Unfortunately (that doesn't seem like the correct term to use but I'll roll with it) it's my belief that AZ and TN are just two examples of it being looked at and it's ugly behind the curtain. A similar news story ran in my AO within the past year (I'm in PA) where it was being briefly covered the number of DUI arrests that had their bloodwork come back completely negative for either drugs or alcohol. I'm hesitant to quote hard metrics on that since I was unable to find that story tonight but I seem to recall it was in the 10% range. And that's stone-cold/certified sober. That also didn't account for the bloodwork where the alcohol content was below the legal limit. I seem to remember there being a bit of a threshold mentioned in that story (a DUI can stand here even if you are technically under the legal limit if "proven" intoxicated).
What got me with the story locally here, and I'd imagine it's similar elsewhere in the country, is these folks had their mugshots posted within 24 hours in the local news, posted on Facebook pages of the arresting police department, and also on "crime watch, PA" which a local thing here at least and caused all kinds of problems with their employment, social circles, and general reputation. It also cost them thousands of dollars retaining legal representation (if they "could" afford it) only for the DA to get the results and decide 'eh not worth pursuing' and dismissing the charges outright and not pursuing prosecution. The personal, social, and financial damage that occurred previously is just chalked up as "the cost of doing business" for them and consequences be damned because only the falsely accused has to deal with the turmoil created. And, it boggles the mind to recognize that this is actually the "best case scenario" for the individual caught in the web of judicial machine.
I'll also go one step further and offer an angle I'd love to see looked into but I haven't personally seen done, dollars to doughnuts the official police report contains sensationalized data about the arrest which likely is easily disputed these days by the dash & body cams. If my first belief were to prove accurate, I'd be VERY interested to see an analysis on how often the same exact language/ storyline plays out on similar police reports from that department and see if it's to the point where certain terminology is presented as unique facts when in reality it's boilerplate language as "how to do it" to make sure the arrest "sticks".
My apologies for being longwinded here- reckon that's exactly what you were getting at succinctly by the "ruining lives 600 times" comment but this is a particular, I'll call it "issue", that I've seen played out multiple times by those close to me so admittedly it's a bit personal for me and I likely let that come through here.
That said- first appreciate you letting me vent and hope I didn't hijack your thread but secondly- just wanted to clarify my rant is more directed towards the system itself than any particular 'participant' in that industry. That'd be a whole other discussion after all and I've taken enough time in this thread.
-LD
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