It may be that Naperville's decades-long aggressive and profitable stance against DUI might start costing the City some money in Civil Suits.
Tennis instructor David Briddle says he was treated like a criminal even after he tested negative for alcohol after a drunken-driving stop in Naperville over the Memorial Day weekend.
Briddle, 52, of west suburban Glen Ellyn, was released without charges after blowing 0.0 on a Naperville Breathalyzer test. But he was still fingerprinted, his mug shot was taken — and news of his arrest was provided to a local newspaper.
“It was ridiculous, embarrassing,” said Briddle, who works in the Naperville area. “People know about it, but they don’t even know how to broach it.”
On Tuesday, Briddle sued Naperville DUI Police Officer Timothy Curran and the city of Naperville in federal court, claiming he was defamed and subjected to a false arrest.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Kathleen Zellner, also accuses the police department of boosting DUI arrests to gain recognition and other benefits — whether or not the motorists are guilty.
With 621 last year, Naperville ranked No. 2 in DUI arrests among Illinois cities other than Chicago, according to the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. Curran is listed by the Illinois Department of Transportation as one of the state’s top DUI enforcers with more than 100 arrests since 2001.
No comments:
Post a Comment