Police used to remove Drunk driver

[carlip]

Last night a drunk guy my roommate knows drove 3-4 blocks from a bar to our place. He pulled in the driveway, got out of his car and tried to walk into our house. All the doors were locked so he returned to his car parked in the apron of the driveway. I went outside to see who he was and what he thought he was doing. After talking to him I let my roommate know he was there, drunk, with his car running and music blasting. My girlfriend and I could hear it from inside with all the windows shut. After we finished watching breaking bad she decided that she was sick of all the stupid drunk people we have to put with and she called the police. The police came and did what they do. He was taken to jail.

 

My problem is that I know how much it sucks to get a DUI and be in jail. I've been sober since the police decided to tazer me while trying to bring me to detox for "my own safety", that was 10 months ago. I just don't feel it's right to only use the police when you are bothered. My GF has even suggested that we wake up our neighbors at 1am to warn them before the police give tickets to our street. I told her I wasn't very happy with her choice but she continues to defend it, and with what she sees as good reason. She works in a brain injury support home and many of them are there because of DUIs.

 

Part of me is mad at her hypocrisy but part of me understands why she did it.

[Alan C.]

He was trespassing and creating a nuisance. Unfortunately, the State has displaced the market leaving people with few options.

[ThomasDoubts]

    I can say it's hard for me to imagine ever calling the police in such a situation.  Perhaps I'm a bit biased, having pled guilty to a DUI in the past.  I'm still waiting the eternity required for it to be expunged from the public record, and resent with every fiber of my being the fines and court costs imposed.  In my case, I was pulled over in college for a bad tail light by a cop shooting fish in a barrel (parking next to the bar and pulling over as many people as possible as they leave).  4-5 12oz. light beers over a couple hours and off to jail I went.  Nevermind that the allowable BAC is fairly arbitrary, and varied by geography.  I would have been entirely innocent had I been in another location.  Nevermind the fact that I'm ten times safer on the road after five beers than my grandfather is sober.  Besides protecting people from themselves, the purpose of DUI laws is to protect innocent people on the road that should not have to assume the risk of driving on roads with drunks.  Maybe this is true, but if so, they should not have to assume the greater risk of sharing the road with my grandfather, and horrible drivers in general.  I don't intend to make light of a serious issue, but I could stomach it all much easier without the punitive punishments/tax collections.  These are issues to be dealt with by insurance companies, and people should assume all risks, driving defensively at all times.  In my case, my insurance rates were not adjusted in the slightest, but the state wanted thousands and thousands of dollars.  How is this rational? 

 

    

     Whatever you do, I would strongly advise not drinking and driving.  While I do my best to intervene and provide solutions when the opportunity presents itself and is warranted, I won't fund the state one more penny at anyones expense.  I don't know what this says about me, but this is how I feel about DUI's in general.  Apologies for my personal rantishness.

 

 

     With regard to your story, was he trespassing or did he become you're roommates guest?  Did your roommate say screw him and go to bed, or go out greet him?  If your main concern was the noise, and he was unwelcome by all parties, I would have given him another chance.  I would have approached him and asked him to step out of the car for a conversation, and expressed my concerns.  I would have lied by reminding him that I was perfectly willing to involve the authorities.  If I judged him to be a threat to himself or others, I'd give him choices:  I can call you a cab, you can call a friend, or I can call the police.  Let him feel in control while firmly making it clear that you won't allow him to be driving anymore for the night.  95% of the time people will pick the cab, the friend, or an alternative solution over the cops.  It would be a small inconvenience for you, compared to calling the cops, but a peaceful solution nonetheless.  Of course you don't owe him that, but it's precisely what I would want another to do for me if I were to find myself in such a situation.

[carlip]

My roommate said "he's fine there" and went back to sleep, after I explained he was passed out in a running car, in our driveway, with loud music playing.

 

My initial thought was to drive him home and have my GF follow. But I have no clue who the guy is and I concluded it was not my job to take care of drunks. I just don't think calling the police was the proper choice, but neither was letting him drive and risk hurting someone, and letting him keep us up was not happening either.

 

I too am upset the state got a free case handed to them, from someone who claims to be a libertarian of all things!

[fractional slacker]

Technically calling the police is consistent with being a libertarian. It seems closer to a violation of the NAP.  But I understand your concern. You had a Hobson's choice drive up and park in your driveway. The drunk guy imposed his presence and noise on your peaceful setting.

Your girlfriend decided to use the local gun thugs to remove the problem. That's understandable, but it is going to cause the guy major problems for years to come. Some will say he deserved it for committing the ultimae precrime of driving with certain chemical in his blood. The problem is the punishment does not fit the (pre) crime when guys in costumes are called.

How would I have handled that situation? I realize this is ex post facto, but I think there are a few things I would have tried before resorting to gun thugs.

1. Try calling the room mate and telling him he needs to fix the situation immediately.

2. Offer to give the guy a ride home. That's going above and beyond, but you would help the guy avoid a run in with the blue gang. You might make an impression and he may modify future behavior.

3. Try to reason with the guy. I know drunks are not always pleasant so this is asking a lot. Ask him to turn down the radio and suggest him to rest a few hours until room mate gets home or whatever you feel like saying so he will be calm and not disturbing anyone. If he drives off, so be it.