This has me upset !!!

I agree, it totally sucks! Glad I don't hang around over there.

Fergy is in the FCPD, but I don't think his territory is anywhere near Reston/Herndon, and I believe it was a local operation.
 
I could understand if these people were being rowdy, fighting in public, disrupting an establishment, or just being idiots, but to
"raid" an establishment just for the sake of arrests? RIDICULOUS:bs:
Next thin you know we'll be raided at our backyard barbecue for public drunken behavior.
 
i can see why but they should of pulled out more then one at a time or somethin
 
Ok, this is the reasoning I got when I brought this up in roll call.....Apparently, they were watching around 20 bars, all they have had problems in the past, underage drinking, fights, ect. ABC agents were undercover in the bars and when they saw a violation, they called in the officers. Only three of the bars had violations. And most of the people (notice I said most, I'll get back to this in minute) were either underage or were bartenders serving the alcohol.

Now the "most" part. I don't have any idea why the other people were locked up. They could have been the boyfriend's of the 19 year old girls who were locked up for underage drinking and they started running their mouths or they could have been singled out by the po-po. I have no idea. But something else you need to remember, the Washington Post and the Washington Times only reported this from the bars perspective. Its gonna sound like the cops just ran in the place and started locking people up.

Now on the other hand. Fairfax County Va is ranked in the top three as one of the most expensive and for having the most people per capitia in the country. So needless to say, there is a ton of money in this area. (At least that's what I'm told, I sure as hell doen't have any)
And when you have tons of money you have people who let it go thier head. They think they are better than anyone and everything else. Now you take a guy or girl who has lived with mommy and daddy giving them anything and everything that they have ever wanted , and now they are a cop. They work in the big business areas and the $2.5 million houses. They think they are going to save the world because they locked up someone who spit on the sidewalk. In other words, they don't have too much to do, they get bored. And when they have a chance to bring out thier rusty handcuffs, they will do it. So if someone gave them a little mouth, they locked them up. People tend to talk themselves into handcuffs more than they talk themselves out.

So, bottom line, I really don't know what happened. If they saw someone stumbling to thier car with keys in hand and they got locked up for drunk in public, that's fine with me. They might have saved the dude's life or someone else's. But if they actually went into a bar, saw someone drinking and pulled them out for only that, I have a problem with it.

I'm just not going to drink in that area of Fairfax anymore.

By the way, drunk in public does not appear on you record. You stay in the cell long enough for you to sober up unless you can get a responsible, sober adult to come pick you up. Its also a pre-payable offense, $50.00. That way, you don't have to show for court unless you just want to.
 
They had one of the men arrested for public intoxication on Good Morning America. He is fighting the arrest being on his record, because he says that he had just finished a karaoke (sp?) performance when several officers converged on the "bar" and started pulling people outside for a "conversation". The gentleman said that he had prearranged for transportation from the bar and didn't even have his car keys on his person, nor his vehicle in the area, and he wasn't making any trouble for anyone. Just enjoying himself.

I don't agree with this scenario at all! If these people were minding their own business and NOT causing ANY kind of trouble what is the premise the police had in even talking to any of these people. I understand the ABC being in plain clothes to try to halt the underage drinking, but the rest IMHO is overboard! :mad:
 
And he should fight it. I don't agree with it either, if that's really what happened. The Reston-Herndon area, where this happened, is the "Beverly Hills" of Northern Va. Its just a totally different kind of animal that lives there. There was just probably too many egos only only one could have won.

I'm glad I work in a slum. Makes it a little easier....;)
 
Well, "beverly hills area" or "slum", it doesn't matter to me. The egos need to be checked away and common sense needs to be used. If the drunk driving is behind all of this, then I guess they need to just close the bars and not let anyone drink alcohol to prevent public intoxication from happening. NOT
 
Well, bottom line is, none of us were there and we don't know what actually happened. And we'll never know.
 
fergy.....thanks for responding.

From what I gather though, a 'bar' is considered
a 'public place' under Virginia State law...so,
if you've had a few drinks, you're' probably not
fit to drive, but what is the measure of being
'drunk in public' ? Is there a BAC for that ?

And, I also thought that a 'bar' has to generate
more than 50% of its revenue from food, so in
all actuality, doesn't that make it more a
restaurant? I can see if folks were rowdy and
such, and I also heard this morning that some of
these places have been known to generate some
unruly behavior in the parking lots, but there
were also witnesses that saw SWAT team like
tactics and such...

I also learned the hard way that having an open
container while standing in your yard is considered
drinking in public...also illegal....man, there
are just too many laws !!!

Thanks again !!!
 
5R, I know that in GA (don't know about other states) an "establishment" cannot open on Sunday unless the majority of sales are from food, And, yes, in GA if an officer of the law sees me drinking a beer in my own yard I can be arrested for PUI.
 
Fiver, welcome to the curse of living in the Commonwealth of Va!!;)

There isn't a BAC for drunk in public. Technically, if I walk up to you and I smell alcohol, I can arrest you for DIP. Would I? Probably not. But its a good charge if I need to take care of a problem, meaning...I have been to the same place for the same loud-mouth who didn't quieten down the first or second time I was called there or any other reason. I know its a rediculous law, but the big-wigs in Richmond are the ones who make them.
The drinking in public law, which is also stupid, has been recently changed. If you are on your property, you can drink outside. Wow, thanks Richmond!!

And I wouldn't hold what the witnesses to be completly true. I heard today that some of the guys were running around with their guns out. I seriously doubt that happened......
 
I am anxious to see how far this thing goes with the guy who is challenging it. I know first hand how people with money think they can do more than what's normal and get away with it. If they have enough money to challenge it and get away with it, so be it. I sure as hell wouldn't waste that kind of money for something like that. But then again, I don't have that kind of money. So okay, anybody wanna beer? :)
 
Buck, he'll spend more money on attorney fees than what the fine of the charge will be. But I guess he's trying to make a point.....
 
Well fergy, I guess every state has it's different laws, as does every County (or even town) here.
I do like your first response! There are some "Officers Of The Law" who are overzealous but I certainly don't think that only applies to Police.
I honesty would defend myself like that guy, even with little or no $$. If you're innocent of the charges, why not?
 
Kat, that's why I said that this would interesting for me. I know nothing of the facts but what I've read here on the board. I've seen what people can do because they have money and I've seen what can happen to people who are truely innocent. From what Fergy said, this wouldn't go on his record anyway, and it would only cost him $50. He will pay much more than that to fight the thing and it still won't be on his record. For him to win anything, he will have to sue in civil court over this and you know what happens when you try to sue the government. :)
 
Originally posted by fergy1370
Buck, he'll spend more money on attorney fees than what the fine of the charge will be. But I guess he's trying to make a point.....
Click to expand...


Sometime the point needs to be made........and if the guy has the money to make the point then I'm glad he is willing to put up the dollars. Most of the time the cops are correct..........sometimes they are not. Let the courts figure it out.
 
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