No courtesy for OVI cops

YOUNGSTOWN — Because driving drunk is risky, cops aren’t inclined to let you go — even if you wear a badge.

“If you let them go and something happens, then you become responsible. If they’re drunk and they’re driving they should get arrested,” said Poland Village Chief Russell Beatty Jr.

“If cops are going to drink they should be smart enough to not drive,” he said.

The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration in Ohio has dropped over the years from 0.15 to 0.10 to .08.

Robert E. Bush Jr., former Youngstown police chief, was a rookie cop in 1971 when the higher limit was in effect. He’s now chief of the Mahoning County prosecutor’s criminal division.

“In the 1970s, when the limit was 0.15, if you stopped law enforcement, you’d probably take them home or call someone to take them home,” Bush said. “It’s a different day now. DUI is looked upon much more harshly. That part of the thin blue line has thinned out.”

Bush suggested that fewer drinkers, police included, decide to drive now that the limit is .08. Also, he said police don’t expect the courtesy they may have received 20 or more years ago.

For more, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com