

[Disney Ron]

They clocked her doing 85 in a 45. I don’t care if they were flippant or giggling. She was going way too fast, driving recklessly, could have killed somebody with that driving. She deserves to have a traumatic experience so she doesn’t do it again.

No one is saying she didn't deserve to be arrested, but the police are supposed to be professional in what they do. Plus the officers didn't appear to concerned about her speed since they made a farce of it.