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July 08, 2005
Waltham, MA police attack citizen Eric Laverriere
On New Year's Eve, Waltham, MA police entered the home of a private citizen, alleging that someone had thrown bottles at a passing police cruiser. When one of the citizens at the party started videotaping the police, "Officer Jorge Orta ripped the camera from his hands and threw him to the floor".
Eric Laverriere, 25, of Portland, Maine, was taken into protective custody by Waltham police and locked in a cell for nine hours until the effects of the alcohol wore off.
Laverriere is suing the state of Massassachusetts, arguing he had a constitutional right to get drunk on private property as long as he didn't cause a public disturbance. In this assertion, he is certainly correct. This right is guaranteed by the 9th Amendment as an unenumerated right.
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Posted by Peenie Wallie on July 08, 2005 at 10:55 AM
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from the August 10, 2001 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, at http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/0810/p3s1-ussc.html
For police, attitudes toward drinking change
....But experts say the high levels of stress, a "macho culture," and the odd working hours make police more vulnerable to alcohol and drug problems than many other professions. While data are scarce, studies estimate that rates of alcoholism among police officers are as high as 25 percent. For the general population, the rate of alcoholism is about 7.5 percent.....
Posted by: Robert on July 11, 2005 at 07:31 PM