If you don't have much faith in Washington D.C.-area law enforcement, the following story is not going to help at all. A TV news photographer followed a suspected drunk driver for 40 miles and called 911 eight times, but police never showed up.
WUSA9 reports that their photojournalist, Kurt Brooks, was driving home from work when he spotted an erratic driver in a silver Lincoln. He ended up following the driver for 40 minutes while they weaved in and out of traffic lanes and almost ran another motorist off the road.
Brooks started filming with his dash cam and called police, where in a stunning display of commitment to public safety, he was handed to a variety of law enforcement agencies including police in Bowie, Anne Arundel and the Maryland State Police.
It appeared to be an accident just waiting to happen, but Kurt says police were either unwilling or unable to help.
"Okay, I'll call the freaking county again!" he yelled after yet another dispatcher told him their department couldn't help, either because of low staffing levels or in one case, a serious accident. But he never gave up.
With each call, Kurt offered specific details on the location of the driver.
"Nobody's been able to get a police car to pull this guy over!" Kurt muttered to himself.
Eventually the driver made it home, and Brooks confronted her, only to be ignored by her and a man who came out of her house.
I can't say I'd advise anyone to do the last part, but good for Brooks for staying on the phone and trying to shut down a possibly intoxicated driver before they killed someone.
As for the police in Maryland — keep up the great work, you guys!