Quote :

" The Associated Press © November 21, 2009 RALEIGH, N.C. A North Carolina state trooper who said he was fired because his bosses thought he lied about the fate of his $45 hat is fighting his dismissal. Thomas C. Wetherington, 22, told The News & Observer of Raleigh that losing his job in a misunderstanding about his hat is especially galling considering the kind of misconduct other troopers have committed without getting fired. "Look, we've got guys having sex in patrol cars just about every day," said Wetherington, a trooper since 2007. "Why did I get dismissed when other guys get slaps on the wrist?" A review committee ruled in September that Wetherington should be reinstated and the conduct of the supervisor who pushed for his removal be reviewed. But the Highway Patrol hasn't put Wetherington back on the highway and he is awaiting a hearing before a judge who can make the patrol put him back on the force. Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin wouldn't talk to the newspaper about the case, citing the pending legal action. Wetherington's saga began an a blustery night in March when he pulled over a vehicle towing a boat on U.S. 70 in Craven County. While seizing guns and alcohol, he set his hat on his patrol car, then heard it tumble down the asphalt in the dark. He returned later and looked for it for two hours without success. Wetherington had to file a form to get a new hat, and he wrote that it blew away and was likely run over. But another trooper pulled over the same driver two weeks later, and the man had Wetherington's hat, which he said he picked up after the trooper left. Wetherington's name and phone number were in the hatband, but the driver never called. The Highway Patrol ruled Wetherington violated its code of conduct, which requires troopers to always tell the truth. The agency has had plenty of trouble with troopers following the conduct code. Since 1998, the patrol has dealt with at least 27 cases of sexual misconduct by troopers either on or off duty. In several cases, those involved were not fired, including a trooper who received a five-day suspension in 2002 after he was caught repeatedly having sex on duty in and on his parked patrol car. On one occasion, the trooper inadvertently left his handgun behind, where children later found it, the newspaper reported. Those stories frustrate Wetherington, who said he just wants to get back out on the road, serving the people. "I bleed black and silver," said Wetherington, noting the colors on his hat and the patrol's uniform. "This was my life, and they took it away from me. All I want is to get it back.""

wow.

11/21/2009 8:47:11 PM

TAKE OFF THE HAT

11/21/2009 8:48:18 PM

but i want to know how the guy got his hat. don't the troopers wait for you to leave before they take off?

[Edited on November 21, 2009 at 8:50 PM. Reason : ]

11/21/2009 8:50:33 PM

they THREW me into pub-lic.

[Edited on November 21, 2009 at 8:51 PM. Reason : fdsasdf]

11/21/2009 8:50:49 PM

where WE come from, we know because their hair looks like....URS

11/21/2009 8:56:26 PM

i can't beLIEEEVE you didn't buy a muh-cedez...benz

11/21/2009 9:00:33 PM

that pretty shitty of the NCHP
about the least shitty thing they've done lately

but shitty nonetheless

11/21/2009 11:06:24 PM

Quote :

"In several cases, those involved were not fired, including a trooper who received a five-day suspension in 2002 after he was caught repeatedly having sex on duty in and on his parked patrol car. On one occasion, the trooper inadvertently left his handgun behind, where children later found it, the newspaper reported."

Wow.

11/21/2009 11:21:01 PM

Wait an minute! A state trooper gets fired for losing a hat, but two ALE agents misplace machine guns and still have jobs. WTF!?!

11/22/2009 12:23:07 AM

this hat thing must have just been an excuse to fire a bad cop.

11/22/2009 12:43:16 AM

i feel like theres gotta be more to the story

11/22/2009 12:43:52 AM

trooper lost his jimmy hat

11/22/2009 1:10:09 AM

Haha, fucker deserves it. He lied on a report, and he suffered the consequences of it. Granted, there are some worse SOBs out there, but you gotta start somewhere

11/22/2009 2:39:56 AM

This is hilarious considering cops murder people and get paid leave for a month. Oh wait, it's not hilarious at all, just more proof of how fucked up and backwards the police are in this country.

11/22/2009 2:40:41 AM

it's just a goddamn hat. it's not like he lost his firearm or wrecked his cruiser. jesus, issue him a new hat, put a reprimand on his record, and MOVE ON WITH LIFE. that hat is going to cost the NCHP a lot of money when all of this is over. YOUR TAX DOLLARS IN ACTION DURING A BUDGET SHORTFALL.

11/22/2009 2:43:37 AM

So you think that somebody who makes a VERY minor mistake and lies about it for fear of retribution is worthy of being nearly the pinnacle of basic law enforcement; should be allowed to carry a gun and essentially be given the decision of whether citizens live or die?

11/22/2009 3:08:44 AM

the hat wasnt the only thing, its actually very minor to a lot of the other things hes had filed against him

11/22/2009 3:24:24 AM

Carrie: Don't you ever take off that stupid hat?
Bandit: I take my hat off for one thing, one thing only.
Carrie: Oh...
[beat]
Carrie: Take your hat off.

11/22/2009 4:03:01 AM

QFT

Quote :

"This is hilarious considering cops murder people and get paid leave for a month. Oh wait, it's not hilarious at all, just more proof of how fucked up and backwards the police are in this country."

Quote :

"the hat wasnt the only thing, its actually very minor to a lot of the other things hes had filed against him"

So you know more about this story? Do tell, instead of just dropping stupid hints.

Quote :

"Haha, fucker deserves it. He lied on a report, and he suffered the consequences of it"

How did he lie? The hate fell from the roof of his car. He came back to look for it (for 2 hours) and didn't find it. He didn't know the person he had stopped took it. What would your conclusion be if this happened to you? That it blew away, and maybe run over.

11/22/2009 5:22:44 AM

1/21/2010 12:47:51 AM

voteban JTMONEYNCSU

1/21/2010 12:55:13 AM

good luck with that dawg

1/21/2010 12:56:41 AM

Quote :

""Look, we've got guys having sex in patrol cars just about every day," said Wetherington, a trooper since 2007. "Why did I get dismissed when other guys get slaps on the wrist?""

Because they told the truth. Is that so hard to understand?

1/21/2010 12:58:48 AM

In maybe he thought it blew off the car and really did get run over????

1/21/2010 1:23:30 AM

good. they pull people all the time over stupid shit. good to see them getting fired over stupid shit, as well

1/21/2010 2:28:11 AM

lol at people that are saying he was lying on the report about his hat. He probably thought that was what happened to the hat, jesus. He didn't intentionally lie about a god damn hat. He simply thought it was run over, but instead the shitbag picked it up and didn't call him. He went back and looked for the damn thing.

1/21/2010 2:44:48 AM

We looked at this case in an ethics course I was in last semester, and a state trooper was in the class. I believe he said something like the filed report said it was a windy and cold night, but weather reports showed it to be a calm warm night. I can't remember many of the specifics, but from what the state trooper in the class said it was pretty obvious that this guy left his hat on his car accidentally and drove off and lied saying it must have blown away. He also mentioned that the hats were surprising expensive.

For better or worse, for the rest of his career any time he had to testify relating to an arrest or ticket, the defense could say "you lied over something as simple as a hat, how do we know you wouldn't lie to get a conviction" which could be troubling if he was ever a key witness. [i]It goes to credibility your honor...

But yeah, they need more consistent enforcement of their ethics code. It doesn't make much sense to fire this guy and slap others on the wrist.

1/21/2010 2:58:54 AM

THEN WHO WAS HAT?

1/21/2010 3:48:16 AM

^^ Clearly a fucking narc.

1/21/2010 3:49:46 AM

^in that case he definitely fails in bsing. Should have just put. Lost during traffic stop, or something along those lines.

1/21/2010 8:36:32 AM

Craven County


LOLz

1/21/2010 9:08:15 AM