Nondrinker Wrongly Charged with DUI Gets Nearly $1M from NYC

March 5, 2018

  • March 5, 2018 at 12:29 pm
    Fair Playing Field says:
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    Also according to the Daily News, the officers involved in the case have not been charged with any wrongdoing and are still employed by the department.

    Faithful to death, eh boys?

    • March 5, 2018 at 3:57 pm
      cubicle rat says:
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      OBJECTION! Relevance to article?!?

  • March 5, 2018 at 2:31 pm
    agent2 says:
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    Had a customer in an accident two weeks ago…..other driver aggressive driving caused a fender bender. He then was abusive verbally and threatened to physically assault (a woman no less). then cops show up……it’s a he said she said. Who’s side did the non witness cop take and put in the report? the alleged aggressive driver. they are supposed to be objective in these situations. a little research shows the guy was a retired cop so benefit of doubt goes to cop. My insured complained and they revised the report!!!

    Faithful to the blue line and above the law.

  • March 5, 2018 at 4:36 pm
    Lauren CIC ARM says:
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    “Wiggins says he had his driver’s license suspended and his insurance company wouldn’t cover car repairs because of the arrest.” His insurance company denied his claim because of the arrest? I didn’t know that was a policy exclusion. 1) Insurance pays for DUI claims all the time 2) He wasn’t even convicted.

    How strange!

    • March 5, 2018 at 5:55 pm
      toby Turner says:
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      If this is true, then what would be in the best interest of the residents of NYC would be to fire ALL the officers and court officials who were involved in this Criminal activity to try to move the blame from the officer, who ran the stop sign and caused the accident, to the innocent driver.

      I am sure many of you have noticed the dramatic decline in the respect many people have for Law enforcement. Respect is not automatically given to someone who takes a police job. It must be earned. Many police officers deserve respect, but any who cover for bad cops deserve the same lack of respect as the bad cops and this sort of action harms both the public and the good police officers.

      I am a retired Navy commander and a 31 year P& C agent, so it is possible my Standard on integrity is high. but I think this is the mainstream view and most of us expect a much higher level of integrity and honesty form ALL public officials and do not support the Thin blue line theory. It is NOT Us against them
      It should actually be what the slogan says: “Protect and Serve”

      • March 5, 2018 at 9:17 pm
        George W Lee says:
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        No, I don’t think your standards are higher. I think that the law enforcement personnel in too many cases have become a law unto themselves, and with the protection of the police unions have become Mafia look-a-likes. In city after city, New York, Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, L.A. they operate like vigilante groups, and those within the ranks that oppose them become victims of ostracization. It becomes a version of Gresham’s Law. applied to policing. The bad force the good out of circulation. The powers that be are either afraid or refuse to do anything about it.

    • March 5, 2018 at 9:02 pm
      Fair Playing Field says:
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      @Lauren,

      It’s not uncommon for non-standard auto carriers to step-down liability limits to state FR minimums and exclude physical damage coverage for operators driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Given the outcome of Mr. Wiggins’ case I’m sure he has some recourse with his carrier.

  • March 6, 2018 at 8:46 am
    Cut the Bias says:
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    This is the exact reason why a citizens’ board should be put into practice to “watch the watchmen.” The blue line protects its own at all times, doesn’t matter if it is NYPD, Chicago PD, or BF Egypt PD, if a cop gets into trouble, you better believe a fellow officer will cover his back, or his own negligence if needs be.

    Police officers used to be one of the more respected and trusted professions in the country, but years of “accidental” shootings of unarmed people, non-aggressive dogs, planting of drugs, racketeering and extortion, intimidation, and so on have proven that this is more than just a few bad apples spoiling the bunch, but instead a systemic problem which requires some serious external oversight.

    In my very limited interactions with police officers over the years, I have had mostly positive experiences, but have had my share of abusive, power-trip, ego-trip, a-hole officers, as well. I am fortunate enough to be a white male approaching middle age. I can’t imagine how my experiences would differ if I were a young black man with dreadlocks, a Hispanic man who speaks little English, or anyone who looks even remotely “Muslim.”

    • March 8, 2018 at 5:17 pm
      Craig Cornell says:
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      If you knew any cops, you would know exactly how you would be treated if you were black: with kid gloves.

      Camera video terror of being the victim of another false “racism” claim is the driving force (see Ferguson).

      Are there racist cops? Yep. But the stats. say cops are discriminating against blacks in a good way now by
      doing less than they would with a white guy.

      • March 9, 2018 at 11:54 am
        ??? says:
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        This is the most insane irrational comment. Please, how are they discriminating in a good way!? you just talk out of your A@@ about anything like this.

        • March 9, 2018 at 5:05 pm
          Captain Planet says:
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          ???,
          After reading Craig, I’m thinking of a scene from Billy Madison. How about you?

          • March 12, 2018 at 1:41 pm
            Fair Playing Field says:
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            LOL! My reaction was the title of a Patsy Cline song, but Billy Madison is way better.

            “What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

            (c:

        • March 11, 2018 at 8:29 pm
          Cut the Bias says:
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          You guys forget, Craig plays a black man on the internet. He should know how they are treated by police officers…

  • March 7, 2018 at 1:50 pm
    Benjamin Dover says:
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    People don’t realize that kind of damage something like this does. A DUI stays on your record practically for life in most states and crosses state lines. Prior charges even if successfully fought can be brought back should another incident occur (any event involving alcohol and likely even drugs legal or not). There are 2 sets of charges…criminal and one through DMV which must be dealt with separately, guilty until proven innocent. With the internet, the arrest record and mugshot are grabbed by websites and spread immediately and very hard or impossible to remove. These cases can be extremely complex and a mistake made by your lawyer can land you in big trouble. God have mercy on the innocent person sucked into this hole because it’s designed so that you can’t climb back out. If you can’t afford a lawyer or are slow to get one you wouldn’t even know that you have to apply for a conditional license immediately so that you can get to work or you lose the ability to apply for it meaning you lose your job and other responsibilities and can’t fight your case effectively. In an effort to be tough on DUI or DWI or DWAI or whatever subtlety there is these days, a person coming home from dinner who would seem fine to anyone can be ruined in one stop and no one will have the slightest sympathy for you. DMV or state employees will yawn when you tell them you need something critical with your life on the line. For someone who has never been in trouble, the situation can be overwhelming. I assume this guy was at the end of his rope besides being hit. And don’t think it can’t happen to you, you can be under the limit (with breathalyzer proof) and still be arrested and charged for DUI or a lesser charge. It happens all the time.

  • March 12, 2018 at 10:24 am
    Regulator says:
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    Two words folks: DASH CAM – best offense is a good defense. And the best defense for any driver is a dash-cam. Won’t protect against everything, but it is the best place to start.

  • March 12, 2018 at 1:06 pm
    Martin Gray says:
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    If ever there was a political cover-up using taxpayer money to get out of a politically damaging situation this is it.



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