Facebook Photos Get Police Chief Suspended

[proud2BlibKansan]

LEXINGTON, Mo. -- Photos posted on Facebook got the police chief in Lexington suspended, because they show him at a party involving underage drinking.

The concern is over the age of those pictured in the photos and whether they are under 21, and, if so, why the city's top cop, Don Rector, didn't stop them. KCTV5 has confirmed that there were people who were underage drinking at the party, but the other people in the Facebook photos have not been identified yet.

In a town the size of Lexington, those who share concern for what happened were uncomfortable sharing their identities.

"I wouldn't want my children to be at a house and be allowed to drink without my consent," one woman who didn't want to reveal her identity said. "So I feel like, as a police officer, whether it's on duty or not, he should have done something to stop it.

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The chief's wife said she and her husband left their family friend's home soon after college-aged people showed up and started drinking, but not before one of them snapped the photos.

more . . . http://www.kctv5.com/news/22097071/detail.html

[Quantess]

1. I feel a little bad for for the cop, who was just attending a party while off duty.

Especially if the underage partygoers were between 18 and 21. Anyone 18 and over should be allowed to drink alcohol, and I think that law itself needs to change.

[Eric J in MN]

2. It's normal for people under 21 to drink at parties in houses.

If a bar were full of people obviously under 21, that might be strange enough that a cop should be expected to react to it.

Expecting him to react to people under 21 drinking in a house is like expecting him to react to the sky being blue.

[paulsby]

6. and many police dept's

mine included STRONGLY discourage off-duty officers from taking action while off duty, (maybe unarmed) and ESPECIALLY after drinking , unless there is some sort of exigent danger (like a rape in progress).

is he supposed to pull out his badge and walk around and start ID'ing people?

cmon.

[zbdent]

7. don't know about the laws in MO, but

here in Ohio, there are a bunch of signs which point out "Parents who host" (parties where underage drinking occurs is implied) "stand to lose the most."

I can just see people attacking DU for being lenient on "not reporting a crime" ...

[DefenseLawyer]

3. What's this world coming to when I am defending a cop?

He's off duty at a friend's house when "college aged" people show up. Is he really obligated to ask for IDs? He didn't buy anyone liquor and didn't see someone obviously underage getting liquored up. Cops do a lot worse every day. A lot worse.

[sendero]

4. What a bunch of baloney..

... imagine me defending a cop, this guy did nothing wrong.

[msongs]

5. they shoulda been smoking pot....n see if the "man" said nothing lol nt