Guy passes cop going 127 in a 35. His Viper is now a D.A.R.E car.
 

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/h...ARE_S1.article











The Plainfield police station is right across the street from my office. You could see the Viper in the lot yesterday. :D

Bet that dude is devastated. I posted this on another forum that led to a 400+ post debate over whether the police should be allowed to do such a thing.


For the record, a few points:

1) The area he was going 92mph over in borders two subdivisions full of houses and parks. It is not a desolate stretch of road.

2) He was convicted of a felony for trying to elude police.

He should lose the car, no question. When children don't know how to treat their toys, we take the toys away.
I'm also of the belief that anyone with a DUI should lose his or her car for whatever length of time they lose their license, then have to pay dearly to get it back.

plainfeld...sounds like joisey...

There is a Plainfield, NJ, but the tag says that's somewhere by Chicago..we're in the clear this time. :)

It's a SW suburb of Chicago. :)

This falls into that realm of "creative punishment." My gut reaction is that it's a shitty way for the police department to get something that they have no business having just because they could confiscate it from this guy. Should the guy be driving? Hell fucking no. Take his license, put him in jail, put his car in the garage, whatever. Don't parade it around like the spoils of war.

Just a few notes, the police officers knew they were doing something kind of lame and they're definitely playing with their new toy:

"When Marzetta dropped the man off at the county jail, he "thanked" him for the car."

and

"Marzetta drove the car -- a sleek, 450-horsepower billboard for the police department -- for the first time Thursday.

As he pulled out of the lot, he paused to rev the engine several times."

Basically now the police have something cool to joyride in instead of this guy joyriding in it. I don't really see why the police need this or why it serves any purpose in the DARE program (I'll save my feelings about the program itself for another place). The police are not here to plunder. They're here to protect and serve the community. Seizing assets and selling them is one thing. Confiscating someone's property for public use like that stinks.

As someone who has driven muscle cars for much of his life, I'll tell you that I agree with you for the most part. However, I also have to think that a $60k sports car seized from someone for felony evading is taken for a good reason. I've been pulled over for some extremely stupid acts, but not charged with felony evading. The guy kind of earned his medicine IMO.

I dunno Borla, he should definately lose his license, but seizing property like that makes me awfully nervous.


Personally, I would have set the thing on fire before handing it over.


Also, who exactly is paying to fuel this beast? How about insuring it? Have the tax-payers been consulted? what happens when one of these cops gets a little too giddy and puts this thing into a pole?

That about sums it up, they HAD to impound it because they'd never have a chance at something like that again! This is BS, complete BS stemming out of an unconstitutional seizure.


If they had taken it and auctioned it off for public good I might be a little more positive, instead what we have here is "Wow thats nice, it's mine."

I'm sure you've all heard the phrase, "Driving is not a privilege, not a right," correct? Well, this dude definitely lost his privilege to drive (hopefully forever), and I'm damn glad. I'm also glad they took his car, and even more pleased that they are now using it for good. I don't mind paying taxes for that at all!

Also, if the cops can seize your weapon for doing something very dangerous and stupid with it (like shooting cans off a school fence at night or something), even if nobody was hurt, then why can't they seize your car if you were doing something incredibly stupid and dangerous with it (like going 92mph over the speed limit in a neighborhood where I'm SURE children reside)? He could have very easily killed someone, and I think the police were quite justified in doing what they did.

The fact that they rubbed it in his face only makes the story that much better:thumbsup:

127 in a 35? Sorry, speedy. I'm not a fan of seizures, but this was truly and amazingly reckless. There's no excuse.

I agree that he should lose his liscense but not his ride. At no point in school did I remember the DARE care being a center of the DARE program. I also wonder what they would have done if he had something like a Camry or other boring car? Is it fair to confinscate only the "cool" vehicles?

uhm...

Yeah, they don't just seize the "cool" cars. Bad argument.

I'm not complaining about police seizures. I'm well aware of the fact that police can seize property, especially property that was acquired illegally or used for an illegal purpose. Nor am I complaining that the guy can't drive and is being punished.

I'm complaining that the cops are rubbing it in his face and have basically treated themselves to a Dodge Viper that they have no reason to have. I expect the police to seize such property and dispose of it properly in service of the public. I do not expect them to parade around in seized property, rev engines and generally enjoy taking things from people. The guy is a douchebag and a reckless idiot and has no right to be driving. But I cannot at all condone the police force for rubbing his nose in it simply because he has a nice car instead of a crappy car. They should put it in the lot like every other car their seize, not take it for joyrides for their fancypants Doughnut Abuse Resistence Education program.

Ok...that I'll go along with. I do feel that "the driver" should have had his car confiscated. It was legitimate. He used in in the commision of a felony, and has now forfeited his right to the use of it. Dumbass.

I do, however, feel as though the Plainfield PD just got themselves a new toy. The viper should've been impounded, just like all the rest, and sold at public auction...just like all the rest. Use the proceeds to purchase a more practical and suitable vehicle for their D.A.R.E. program.

"127 in a 35?"! By what stretch of anyone's imagination does that leave the wiggle-room to keep your car, no matter what kind it is? Can Camry's go 127?

I wondered at first if this fool was on drugs, and that was why they took the car for this purpose. Since there was no mention I guess it probably is "doughnut abuse". Too bad for the felon.

According to the article in question, the car was impounded and eventually granted custody to the local PD for this logical and justified "reason":

From an advertising standpoint, the Viper is going to attract a LOT more attention than a Camry. If nothing else, they can point to the car, say "We got this from a dumbass who did. . . " and maybe impart an object lesson.

At any rate, if it's legal for the cops to seize (i.e. take permanent possession of) the vehicle, then they can do whatever they want with it. If they feel they'll get more value by using it as a PR tool then so be it. And they have some precedent for that - - -when the Italian police got a Lambo Gallardo (free) they attracted a LOT of attention with it.

For those that may not know, and also may not care to google,
does the D.A.R.E. program stand for "Drivers Against Reckless Endangerment" :oogle:

I just am taking an educated guess, mind you...

So. . . only the department that seizes property can do anything with it? That would be kinda silly wouldn't it?

Drug Abuse Resistance Education, as in "D.A.R.E. to keep your kids off drugs".

127 in a 35! Of course it should be confiscated. He has proven that he is not capable of handling the machine. It NEEDS to be taken away from him before he kills someone.

How does knowing that the police can steal your car if you drive really really fast stop people taking drugs?

Ths makes little sense to a European mind.

Sorry.

The confiscation is for speedy Gonzales. The D.A.R.E. crap is for the kids. If they can associate cool cars with a dopey, 20 year old campaign like D.A.R.E., then maybe they can get kids to stop taking drugs.
How do you think we feel? Police think our kids are so stupid, that simply seeing a Viper is going to stop them from taking drugs. It's embarrassing.

Alright so that equates to a $45,265 traffic ticket or $493 for every mile per hour over the speed limit - aren't we as citizens protected from excessive pushiment.

Put him in jail - yes, absolutely!! Steal his car - bullsh*t. I see that as an abuse of power.

As a lot of people are saying in the other thread, driving is not a right but a privilege. When he drove in that totally unsafe way, he forfeited his privilege, and current laws to allow for seizure in cases like this.

Justice? This guy should be caned a la the Singapore caning of that douche-bag kid back in 1994, and his car should be replaced by a Geo Metro that can't go over 65. As for his Viper? It should be sold, and he should be given the amount minus the cost of the Geo, and he cannot but another car.

If it was a Honda, it would've been crushed.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jun...otRods,00.html

As a former street racer, the only rule is 'don't get caught'. It's a shame they got caught, but dollars to donuts they did something stupid to get caught.

Yeah, but restricting or revoking his driving privileges isn't the same as confiscating his property.

Troit's post put this in perspective for me. If 92 over is a felony, put his ass in jail. Assessing what comes out as a $45000 fine is excessive. It is exacerbated by them keeping his property rather than auctioning it off.

The article does say that vehicles involved in a felony can be taken. I wont be shedding a tear that this person lost his toy. Perhaps people would think different about it if he had mown down a child or a grandma in a wheelchair. Thankfully they got him before he did just that.

I don't think theft is right, but if you compare that the the potential damage, be it property or human life, the man easily gambled with millions of dollars or more. I know it's not a perfect explanation, but he did gamble with a lot more than $45,000 worth of Viper.

In a perfect world, he gets a Geo fro the rest of his life. What the city did wasn't illegal, though.

rofl where i live the dare car is a mustang. maybe it was under the same circumstances...

Was gonna say the same thing-there's a Mustang GT DARE car in one of the towns around here. Also, some ricers, a Mercedes or two...
Sorry, Willravel, I just don't consider this 'theft'. It was, as you said, a gamble and he lost. Shit happens. I don't feel an ounce of pity for the moron. I'd be parading the car around too, letting everyone know that if you choose to be an idiot, you chose to lose the toys.

I don't have any pity on him. Just above, I suggested he be caned.

Nah...that's violence....you wouldn't spank your kid, you'd take her toys away, put her in time out maybe...just substitute time out for jail time...and a Little Tikes truck for a Viper ;)

I'd never spank my daughter, but I'd sure as hell spank someone who drove 127 mpg around her.

Exactly. Shame on that person for getting such unbelievable mileage.

As far as I see it, the law is in the books. Regardless of whether the cops had the right to take the dude's car away, he has no excuse for not knowing they could (and would) do so if he was an idiot about it. From that perspective alone, he gets what he deserves. He was stupid, he broke the law with full foreknowledge of the consequences. He now deals with those consequences and the police get a fun new toy.

I think it's kinda funny really. I mean, I wouldn't want my property being seized, but I am also not a dumbass driving 92 mph over the speed limit and all that shit. Seriously now. Definitely creative punishment. And I do think it will make a statement to the children the D.A.R.E program is educating. Either way, the dude wasn't getting his car back, best put er to good use.

:lol: Now I'm not going to even edit it.

Just a note, the felony is NOT for driving fast. Eveyone is saying that it amounts to a huge speeding ticket. Thats not why the car was taken away.

The felony is for If he didn't evade police, he wouldn't have commited a felony, and as such would still have his car.

Exactly! I speed all the time... well not as much as I used to, but still I do speed. When I was younger I used to speed pretty excessively (been to 127...though not in a residential) and even did some dangerous stupid things before I got some experience. I've been pulled more than a few times too. The point is though, no matter how stupid I was being, the moment I saw the lights, I pulled over as quickly and safely as I could. Got only a warning for 97 one time because I made it easy on the cop. Then I've had some a-holes pull me too, but I certainly never got charged with a felony, and never got my car seized!

The guy committed a felony. The fact he chose to do so in an expensive car instead of a beater doesn't mean he should get less punishment than someone who can only get a $1,000 car and uses it in a crime. Both should lose the property used to commit a crime, be it a car, a gun, a computer, what have you. Commit a felony, lose the means by which you committed it. I don't have a problem with this.

Cops shoulda sold the car, used that money for real education against drugs.

I can't say I'm surprised though.

Yeah they're not even gonna "use" the car. Sell the thing for $40-50k or so and use the money for actual D.A.R.E. stuff. It should have been seized but what a waste of money.

I gotta jump on the "Fuck the Police, they should not have that car" wagon. Removing it from that dumbasses possesion.... Eh, maybe. Revoking his license and prosecuting him to the full extent of the law, by all means. But in my opinion, unless it is an illegal substance, the police have no right to confiscate anything. Ever.

Fuck em, they just saw an opportunity to good to pass up and said to themselves "hmmm, how can I personally profit from this".

Again... Fuck the Police.

It's Illinois, enough said.

You have no property rights basically.

Illinois authorities do what they want, when they want, however they want. A true communistic state pretty much.

I don't support the police taking his car, but then again, I'm very much against asset forfieture laws. I do agree that this guy should lose his driver license, and be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but short of forfeiture of assets. I also think that the cops are taunting him somewhat, and I don't think that the cops should ever taunt.

I can support the police departments actions in taking the car within the guidelines of the law. But the flaunting of it is another matter altogether.

Seeing the DARE cop drive up to the school playground in this thing isn't in my opinion going to stop a kid from taking up drugs or alcohol at some point. Using the proceeds from the car's sale to educate or provide positive experiences for the children in the DARE program would have been a better use of this car.

How warm and fuzzy would we all be if the CIA or FBI were to take up such tactics?

The word you're looking for is fascist, not communist. I'm sure you're familiar with the principle of common ownership. Marx described communism as a continuation of the society humans had during our hunter-gatherer stage, which is considered by many anthropologists to be a human's natural social state. Having no rights or having property seized is not a part of communism.

If you're going to bash communism, use actual things that would happen in a real communist state. Stalin wouldn't have sacked this guy's viper. He may have been purged, but that's another thread.

How many people get to keep their cars after running from the police? I'm betting very few, if any. If you have any stat’s to refute this assumption by all means I want to see them, I just have a hard time believing it happens much.

I can't help but feel like the main reason you all are up in arms about this is because it is an expensive car. Police all over the country impound property every day, from houses to stereos. If it is involved in a felony they can, and probably will, take it.

As far as whether or not they should be able to... This is a law that can probably get abused very easily. They should probably stick with revoking the license because there wouldn’t be a greed factor involved.

As to what they do with the car now that they have it, I figure D.A.R.E. is probably just as good use as selling it. The 40-50 grand they could get would probably be funneled into some other, just as useless, anti-drug program. Now, if they were going to use the money to, say, get better body armor, sweet.

That such a law can easily be abused, is why I don't support forfeiture laws. In this case it looks like the fleeing charge should stick, however, it's far too easy to allege that a piece of property was used in a felony (especially drug ones) whether or not it was used in said felony. It's also possible for the government to take your property (if you're accused of a drug crime) without ever convicting you of a crime (or even indicting you). I have a real problem with that.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...gs/hidden.html

I'm cool with the seizure of the car. That kind of speeding in a low-speed, residential community is pretty abhorrent.
But I don't like seeing a PD just take it and use it for their own purposes.
Public institutions should be providing an example, and a low MPG luxury sports car isn't a good example for anything.

At the very least the car should have gone to auction and the PD be forced to bid on it against others.

NYC uses lots of seized vehicles... from Porches to Benzes. They use them for undercover work. The best one I love to see is the NYC yellow taxi... they catch speeders with that one all the time. I can pick it out of a crowd because the taxi cab number on the top doesn't match the license plate.

legal or illegal its kinda lame they aren't going to auction it off.

Sure they get 50-60 crappy cars for every really nice car they seize, but the money they could have gotten from that 1 car would have been as much as 20 shitty cars

Instead, they will ask for more grants from the state, tax dollars moving from paychecks into state funds ETC...

Would have been much more for the 'public' than a DARE program that I really doubt helps do shit.

Nope, there is no argument. It's all good. Hope he was fined as well. The OPP caught two corvette drivers last week. Looks like their cars may have a date with the crusher:

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/227997 :

Hwy. 400 racers hit 200 km/h: police


Two American Corvette drivers have court appearance today

Jun 21, 2007 04:14 PM
Justin Piercy
Staff Reporter
Just days after a man was killed as a result of street racing on Highway 400, two people have been charged for allegedly doing the same thing.
A York Regional police officer on his way into work noticed two black Corvettes weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in upwards of 200 km/h around 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

Uniformed officers stopped both cars at Highway 9 and Yonge St. in Newmarket and arrested the drivers.

Police say since both cars were seized because they were modified.

William Henry Casey, 22, of Wilmington, Delaware and Brandon William Edmundson, 23, of Peoria, Arizona have each been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, racing a motor vehicle on a highway and operating a vehicle radar warning device.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ironically that happened just days after a truck driver was killed on the same hiway as a result of racing:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...s.html?ref=rss

3 charged in fatal Highway 400 crash
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 | 4:50 PM ET

CBC News

Three young men face charges following Monday's fatal crash on Highway 400 north of Toronto that killed a tractor-trailer driver and closed the busy road for more than 12 hours.

Eleven charges have been laid against the three, including dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving while racing, said Ontario Provincial Police Const. Dave Woodford.

He said the suspects could face up to 14 years in prison if convicted.

Witnesses reported several cars speeding and weaving through traffic, causing the tractor-trailer to lose control. The tractor-trailer slammed into a guardrail, then swerved across the northbound lanes and ended up in the ditch.

David Virgoe, 48, of Simcoe was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision.

The truck driver was hailed by some as a hero for veering away from traffic and saving lives in the process.

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. near Bradford and closed the highway until midnight.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, commenting on the latest major accident on the north-south highway, compared a car to a "loaded gun" that must be treated with caution.

The crash occurred just kilometres away from the site of a weekend accident police also blamed on street racing. It left 11 people in hospital.