Posted by
Team Turk on Friday, September 08, 2006 11:04:51 PM
On Thursday, the Kansas City council reinstated their
motorist plea bargain policy. The law allows motorists convicted of any moving violation to plead guilty to the lesser charge of “defective equipment.” During 2005, only 54 of 30,000 “defective equipment” citations were for that offense.
I know this is not a federal issue. However, the twice a year loophole permits for the pleading down of drunken driving offenses. While I understand this eases prosecutor’s workloads and judge’s dockets, this is simply wrong.
On December 11, a drunken driver killed my two best friends. He had never incurred as much as a speeding ticket. However, he was so drunk he ran a red light, demolished both his car and my friends, and died. If he would have lived, I would not have encouraged a plea bargain.
Feelings do not interfere with my role as an advier or blogger. I also keep personal emotion separate from public policy. However, this is simply wrong.
Raymond Smalley