Letter to the Editor: Suburban Cops Allowed to Work Half Drunk

In response to NBC-TV news story “Many Suburban Cops Allowed to Work Half Drunk” which aired on local news February 14, 2013.

The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM) finds it utterly unacceptable that any police agency would knowing allow their officers to report to work with any level of alcohol in their system.

We feel that departments that have a written clause in their union contracts that have an allowable illegal BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of 0.08 with any blood alcohol content and permit officers to report for duty should rethink their policy.

According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) legal limits do not define a level below which it is safe to operate a vehicle or engage in some other activity. Impairment due to alcohol use begins to occur at levels well below the legal limit. AAIM feels that police agencies who currently allow BAC levels in the workplace should consider a zero tolerance policy as part of public safety.

Imagine the scenario of being in a bank while a robbery is in progress, and the officer who happens to respond to the call has a BAC of 0.08. There is no sense in permitting this behaivor, it places the general public at risk and is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Rita Kreslin

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