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Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

articles.sun-sentinel.com

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Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#11

Post by jrockway »

eterm wrote: post #6
pavedwalden wrote: post #3

Wow, an officer was FIRED for speeding. That should be the headline right there. I was beginning to think it was impossible for a cop to get themselves fired.

One was. Out of 800 found. That should also be a headline.

I'm not sure you need to fire someone for driving 125mph at 4 o'clock in the morning. The punishment should fit the crime.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#14

Post by davis_m »

jrockway wrote: post #11
eterm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One was. Out of 800 found. That should also be a headline.

I'm not sure you need to fire someone for driving 125mph at 4 o'clock in the morning. The punishment should fit the crime.

320 accidents.

21 maimed or killed.

I really think this is more than a little bit of middle of the night speeding.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#16

Post by fancyketchup »

jrockway wrote: post #11
eterm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One was. Out of 800 found. That should also be a headline.

I'm not sure you need to fire someone for driving 125mph at 4 o'clock in the morning. The punishment should fit the crime.

Is it also kosher to drive while intoxicated at 4 o'clock in the morning? I'm not asking to be snarky, I just don't understand the line of reasoning. It seems like you are saying that engaging is behaviors that are risky to other members of the public are ok as long as nobody is hurt on the specific instance in which you engage in them.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#17

Post by austenallred »

This lends to a trend that's way to prevalent as of late: There are no checks and/or balances on the Police; the only discipline comes internally, often as a result of public outcry. Perhaps it's the bias of what you actually hear about, but it seems like the worst that can happen to a Police officer is paid leave.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#18

Post by knowtheory »

jere wrote: post #10

>The reporters found nearly 800 officers who reached speeds of 90-130 mph, many of them while off duty. The accidents caused by officers driving at high speeds had caused at least 320 crashes since 2004, killing or maiming 21 people. That's such a horrifying statistic if true. Even at their peak, homicide offending rates in the US were at around 20 per 100,000; assault rates about 10 times as high: http://bjs.gov/con…

> That's such a horrifying statistic if true.

What more evidence do you want of it's truth? The story's right there. you can see how they reported it. The data is searchable.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#19

Post by bcoates »

jrockway wrote: post #11
eterm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One was. Out of 800 found. That should also be a headline.

I'm not sure you need to fire someone for driving 125mph at 4 o'clock in the morning. The punishment should fit the crime.

In most jobs where you drive for a living maintaining a clean or at least insurable DMV record both on and off the job is required.

Re: Data journalism busts speeding cops, wins Pulitzer

#20

Post by jere »

knowtheory wrote: post #18
jere wrote: post #10

>The reporters found nearly 800 officers who reached speeds of 90-130 mph, many of them while off duty. The accidents caused by officers driving at high speeds had caused at least 320 crashes since 2004, killing or maiming 21 people. That's such a horrifying statistic if true. Even at their peak, homicide offending rates in the US were at around 20 per 100,000; assault rates about 10 times as high: http://bjs.gov/con…

> That's such a horrifying statistic if true. What more evidence do you want of it's truth? The story's right there. you can see how they reported it. The data is searchable.

The speeding data, yes. I don't know where I'd get access to the 21 killed or maimed though beyond the story. But sure, I probably don't have a good reason to believe the numbers are inaccurate.
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