Miami cop accused of driving 120 mph in squad car to off-duty job

[vkirkend]

Too bad he wasn’t driving a Marauder…maybe he would have gotten away !!!:lol:


Miami cop accused of driving 120 mph in squad car to off-duty job

By Michael Martinez, CNN
updated 1:39 PM EST, Sun October 30, 2011

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Miami Police Officer Fausto Lopez is charged with reckless driving
Lopez, 35, was in uniform and driving a marked Miami police car in pre-dawn darkness
A camera inside a Florida Highway Patrol car tapes the seven-minute, 12-mile chase
Lopez told the arresting officer he was trying to make it on time to his off-duty job
(CNN) -- A Miami police officer in a marked squad car has been charged with reckless driving, accused of zigzagging through Florida Turnpike traffic at more than 120 miles an hour so that he could be on time for his off-duty job, the Florida Highway Patrol said Saturday.

Officer Fausto Lopez, 35, of Miami was handcuffed at gunpoint earlier this month and charged with second-degree reckless driving, a misdemeanor, according to the highway patrol's offense report. Lopez was eventually released, authorities said.
In a pursuit videotaped on the trooper's in-car camera, Lopez led Florida highway patrol officer D.J. Watts on a seven-minute, almost 12-mile chase in pre-dawn darkness on Tuesday, October 11, the report said.

The state patrol officer was driving on the turnpike when the white marked Miami police car blew by at a high rate of speed and "crossed over all lanes of traffic," the report said.

The highway patrol officer couldn't even overtake the Miami police car "due to the unit traveling extremely reckless, in and out of traffic at high rates of speed, in excess of 120 mph," according to the report.
The Miami cop ignored the state patrol officer's siren and lights -- and even "accelerated" at times and continued changing lanes.

At one point, the Miami officer slowed to 78 miles an hour, but sped up again, the highway patrol said.
Finally, the Miami officer, wearing his uniform, pulled over his squad car at 6:35 a.m. in Hollywood. A state highway patrol video shows the state trooper pulling out her service handgun as she approached the Miami police car with the officer seated behind the wheel.

The Miami police officer "stated that he was en route to an off-duty work detail and that he had to be there by 7:00 a.m.," Watts wrote in her report.

On the Florida Highway Patrol offense report, the document lists Fausto's occupation as "police officer" whose employer is "City of Miami Police Departmen(t)" and lists the style of automobile as "police car," a white 2008 Crown Victoria.
A Miami police spokesman couldn't be reached immediately for comment Saturday. But Miami Police Detective Willie Moreno told CNN affiliate WFOR in Miami that the department will determine whether to take any action against Lopez after a judge rules on his case.

The Florida Turnpike is also designated as Florida State Route 91, and the turnpike's website nicknames the highway "The Less Stressway."

CNN's Kara Devlin contributed to this report.


To see video click on:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/29/us/florida-cop-reckless-driving/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 (http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/29/us/florida-cop-reckless-driving/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)

[CBT]

And someone said police don't ticket police, she was ready to throw him a beatdown.

[Hacklemerc]

what a dumba$$. THeres always somebody that makes us look bad.

[slickster]

Ohh like this does not happen. What about cops that do 10 over all day but when I doit it's bad

[MrBluGruv]

Don't complain about when the rest of traffic goes a little over the speed limit. I did that a lot, and now everyone in san antonio drives 10-under everywhere instead of 10-over. Murphy's law will **** you like that.

Besides, just go the posted speed limit and you'll be fine. The way speeding laws are designed, it's stupid to speed because it's a huge gamble any way you look at it.

[chevsmoker]

i cant say anything bout speeding cuz i do in my vic i cant help that people move when im in the left hand lane and the state cops wave lol,but 120 and avoiding the signals to pull over,cop or not its the law and it should be obeyed i can see 5-10 over but 120!!! yea no way.

[Guittard22]

this happen to my friend was going 20 over in ct and got pulled over by a cop when he's a cop .......love the USA lol

[71cyclone]

I wonder if Dennis Reinhart tuned the miami cruzer ??? "HUM "

[Bradley G]

PffT! 120,.. ? it's no Marauder!:lol:

[Granddaddy Marq]

After the last threads on this, I gess every body knows how I feel about this.

[rayjay]

what a dumba$$. THeres always somebody that makes us look bad.

+1. Down right stupidity at its finest... Thats worth a minimum of 2 weeks on the beach -or- worse.

[Fosters]

What's disturbing is the protection and vows for revenge from the PD and other LEOs against the FHP trooper...

http://jalopnik.com/5856128/cops-in-florida-ready-to-fight-each-other-over-traffic-stop

The guy is already getting off a lot easier than a regular citizen would. Any of you that drive for a living want to bet how long you'd have your job if you got caught going 120mph? And heck, anyone on here, if you get caught going 120mph, wanna bet there will be a gun drawn, your car impounded, and you'd spend some time in jail?

I hope the judge throws the book at him, because the PD surely won't... the guy is already back out on the streets "patrolling"... Unbelievable.

[babbage]

Nothing like taking care of your own. Are they going to arrest fire fighters for speeding too?

[babbage]

What's disturbing is the protection and vows for revenge from the PD and other LEOs against the FHP trooper...


Sounds like Supertroopers to me.

http://www.brokenlizard.com/home/images/_adc17fe2e3bf9848f6d024eb4e013 a8747c49a74759857.61409920.jpg

I say - Big deal an off duty cop was speeding. So what.

[gdsqdcr]

I think the cop should be fired. I dont think he was speeding, he was driving recklessly. 120mph on a congested freeway ... REALLY?

I have LEO's in my family and they think they are above the law, and they drive in the 80 mph range all day long off duty. OK, I see that to an extent, but 120, no excuse. Second question, why was he driving a public vehicle, marked police car, to an off duty job in uniform? Why were tax payers paying for that vehicle usage if it was not being used to protect the public?

Thanks!
Anthony

[Fosters]

Nothing like taking care of your own. Are they going to arrest fire fighters for speeding too?

If the fire fighters aren't responding to an emergency, especially if they're offduty, they'd better. No one is above the law. I don't give a damn if you're mother Theresa's son, holocaust survivor, and a scientist that found the cure for cancer, if you put others in danger you should be treated like a criminal, period. And by the way, this guy wasn't arrested. Didn't even get fired.

[BirchMarauder]

Nothing like taking care of your own. Are they going to arrest fire fighters for speeding too?

Yes! If they drive the fire engine like that Miami cop then you should get arrested

[DEFYANT]

Yep, that guy gave the LEO community a black eye with this stunt. But there were other ways to handle this. A simple call to his command would have been better then pulling him over with guns out. Thank god no one got hurt.

[MOTOWN]

Yep, that guy gave the LEO community a black eye with this stunt. But there were other ways to handle this. A simple call to his command would have been better then pulling him over with guns out. Thank god no one got hurt.

Ive said the same thing!! that would have been the best way to handle that foolishness

now theres bad blood between the two agencies

[Fosters]

So how do you call the miami pd chief and tell him one of his men is flying thru traffic when the plate doesn't even come back correctly?

I can see how that would go:

"hey, there's a squad car going fast with non matching plates so we have no idea who it is, you should punish them!"

"uhh, ok."

[CBT]

Hahahaha, oops!

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/10/12/sheriffs-clerk-mistakenly-faxes-request-to-dismiss-speeding-tic/?ncid=txtlnkuscare00000002

[Spectragod]

While he should not have been going a buck twenty (do we really know that from the video), it could have and should have been handled differently.

That said, if you work at Lowes, Home Depot, Sears etc., you get a discount on your purchases, if your an LEO, your discount is usually not getting a speeding ticket. It is what it is, I have been known to go over the posted limit, been let go, I have returned the favor. I also don't write doctor's, nurse's or firemen.

[Fosters]

While he should not have been going a buck twenty (do we really know that from the video), it could have and should have been handled differently.

That said, if you work at Lowes, Home Depot, Sears etc., you get a discount on your purchases, if your an LEO, your discount is usually not getting a speeding ticket. It is what it is, I have been known to go over the posted limit, been let go, I have returned the favor. I also don't write doctor's, nurse's or firemen.

He already got a discount on his ticket... he was released and drove off. And I doubt it's gonna be anywhere close to the amount normal people pay.

Not getting a ticket at all I understand if it was the normal 10-15mph type ticket that everyone else gets and drives off on. Not getting a ticket on something like this would be much like taking a high end appliance from home depot and not paying for it...

[CBT]

I think professional courtesy happens within all professions. Why didn't he just stop sooner, tho? Now everyone knows about it.

[Fosters]

I think professional courtesy happens within all professions.

I dunno... I'm a computer nerd for a living, but if I go to the geek squad for anything, I'd still get screwed six ways from sunday. Thank God I don't have to :D

[CBT]

I dunno... I'm a computer nerd for a living, but if I go to the geek squad for anything, I'd still get screwed six ways from sunday. Thank God I don't have to :D


I cannot stand our IT people. They have no phone number, just a website. But that's okay, I know how to get thier individual work numbers. I bet they can't stand that ****. I've asked them to thier face (because I also know where they work) what the "I" in IT stands for if they do not provide information when people need it. Useless.

[Phrog_gunner]

I cannot stand our IT people. They have no phone number, just a website. But that's okay, I know how to get thier individual work numbers. I bet they can't stand that ****. I've asked them to thier face (because I also know where they work) what the "I" in IT stands for if they do not provide information when people need it. Useless.

I is for Useless???:confused:

[MOTOWN]

So how do you call the miami pd chief and tell him one of his men is flying thru traffic when the plate doesn't even come back correctly?

I can see how that would go:

"hey, there's a squad car going fast with non matching plates so we have no idea who it is, you should punish them!"

"uhh, ok."

Actualy you cant see how it would go because you dont have a clue as to how law enforcement works!

[Hacklemerc]

Hahahaha, oops!

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/10/12/sheriffs-clerk-mistakenly-faxes-request-to-dismiss-speeding-tic/?ncid=txtlnkuscare00000002

LOL yep, thats my county for ya. Its not what you do it who you know here.

[cougar9150]

IMO if it's your job to uphold the law you should be the one setting the example not driving recklessly endangering civilians so you can get to your other job. Throw the book at him, throw him off the force and make him serve time just like they would if it was a civilian doing the same thing.

It was just pure arrogance on the part of the offending officer for thinking it's okay for him to do something that's illegal for everyone else who doesn't have a badge. A 5 minute chase at over 100mph, he's lucky she didn't get a chance to pit manuver him. Nothing wrong with what the FHP did and it wouldn't have come to that if he had just pulled over when he saw her lights.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[Fosters]

Actualy you cant see how it would go because you dont have a clue as to how law enforcement works!

Everyone is equal under the law except some are more equal than others? :o

[Fosters]

I cannot stand our IT people. They have no phone number, just a website. But that's okay, I know how to get thier individual work numbers. I bet they can't stand that ****. I've asked them to thier face (because I also know where they work) what the "I" in IT stands for if they do not provide information when people need it. Useless.

Good IT people would indeed make that information available. Great IT people wouldn't need to have that information available. They must think they're the latter but aren't even the former. ;)

[Hacklemerc]

IMO if it's your job to uphold the law you should be the one setting the example not driving recklessly endangering civilians so you can get to your other job. Throw the book at him, throw him off the force and make him serve time just like they would if it was a civilian doing the same thing.


If you think a regular civilian would get jail time for going 120 mph you are wrong, at least here in IL it doesn't work that way. Speaking from experience, I chased a car where the driver was suspended, her reg was suspended we went over 110 mph on the highway and averaged about 80 on the side streets until she wrecked. She then ran on foot and tried to hide from the k9. She was gotten charged with everything we could get her on and she.... got probation. Did I mention she was drunk? because she was and it wasn't even her first DUI.

[Spectragod]

A 5 minute chase at over 100mph, he's lucky she didn't get a chance to pit manuver him. Nothing wrong with what the FHP did and it wouldn't have come to that if he had just pulled over when he saw her lights.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Proof of 100 mph + speeds, I see nothing providing proof to those speeds.

She's lucky she didn't PIT him, at any speed over 45mph it is extremely dangerous.

What she did.... disregard a supervisors order to terminate the pursuit, all she needed was the car #, there was no BOLO on a stolen police vehicle.

I figure that the PD and the FHP doesn't so much get along, she exercised her police powers with that in mind, there is more to the story.

Should the offending officer have pulled over, yes, but then again, she was told to break off. He's wrong for doing it, she's wrong for dis-obeying orders.

[rayjay]

Proof of 100 mph + speeds, I see nothing providing proof to those speeds.

She's lucky she didn't PIT him, at any speed over 45mph it is extremely dangerous.

What she did.... disregard a supervisors order to terminate the pursuit, all she needed was the car #, there was no BOLO on a stolen police vehicle.

I figure that the PD and the FHP doesn't so much get along, she exercised her police powers with that in mind, there is more to the story.

Should the offending officer have pulled over, yes, but then again, she was told to break off. He's wrong for doing it, she's wrong for dis-obeying orders.

BINGO! there is definately more to this story than meets the eye. Failed to break off when ordered to? Thats a couple days on the beach. Lucky there was no wreck. As for throwing people off the force, not going to happen for a traffic violation. As I stated before its just too expensive to summarily terminate Members for traffic offenses, even DWI. I like the anology to the employee discount. I don't get one, and I'm mad as hell :mad2:

[Fosters]

Call me in the minority; I think the supervisor that ordered the trooper to end the chase should also be canned or disciplined.

[Spectragod]

Call me in the minority; I think the supervisor that ordered the trooper to end the chase should also be canned or disciplined.

Uhhhmmmm, ok, your the minority. What can the supervisor who is most likely on station do? Now if they fail to follow up on disipline, that's different, but with your anology, we should go after the people who built the highway, after all, if it wasn't there, none of this would have happened.

People just need to be responsible for their own actions..... period.

[Fosters]

Uhhhmmmm, ok, your the minority. What can the supervisor who is most likely on station do? Now if they fail to follow up on disipline, that's different, but with your anology, we should go after the people who built the highway, after all, if it wasn't there, none of this would have happened.

People just need to be responsible for their own actions..... period.

The supervisor should not have given the order for her to drop the chase. I'm sorry, their duty is to uphold the law, and the PD officer was breaking the law. The only reason he gave that order was to attempt to cover up and drop the whole thing... IMO, that makes him just as guilty as the speeding PD officer.

[PonyUP]

The supervisor should not have given the order for her to drop the chase. I'm sorry, their duty is to uphold the law, and the PD officer was breaking the law. The only reason he gave that order was to attempt to cover up and drop the whole thing... IMO, that makes him just as guilty as the speeding PD officer.

That may not necessarily be the case. In many cities supervisors order to Drop a pursuit in extremely high speeds in that increases the chances of a fatality accident to regular citizens. This could qualify for that


Pony seal of Approval

[Hacklemerc]

The supervisor should not have given the order for her to drop the chase. I'm sorry, their duty is to uphold the law, and the PD officer was breaking the law. The only reason he gave that order was to attempt to cover up and drop the whole thing... IMO, that makes him just as guilty as the speeding PD officer.

We have a supervisor that terminates pursuits at the get go. As soon as he hears "failing to stop" on the radio he gets on and says "terminate." Our dept has a fairly liberal pursuit policy that places the decision to continue of teminate a pursuit on the street supervisor. When a pursuit is initiated and is allowed to continue there are several things that play a role in allowing it to go, such as Traffic congestion, speed, ad initiating charges. SOme municipailites only allow pursuits in the event of a forcible felony, like armed robbery or a violent crime. Get the license plate and write a report and its handled on a different level. Would you be saying the same thing had the officer in the chase car wrecked and killed someone? Or would you be saying "why were they pursuing?" Its a double edged sword.

[rayjay]

Hack said it well. I ordered pursuits terminated and I terminated my own. All depends on the circumstances and conditions. It just ain't worth it sometimes. They are all dangerous and when they went triple digits I really started getting concerned on country roads, at night, ect.

[Fosters]

Get the license plate and write a report and its handled on a different level. Would you be saying the same thing had the officer in the chase car wrecked and killed someone? Or would you be saying "why were they pursuing?" Its a double edged sword.

It is a double edged sword, would you be saying the same thing if the trooper backed down and the guy wrecked and killed someone?

Personally, if I had to choose between those two situations, I'd rather know it was while the law was being enforced/attempting to be upheld - that's the risk of the job - rather than know that someone died because no one wanted to take the risk to do their job and put away a bad guy.

What good is law enforcement if they're not going to enforce the law?

And don't tell me justice would have been done with a call to the police chief and reporting him instead... You know damn well that reporting a plate, from one office to another, isn't going to result in jack **** for discipline on the officer's side. Heck, it's not causing any disciplinary action now, the guy is out on the streets "patrolling"... no unpaid suspension, nada, even after all the media attention and public outrage. This would have been swept under the rug even quicker. :shake:

[CBT]

It is a double edged sword, would you be saying the same thing if the trooper backed down and the guy wrecked and killed someone?

Personally, if I had to choose between those two situations, I'd rather know it was while the law was being enforced/attempting to be upheld - that's the risk of the job - rather than know that someone died because no one wanted to take the risk to do their job and put away a bad guy.

What good is law enforcement if they're not going to enforce the law?

And don't tell me justice would have been done with a call to the police chief and reporting him instead... You know damn well that reporting a plate, from one office to another, isn't going to result in jack **** for discipline on the officer's side. Heck, it's not causing any disciplinary action now, the guy is out on the streets "patrolling"... no unpaid suspension, nada, even after all the media attention and public outrage. This would have been swept under the rug even quicker. :shake:


He has to live with the fact that a girl caught him, that is punishment enough. :lol:

[71cyclone]

AS far as Speed goes in the state of Florida a couple years back Broward County ordered a select few Marked Dodge Challengers that had the trans and ecm's modified by a Dodge dealer in Texas that specs police cars for order , these cars were clocked at 160 before delivery. They also have a STEEDA Mustang in the STABLE also. [comment ]

[Fosters]

He has to live with the fact that a girl caught him, that is punishment enough. :lol:

Haha... reminds me of a saying a buddy of mine had after he bought an SRT4 neon: "Racing a neon is like fighting a girl. If you win, you can't brag to anyone, if you lose, you hope no one finds out!"