Join The Philadelphia Police!
By Wyatt Earp | November 10, 2010
Because, you know, we are just the cream of the law enforcement crop.
On Sunday – just two days after one of the department’s top brass was indicted by the feds – a patrol cop named William Haviland was caught allegedly drunk on duty. Haviland, 42, who joined the force in November 2003, was suspended yesterday for 30 days with the intent to dismiss, said police spokesman Lt. Raymond Evers.
In fairness, if you had to deal with all of the unending bullsh*t that goes with this job – in this city – you would probably be drunk all the time, too.
Haviland worked in the 26th District, which covers Kensington, Fishtown and part of North Philly. Evers said police officials believe that Haviland “was on duty, in uniform and operating a patrol car while he was intoxicated.”
He was visibly impaired when he walked into the district’s headquarters, on Girard Avenue near Montgomery, at one point during his shift Sunday, Evers said.
Okay, a few points. First of all, there is a reason why we get sick and vacation time. It is so officers can use such time when they are too sick – or in this case, too sloshed – to report to duty. Why this moron just didn’t call off sick is beyond me, but it is indicative of the people this department hires of late.
Secondly, driving a patrol car on the narrow streets of Kensington and Fishtown is a tricky maneuver when sober. I should know; I worked there for five years. I would never attempt to drive down Monmouth Street after I had a few. Ever.
No criminal charges have been filed against Haviland, who will be the 12th cop to be fired this year. The 11 others have been charged with a litany of offenses that include murder and drug theft.
And people wonder why cop killers get more support here than murdered police officers.
Topics: Philly, The Job | 11 Comments »
November 10th, 2010 at 9:08 am
So if I were a to go on a drunken murderous rampage, I could get a job? COOL!
I just have one question…. When they have a “Take your kid to work day” can I bring a goat? They can
eat all the evidencebe very friendly.November 10th, 2010 at 9:12 am
When the organization is as big as the one you work in there will be “Those of questionable thinking” that will get in and only time will weed them.
November 10th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Wyat:
I remember the A-B-C cars from the 15th, 7th & 8th.
(It’s been a while)
Hell, I learned to drive in S. Philly…AND Kensington. You drive there, you can drive ANYWHERE!
They ain”t ALL as nice (and wide) as Tioga, that’s for sure!
And I knew more than several officers that really HAD to unwind by downing a few cold ones after shift…
The Princeton Tavern along Fkd Ave used to be a favorite watering hole a while back.
And to think there was a time when an officer (on foot patrol) could walk into a corner bar, and be GIVEN a shot of brandy to keep him warm…!
I guess “necessity” wears a different uniform these days, and for different reasons, eh?
Stay safe (and sober) out there.
November 10th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Beyond a tiny handfull of nuts, you know Philadelphians don’t support “cop killers” but they do have, on a whole, a very healthy and long standing mistrust of their police force, and for good reason. It’s a special sort of love-hate relationship. The nature and extent of the problem seems lost upon the force for the most part. The “bad apples” excuse doesn’t cover the wound. It’s not that people see every officer as corrupt or bad but more so that people have seen enough of the bad things that have made it to the light of day to understand the type of misconduct that is possible from their police force as well as the fact that the force cannot or will not police itself in a meaningful manner. (God only knows what people would think if they knew about the stuff that doesn’t make the press). The troubled officer you mentioned is just another visible symptom of the problem. People know if they get caught DUI they’ve earned the charges and will be dealt with accordingly. People also know that if you are a Philadelpia police officer in the same situation you have a very good chance of facing no charges although now it appears you will be dismissed (but even that can be overturned at arbitration with luck – a type of job security very few people enjoy or would consider reasonable). It’s a profoundly unhealthy state of affairs all around. The force, and alot of it has to do with the FOP also, needs the majority of officers, who are honest, take their oath seriously, and dedicated to doing the job the right way, to make their ranks more professional. That means actively trying to stop and faithfully reporting misconduct when it occurs. That means no turning a blind eye while going deaf and dumb when asked about what was witnessed. Nobody feels especially great about calling out a colleague when it may mean the loss of a job or criminal charges but when you’ve taken an oath and get paid to do the job it’s incumbent upon one to do what must be done. The alternative begets public mistrust and well earned at that.
November 10th, 2010 at 10:13 am
OT Wyatt, but at 7PM one of the local cable channels has been running TJ Hooker reruns every night. You should check it out – it’s funny seeing the clothes back then and how they depicted cop shows before PC took over.
November 10th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Is the booze issued with the badge and gun, or do you have to buy that separately?
November 10th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Maybe he had self administered a sobriety test and was coming back to turn himself in. heh
November 10th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Free beer and firearms are indeed inticing me to apply for a job, but unless there’s unlimited free hookers…no chance.
November 10th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
I know this will not be popular to say but I feel sorry for the man. Sometimes your personal demons cannot be beaten by you alone and he should have done the first intervention by himself on himself before it was thrust on him by others. In no way am I excusing his deriliction of duty, his being a hazard on the road etc. and those costs he must now pay that are associated with irresponsible
behaviour. I fought my own demons once and won and stopped drinking, by and large, but I don’t think I could have if I had his job at the same time or a similar job as stressful.
Amazingly when we used to camp, shoot and drink and shoot some more in that order, I never managed to kill either myself or my camping friends but do remember
screaming into the chordite filled air once..”Alcohol and guns..DO..mix!!”
November 10th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Kim – The goat is probably smarter than most of our top brass.
USAdmiral – No, no, no! We’re all bad! Every one of us!
Bob G. – No worries there. A case of Guinness lasts a year in my fridge.
Mario – Yeah, 500 people turned out to show their “mistrust.” 6,000 officers, and 12 were arrested this year. That’s what, half the force? Definitely a reason to mistrust the department.
AJ – P.C. has ruined the department. Trust me on that.
Proof – Unfortunately, we have to buy it separately. Bastards!
DL474 – Or maybe he found himself wanting to work here for 40 years and figured he must be drunk.
Kaveman – Meh, depends upon what part of the city you work in.
Jon – Good for you on getting well. I don’t drink a whole lot – college took that desire out of me – and thankfully, we don’t have any problem drinkers in my division.
November 10th, 2010 at 9:47 pm
He’s saving his sick days for when he feels better…