Police Officer Involved in Fatal Car Accident Had History of Accidents

According to a St. Louis Dispatch article yesterday, an Illinois State Trooper, whose vehicle crossed a median last month killing two teenagers, had a history of causing serious auto accidents. In 2003, a personal injury victim received $1.7 million in damages after the officer rear-ended his vehicle. Mitchell was also involved in a single-car accident in 2002.

Despite my liberal leanings, I’m about as pro-police as they come. My sister is a police captain and I have three small children so I’m all about safety on the roads and in our homes. But every time a police officer passes me at 80 mph and then I see that same officer sitting in the median strip a few minutes later obviously in no hurry, I wonder about who is policing the police on driving safely in non-emergency situations.

I believe this problem will eventually be resolved by technology with the monitoring of police car speeds and requiring an explanation or a report for extreme speeds. Reports of accidents like this will expedite the pace of reform.