Traffic Corp Superintendent Arrested for Drunk Driving

Altreab

Just listening to the news on 2FM now and the headline story is that a Traffic Corp Superintendent has been Arrested for Drunk Driving in East Galway (Loughrea i THINK) He was in an unmarked squad car which was issued as part of his duties and was reported by a member of the public. He refused to take the required tests!! He is in the Job for just a month.
Anyone else hear about it?

testicle

Garda arrested on drink-driving suspicion
RTE - Friday, 30 March 2007 11:59


A Garda Superintendent in charge of a Regional Traffic Division has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving.

Superintendent Jim Fitzgerald, who is less than a month in the job, was arrested in Galway last night.

He was driving an official unmarked garda car at the time.

He was taken to Loughrea Garda Station after he was reported by a member of the public, but it is understood he refused to take the test.

He was released but it is understood that proceedings will be taken against him.

Under the new Road Traffic Legislation refusing to take a test for drink-driving carries a disqualification of three years off the road.

peasant

Lovely ! :mad:

Mitch Connor

he better get the disqualification.

Stephen

Do you reckon he'll even get the sack for this? I don't. Fair play to whatever Garda actually had the balls to arrest him and bring him in.

FGR

This is one for the books.

Like Stephen said; fair play to the Guard who had the gutts to stick it to the Super.

seamus

ForegoneReality wrote:

Like Stephen said; fair play to the Guard who had the gutts to stick it to the Super.

Indeed. Gardai drink-driving is nothing new. Other Gardai actually arresting superior officers *is* new, and I'm happy to see it being done.

Bradidup

They should make an example of him particularly with all the road carnage. They are the authorities and are supposed to be giving us all example. If he gets away with it one might as well use the new edition of the rules of the road for toilet paper.

jhegarty

Tauren wrote:

he better get the disqualification.

If he keeps his job I can't see how anyone in the coutry can have trust in the system....

Mitch Connor

jhegarty wrote:

If he keeps his job I can't see how anyone in the coutry can have trust in the system....

a lot of people don't trust it when it comes to a gardai breaking the law as it is, this fella getting away with would be very annoyin, but not surprising.

Kinetic^

Friend of a friend was in Templemore on one of his training phases. Got caught drink driving. Got kicked out of Templemore.

ballooba

jhegarty wrote:

If he keeps his job I can't see how anyone in the coutry can have trust in the system....

ROFL.

The newspapers did the business on convictions on Gardai a few months back. In response Phoenix Park opted for a more open approach rather than let the papers make out they were hiding something. Now we are seeing stuff like this every other week.

Owen

Bradidup wrote:

They should make an example of him particularly with all the road carnage. They are the authorities and are supposed to be giving us all example. If he gets away with it one might as well use the new rules of the road for toilet paper.

Dead right. I had the misfortune of doing a few jobs in the Phoenix Park in Dublin about 5 years ago, and they have a subsidised pub there, where you could (at the time, granted) watch the Gardaí have a fair few pints and drive home.

Everyone needs to be tarred with the same brush on this.

unnameduser

I know of this man.Googling him will give you a little background info.

ned78 wrote:

Dead right. I had the misfortune of doing a few jobs in the Phoenix Park in Dublin about 5 years ago, and they have a subsidised pub there, where you could (at the time, granted) watch the Gardaí have a fair few pints and drive home.

Everyone needs to be tarred with the same brush on this.

It BeeMee

testicle wrote:

He was taken to Loughrea Garda Station after he was reported by a member of the public, but it is understood he refused to take the test.

Am I being very cynical to suggest this is why he was "done" ?
Would it be a differenct story if had been stopped for a random test by a checkpoint?

I hope not...

Fozzie Bear

Stephen wrote:

Do you reckon he'll even get the sack for this? I don't. Fair play to whatever Garda actually had the balls to arrest him and bring him in.

That may well have a lot to do with the fact that it was a member of the public who saw him getting into his car after leaving a pub and took his registration down and rang the Gardai to report him. (This person may well have recognised him as a high ranking Garda). There would have been a record made of the call so they had to act on it. Could you imagine the press reports if nothing had been done and this was leaked by the member of public who reported it?

But still it must have taken some guts to actually pull him over take him out of the car and arrest him. Fair dues to the Garda in question.

Owen

unnameduser wrote:

I know of this man.Googling him will give you a little background info.

Do you mean the Garda, or me?

unnameduser

ned78 wrote:

Do you mean the Garda, or me?

Jim Fitz of course!

Anan1

unnameduser wrote:

I know of this man.Googling him will give you a little background info.

Any chance of a little more detail, i've tried his name in Google and there's too much to trawl through. Just one keyword would be a great help!;)

unnameduser

Anan1 wrote:

Any chance of a little more detail, i've tried his name in Google and there's too much to trawl through. Just one keyword would be a great help!;)

http://www.unison.ie/search/frame_search.php3?span=web&words=kim%20fitzgerald

You must be logged in. Article is as follows:
Anonymous allegations against Nenagh Supt

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Supt. Jim Fitzgerald


The High Court in Dublin on Monday granted Nenagh’s Garda Superintendent James Fitzgerald (52) Brookville Green, Nenagh, permission to seek orders prohibiting his transfer from Nenagh to Garda headquarters in Dublin, and the carrying out of an investigation into allegations made against him.
Allegations in an anonymous letter in regard to Supt Fitzgerald’s behaviour in pubs and towards other people were denied by him and described in an affidavit as completely false.

He believed the letter may have emanated from a source who may have been affected “from” decisions he was required to make by virtue of his office.

Mr Justice McMenamin granted Superintendent Fitzgerald a stay in relation to any investigation until the High Court proceedings have concluded and he also granted a temporary injunction restraining the Garda Commissioner purporting to transfer him to Garda headquarters in Dublin.

He also made an order that Superintendent Fitzgerald's intended replacement in Nenagh, Superintendent Catherine Keogh be made a notice party to the proceedings.

Superintendent Fitzgerald who has responsibility for the Nenagh district for the past seven years said he met with Assistant Commissioners

Ignatius Rice and Noel Smith on March 15 last when they showed him a typed one-page letter containing allegations in relation to dealings with persons in Nenagh.

He did not get a copy of the letter but from memory it alleged he owed money to about twelve parties, some of whom were personal friends.

He did owe money to two parties, a garage proprietor and another party who did some tarmacadam work at his house. He had requested bills from both parties but had not received them.


The letter had said there were many fine Gardai in Nenagh but that Superintendent Fitzgerald was not one of them and that he “was scrounging drink and did not pay for these drinks”. It was also alleged he borrowed a motor car and brought it back soiled with a substantial amount of money missing. He admitted borrowing a car with a friend’s full consent and it was returned in perfect condition.

No complaint had even been made to him by the car owner either that the car was in any way damaged or that money was missing from the car. He did not take any money. It was absolutely untrue to say that when asked for payment for the tarmacadam work he (the Superintendent) said “something about drink driving.”

The letter concluded that the writer would not sign their name as Superintendent Fitzgerald “was a nasty piece of goods.”

Superintendent Fitzgerald said he was told his position in Nenagh was “untenable” by Assistant Commissioner Smith and that he should consider his position. Assistant Commissioner Rice said he believed the contents of the letter were substantially correct. He replied in writing on March 16 this year that it was not his intention to resign. As a result of the stress he was placed on sick leave.

On April 4 he was advised that on his return from sick leave he was to be transferred to Garda headquarters in Dublin and that a new superintendent was being appointed to Nenagh. On April 6 he learned his proposed transfer and replacement in Nenagh had been announced in The Guardian the local Nenagh newspaper.


He had no personal difficulty with Superintendent Kehoe who commenced duties on April 8 but her appointment undermined his position with the Garda force and his general reputation among the Nenagh public.

Anan1

unnameduser wrote:

http://www.unison.ie/search/frame_search.php3?span=web&words=kim%20fitzgerald

You must be logged in. Article is as follows:
Anonymous allegations against Nenagh Supt.

Thanks for that. Makes very interesting reading in the context of his arrest for drink-driving.

_Kaiser_

So there's the usual internal muppetry going on in the Gardai.. what else is new? :rolleyes: I personally don't see any relation between this, and the guy (rightly) being done for allegedly drink driving.

legs11

hang him.....

bloody alcos.

Anan1

Kaiser2000 wrote:

So there's the usual internal muppetry going on in the Gardai.. what else is new? :rolleyes: I personally don't see any relation between this, and the guy (rightly) being done for allegedly drink driving.

The relation is that the Gardaí may have had their own reasons for catching Fitzgerald. If this is so, we can no longer assume from the prosecution that Gardaí are being made accountable to the law.

_Kaiser_

Anan1 wrote:

The relation is that the Gardaí may have had their own reasons for catching Fitzgerald. If this is so, we can no longer assume from the prosecution that Gardaí are being made accountable to the law.

Well I agree that's a lot more serious alright. The "one rule for them" thread springs to mind.

Bradidup

That cop that pulled him should be premoted to his position.

Supercell

He sounds like a right peice of work, my quess is he pissed off one to many people and they were waiting for the opportunity to nab him, and rightly so it would appear.

ninty9er

He above anyone should have known the system and known give a sample unless you have something to hide!!!!

Should at least be demoted....damn public service job protection!!!

mikemac

Bradidup wrote:

That cop that pulled him should be premoted to his position.

Agreed. But my first reaction was the arresting garda has just destroyed his own career and any chance of future promotions.
Hopefully, he hasn't though, well done I say!

Altreab

It BeeMee wrote:

Am I being very cynical to suggest this is why he was "done" ?
Would it be a differenct story if had been stopped for a random test by a checkpoint?

I hope not...

I wonder if he was reported using TrafficWatch as mentioned in another thread or directly to the local station in Loughrea..... and fair play to the young Garda who did his/her job well.

G Luxel

It sounds like the garda who arrested him must have been given some New training in Templemore, probably on some report done by the independent ombudsman and now putting it into practice. Well done to him or her. It could have been worse if the offending Super had injured or killed others.