Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - Town change arrest policy

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Town change arrest policy

Quote:

Town changes policy after 97-year-old arrested
Woman was handcuffed and jailed on traffic warrants

HIGHLAND PARK, Texas (AP) -- The police department is changing its arrest practices after a 97-year-old woman was detained for an outstanding traffic warrant, provoking a flurry of response, officials said.

Public safety officials said in a news release Friday that officers and supervisors have been granted broader discretion on arrests on traffic warrants until the policy is reviewed.

Former teacher Harriette Kelton was arrested, handcuffed and taken to jail last month after officers stopped her car for having an expired registration and inspection sticker.

She was in custody about two hours before her attorney arrived and she was released on her own recognizance.

Police said then that officers had no choice but to arrest Kelton. But the department was inundated with e-mails and phone calls -- with mixed opinions on the arrest -- and officials added a comments feature to the department's Web site.

The plan to review arrest policies sounds like a good move, Kelton said.

"They used no discretion in mine," she told The Dallas Morning News for Saturday editions. "They ought to have some of their policies changed."

Why should the policy changed? As far as I'm concerned, the old woman broke the law and should not get away with it.

Does a 20 yrs old murder somebody and 80 yrs later gets arrested for it and gets away with it because it's not right to arrest old people?

yea.. i say throw her ass in jail... people dont want to be treated any different until it is in their favor.

what scares me is a 97-year old woman is driving anywhere. I live in Florida and I know all about old drivers...I try to stay out of a car during snowbird season if I can help it. If she had traffic warrants obviously she wasn't a good driver to begin with. I'm for anyone over 65 being retested every year to make sure they are able to drive decently. *insert blanket disclaimer of not everyone is like this here*

Quote:

Originally posted by Holo
what scares me is a 97-year old woman is driving anywhere.

my sentiments exactly

I know this is slightly off topic but last night I watched a short film last night about a 92 year old woman that lost her license, and had a 16 year old kid drive her around all day. It was pretty good :)

Back on topic, I don't think the law should be changed. She was breaking the law. Maybe they could have brought her in and called her children much like a minor getting arrested would get his parents called, I don't see how changing the current law would do any good. I say leave it alone.

Traditionally police and courts are meant to have some limited discretion as to how the law is applied because the world is not black and white.

Politicians, not having the imagination to do anything else and listening to the righteous fury on the radio decide to "get tough on crime" by introducing mandatory sentencing. Thus, the police change their policies...

At the cost to the state and the benefit of the private prison sector, some little black kid then gets to spend X years in prison (or "crime school") for stealing a packet of chocolate biscuits or something.

The radio callers get off their high horse about crime and start ranting on about those darned *insert foreign country here* until poor old granny gets done and they once again howl in fury. The police change their policies...

Rinse. Repeat. Wipe hands on pants...