If only the public knew how easy it is for a cop to frame someone for drunk driving….say, a cop who has a quota to meet or is bucking for promotion. See, for example, some of my earlier posts: 79 DUI Cases Thrown Out: False Police Reports, DUI Reports Falsely Certified by Arresting Cops and Pre-Written DUI Arrest Reports: A Smoking Gun.
The only thing unusual about this news article is that this cop was caught…and then covered up.
Memo Suggest Utah Trooper Steed Was Falsifying Arrest Reports
Salt Lake City, UT. Oct. 11, 2012 — A supervisor warned in 2010 that Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Lisa Steed, who is under investigation by her own agency, was frequently arresting people for driving under the influence of drugs who had no drugs in their systems.
The supervisor, Sgt. Rob Nixon, wrote a memorandum discussing the questionable arrests and implying Steed was falsely accusing drivers of impairment. Nixon wrote the memo after reviewing 20 of Steed’s arrests for drug DUIs….
"This is something that needs to be addressed before defense attorneys catch on and her credibility along with the DUI squad’s credibility is compromised," Nixon wrote.
A UHP spokesman declined to comment on the memo Wednesday.
"We’re considering that a protected document so we’re not at liberty to discuss the document," said Dwayne Baird, the spokesman…
The memo is "extraordinary," said Joseph Jardine, a Salt Lake City defense attorney who earlier this year successfully petitioned a judge to gain access to Steed’s discipline record. Jardine said the memo was not included in the records he viewed. The Salt Lake Tribune showed Jardine and Skordas the memo Tuesday.
Jardine said the memo shows the UHP hid Steed’s problems from defense lawyers. Legal precedent requires prosecutors also to have been aware of the memo and disclose it to defendants, Jardine said.
"That’s crazy," Jardine said of withholding the memo. "That’s exactly contrary to what the law requires them to do."…
Incredible! The supervising cop wrote a secret departmental memo saying that they need to do something "before defense attorneys catch on and her credibility…is compromised." Never mind the innocent people arrested and convicted: the important thing is that this dirty cop's credibility isn't compromised!
But there's more to this story — from five years earlier…
Trooper of the Year Named
Salt Lake City, UT. Nov. 12, 2007 — Utah Highway Patrol Officer Lisa Steed is the Utah Highway Patrol's new Trooper of the Year. The Utah Department of Public Safety made the announcement after Steed made more than 200 DUI arrests this year…
Sgt. Shane Nordfelt is Steed's immediate supervisor with UHP. Nordfelt says the award is in recognition of outstanding police work and a community-based approach to public service…
Nordfelt called her ''a little ball of fire and energy."
Fellow troopers say Steed has a remarkable record of police work. In her five-year career, she's made more than 750 arrests for driving under the influence of a controlled substance, and more than 1,200 total arrests.
Thus far in 2007, Steed has stopped more than 2,000 cars.
No comment necessary….
(Thanks to Ari Weiner and Joe.)
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