"I don't care what the court says, Big Boy,
you look guilty to me . . ." <wink>
Posted on 03/15/2007 12:59:56 PM PDT by pissant
Kicking off a new crackdown on drunken driving in New York City, police officers seized the cars of three drivers late Sunday and yesterday -- including one from a Staten Island librarian with no prior arrests and another from a 57-year-old Queens man with a long record of driving while intoxicated.
The seizures came as Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani hinted at how tough the crackdown might be, saying that even those ultimately acquitted of drunken driving in criminal court could still face the prospect of losing their cars through proceedings in civil courts.
"Let's say somebody is acquitted, and it's one of those acquittals in which the person was guilty, but there is just not quite enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt," the Mayor said. "That might be a situation in which the car would still be forfeited."
Civil libertarians promised legal challenges to the new policy, which is considered among the strictest against drunken driving in the nation. But the first round of seizures suggested that the city would not shy away from confiscating the cars of drivers whose blood-alcohol level was at or above the legal limit and gave an early glimpse of what drivers in the city could expect.
In one case that was held up by prosecutors as a model of how the program could work, the police arrested and seized the car of Francisco Almonte of Corona, Queens, who had been arrested eight times for drunken driving and was on probation for his last conviction.
Mr. Almonte, 57, was involved in an accident on Sunday night, and was arrested at 6:15 P.M. after a Breathalyzer test indicated that his blood-alcohol level was 0.19, almost double the legal limit of 0.10 percent, prosecutors said.
Four hours later, in Brooklyn, the police arrested Pavel Grinberg, 28,
(Excerpt) Read more at iulaw.indy.indiana.edu ...
And just who, Rudy, gets to determine if the acquitted was REALLY guilty?????
The latest news from 8 years ago.
Look, I'm critical of Rudy on several big issues -- immigration, Gore-bal warming, 2d Amendment and abortion -- but this posting of 8-year-old articles is simply silly.
Hey...he cut taxes in New York!! He just took people's property instead!
What a putz!
Rudy go home. (Wherever that is.)
Blooming-idiot's city is plagued with drunk driving deaths, sadly by firemen all too often, and a constant coddling of criminal activity.
Most if not all of Rudy's quality of life issues have been thrown away....and the city is reverting to Dinkin's Time
WTF?
In my opinion anyone that forgets the past is condemned to relive it. I personally wouldn't vote for Rudy if he was the last Republican on Earth!
And what would YOU suggest be done with drivers who REPEATEDLY are ticketed for drunken driving and have their licenses taken away but continue drinking and driving ANYWAY?
Civil cases against these people should be undertaken everywhere.
Is the mans record in office fair game or not? Confiscation after aquittal is NOT a very good sign.
""Let's say somebody is acquitted, and it's one of those acquittals in which the person was guilty, but there is just not quite enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt," the Mayor said. "That might be a situation in which the car would still be forfeited."
Yeah! Guiliani for President. Honor, morality and family values!
I would highly suggest confiscating their cars for a period of time, BUT NOT IF THE GUY IS ACQUITTED.
What a pissant.
That's ok, I'm sure Rudy ain't real interested in the votes of the Pro-Drunk Driving crowd anyway.
The seizing of private property by the government is deeply disturbing. We can do so much better than Giuliani.
I think it's fair to see how the candidate governed. While it is nice to hear of Mayor Giuliani's successes as Mayor of New York, it is important to see areas where he may have disregarded a citizen's rights.
And so King Rudy gets to decide case by case if the courts get it right???
"I personally wouldn't vote for Rudy if he was the last Republican on Earth!"
Why would you? If he were the last republican on earth you would obviously belong to a different party.
i love spain, i can pull in to a gas station for gas, have a couple of beers and hit the road. crotia was nice, too.
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