Many qualified their remarks by saying they oppose drunken driving—who doesn’t?—but said means are as important as ends in DUI enforcement.
“Troopers like Steed are partly responsible for guilty people getting off, due to her disregard for civil liberties and her abuse of authority,” wrote Jasonj.
“UHP has created the perfect environment for patrolman to push the limits and even break the rules in order to succeed,” wrote cmpr, complaining about quotas.
Dave wrote that he knows troopers who refer to Steed as “the numbers queen.” JasonHolt asked readers to send an e-mail to jasonholtdraper@yahoo.com to join a campaign to have Steed formally reprimanded, which UHP has not done.
What surprised Rant Control was the dearth of commenters making the claim that the ends—DUI arrests—really do justify Steed’s questionable means. Was Dark’s piece so persuasive that even the anti-alcohol zealots found it hard to defend her? That might seem hard to believe, but after watching the video in which Steed tases a peaceful suspect after two minutes of talking to him, it seems even the maddest of MADD might agree that Steed’s methods cross the line.