posted
Do why give a breath test if you are just going to let someone go? And then why document it in a full Police report?!? My guess is someone at the station (the Sgt maybe) said to let the chief go.
NORTH HUDSON, WIS.: Police chief fails DWI test, receives warning BY KEVIN HARTER Pioneer Press
Hudson police stopped the police chief of neighboring North Hudson on a speeding violation early Sunday, then released him even though his blood alcohol level exceeded state limits, according to police reports.
Brian S. Aichele, police chief of North Hudson, registered 0.12 on a portable alcohol breath test. He received a verbal warning for speeding and was allowed to call for a ride rather than be arrested.
Police say the portable breath test that Aichele failed — Wisconsin's legal limit is 0.10 — is not as accurate as a blood or urine test. Had the chief been arrested, he could have been administered a more accurate blood alcohol test.
Hudson Police Chief Richard Trende said Aichele did not receive special treatment.
"Everything has been documented; it's part of the public record," Trende said, adding that the situation was resolved safely. "The driver was taken off the road."
Aichele, 30, said Tuesday he was sorry if he had caused any embarrassment to his community or anyone to question how Hudson police handled the traffic stop.
"I feel horrible about it. It was a lapse in judgment, and I apologize," he said.
Trende said officers must consider each situation and have some discretion in issuing a ticket or making an arrest.
"We do allow latitude in assessing the nature of the driving impairment," Trende said.
The president of the Wisconsin Police Chief's Association, Steven Rinzel, concurred, saying, "Police officers do have discretion on the street."
According to police reports, at about 2:44 a.m. officer James Van Dusen began following Aichele, who was driving a 2002 Ford F150 pickup, because it appeared Aichele was exceeding the 25 mph speed limit on St. Croix Street.
After turning on Vine Street, the officer radioed to say he was stropping the truck that was now traveling between 45 and 50 mph. Van Dusen wrote in his report that he "recognized the driver to be Brian Aichele."
Aichele, according to police reports, was asked if he realized how fast he was driving. He replied he did not because he had been talking on his cell phone.
Asked if he had been drinking, according to police reports, "He stated that he had about three or four beers. … He stated that he thought he was right around the limit."
In his report, Van Dusen wrote:
"I then returned to my squad (car) and spoke with Sgt. (Robert) Oehmke. I informed him of who I had stopped and that I was going to administer a (portable breath test) to Mr. Aichele. I administered the PBT and he registered at .12. I informed Mr. Aichele of the reading and informed him he was going to call for a ride. He was issued a verbal warning for excessive speed, and his truck was then left parked in the YMCA parking lot overnight."
Trende said Van Dusen, a member of the Hudson Police Department for about a year, is "a good and ethical officer."
Trende said he supports the police officer and that the case has been reviewed. He declined to reveal the result of that review, calling it an internal matter.
Posts: 5484 | From: St. Paul, Mn | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
