I posed this question to the GlockTalk boards. I didn't get any response to it (would a cop arrest Mary Rose) on the CopTalk side of the site.
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Hey Rick,
I missed your post in cop talk, sorry. I tend to avoid that section nowadays.
I am sure my agency would have forbidden me from arresting the politician you speak of and if I had they would have been un-arrested. Furthermore, even if the arrest was made, I am sure the county attorney, another politician, would never have prosecuted.
On a side note, the officer who did make such an arrest would have been ending his career. No, they wouldn't have been able to screw the officer over that incident, but I guarantee they would find a way to get rid of him on another minor infraction that they could blow out of proportion. I have seen it done to officers and most will not give up their careers for one arrest. I certainly would not for that arrest, I have become more selective in choosing the windmills I tilt at. I was once compared to Don Quixote.
I know folks will be disgusted that an officer would not make the arrest, but sometimes politics dictates the "legal" system and the need for a job dictates career ending actions. I feel I can do more good staying on the job than ending it over one "no win" situation.
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later,
Rick