[FrugalYankee]

This is typical small town crap - I've seen it on both sides of the river. If a kid does something that is flat out wrong but has a cop for a daddy you can be sure that they'll wipe the record clean. At the same time these same cops target kids driving in vehicles and look for any lame excuse to stop them.

[arctichomesteader]

Yeah, and if you're not with the "in" crowd and dare to be critical publicly of it, they'll target you. Personal experience there but I can't talk about it here.

[jenny1951]

I was rear-ended a few years back while sitting at a stop light. The girl who hit me was going pretty fast, and I was sitting there at least 30 seconds before she slammed into me. Long story short, we waited about an hour for the Hartford police to show up, and the cop sat with the girl who hit me in her car for about another half hour, then came out, handed me a blank form, said fill it out and send it in, winked at the girl and said he was giving her a warning for "following too close". When I got home, I found his last name on the accident form was the same as her's! It took a few calls to the police before the chief finally admitted the cop who responded to the scene was the girl's uncle!

Following too close? She wasn't following at all. She came up on me, most likely yakking on the cell phone that she never put down the entire time we waited for the police, and ran into me lie I wasn't there.

But that sounds like small potatoes compared to what is being discussed here! But really, the cop should have recused himself. The chief said they were short-handed that day. At least be honest up front and don't treat the victim like a criminal.

[looking4home]

Originally Posted by jenny1951

I was rear-ended a few years back while sitting at a stop light. The girl who hit me was going pretty fast, and I was sitting there at least 30 seconds before she slammed into me. Long story short, we waited about an hour for the Hartford police to show up, and the cop sat with the girl who hit me in her car for about another half hour, then came out, handed me a blank form, said fill it out and send it in, winked at the girl and said he was giving her a warning for "following too close". When I got home, I found his last name on the accident form was the same as her's! It took a few calls to the police before the chief finally admitted the cop who responded to the scene was the girl's uncle!

Following too close? She wasn't following at all. She came up on me, most likely yakking on the cell phone that she never put down the entire time we waited for the police, and ran into me lie I wasn't there.

But that sounds like small potatoes compared to what is being discussed here! But really, the cop should have recused himself. The chief said they were short-handed that day. At least be honest up front and don't treat the victim like a criminal.

Wow, your story is disturbing but pretty typical of a small town/state. Was this in Windsor county?

[jenny1951]

Yep, Hartford is in Windsor county, just across the river from Hanover, NH. But I suppose this can happen in any small town, as you say. The entire Hartford police department came under scrutiny earlier this year for the way they have handled some criminal cases.

[looking4home]

I think you can help the OP. Maybe you should PM them. This is the kind of stuff they were looking for.

[jenny1951]

Originally Posted by looking4home

I think you can help the OP. Maybe you should PM them. This is the kind of stuff they were looking for.

I thought the OP was looking for serious stuff where someone went to trial. The girl that hit me paid for the damage. Just should have let an unrelated officer respond!

[looking4home]

Originally Posted by jenny1951

I thought the OP was looking for serious stuff where someone went to trial. The girl that hit me paid for the damage. Just should have let an unrelated officer respond!

You said the Hartford police dept. came under scrutiny for mishandling criminal cases, right? I've found that if even there's minor wrongdoing by those in authority, you can bet there's major stuff, too. It's called a "culture of corruption" and police departments and DA's offices certianly aren't immune to it.

[sugarmaple]

I think this can become an interesting and informative thread. At least I hope so.

I have learned, and very much the hard way, that there can be and generally there is, a big difference between counties - a crime that occurs in one county may or may not be treated in the same manner in another county. I have learned that there are notable inconsistencies and I think that, for the most part, is judicially, unacceptable. I also realize that there may or may not be mitigating circumstances in a situation; however, that does mean nor should it mean that a case is any less substantial to be investigated and prosecuted.

I have learned, and certainly I cannot get into the specifics on this thread, that depending upon what county and which DA, if a case is not a 'slam dunk', it may not even be prosecuted. That is egregious. What does that say to a victim and I don't care if it is a non-violent serious crime and what does that say to a victim if it is a violent crime. Unacceptable.

[FrugalYankee]

It also depends on which judge.

I am not at liberty to divulge details but I am aware of a case where an employee was let go for not being able to do his job properly.

After said employee got a friend at a state agency involved to harass the business owner (the commissioner of that agency later stepped down and the replacement apologized to my friend for what had happened and reversed the fine), said employee filed a lawsuit for wrongful termination and WON. My friend appealed the decision (he did not have kind words for the judge) and won on the appeal. At this point he said to **** with Vermont and moved several tons of equipment across the river to NH where he has happily been doing business since then.