We probably believe that law enforcement should be reliable and give a sense of confidence to the citizens so they could feel safe. But when New Jersey trooper tries to bribe woman not to call 911 after he crashed her car, we might think differently.
While on duty, on October 26, Sgt. First Class Michael Roadside drank and drove the result being a collision between his car and another car drove by a woman. The woman said that realizing his mistake, the trooper tried to pay her $1,000 if she agreed not to call the police.
He tried to convince troopers that his walking and slurred talking were due to a recent surgery, but analysis showed that his blood alcohol content was of 0.16 percent. As a result, Roadside was charged with driving while intoxicated, having an open alcohol container in the vehicle and careless driving.
The state trooper in charge of the incident reported that Roadside had a very strong alcohol smell and that his shirt was covered in vomit. The other driver, Kimberly Wilson backed up his account saying that the police officer “was a mess”, his uniform not being in place.
It also appears that another trooper arrived at the accident and Roadside told him that he was not drunk, but had a prostate surgery and was on anesthesia. Despite this, investigation showed all sort of irregularities in Roadside’s behavior but because DWI charges are not criminal in nature, but only motor vehicle violations, the drunk driver was processed and released. However, there is an ongoing internal affairs investigation on the matter.
Roadside’s lawyer as well as union representatives are very cautious to comment or give details on the matter and the court date has been postponed for later in November. However, State Police declared that video and audio recordings will be released, but will not be available as long as the matter is still pending in court.
In conclusion, we all know that the roads are not safe, but at the same time we expect law enforcement to make them safer. So how should society react in such a situation where a trooper not only causes a car accident, but also tries to cover up his mistake by attempting to bribe the woman he crashed into not to call 911?
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