Policeman insists he’s not a hero
Published: December 7, 2006
Jacksonville police officer Brad Braithwaite insists he’s not a hero, even though the Law Enforcement Award of Excellence he recently received from Mothers Against Drunk Driving of North Carolina declares he’s a “Police DWI Hero.”
But Braithwaite, who has made 61 driving while impaired arrests that account for 17 percent of the Jacksonville Police Department’s DWI arrests this year, said he’s just doing his job.
“I’m not a hero,” said the 45-year-old Braithwaite. “Any law enforcement officer who takes an impaired driver off the road is a hero.”
Braithwaite just works extra hard to get drunk drivers off the road.
He works nights, and he’s always looking for the signs.
And when he spots an impaired driver, he doesn’t just focus on making an arrest.
His work is detailed and deliberate. Frequently, the reports he turns in are intimidating to defense attorneys attempting to get repeat offenders off the hook.
“Keeping good notes is the key to not losing a case,” Braithwaite said. “When most attorneys see you have detailed notes, they decide to go ahead and plead guilty.”
The punishment for the misdemeanor offense, which varies, isn’t always enough to keep people from drinking and driving, but it doesn’t discourage Braithwaite from trying his best.
“I take DWIs more seriously than anything else,” he said. “The innocent ones are getting hurt and killed as well. I hate to arrive on the scene and see a child mangled because the parents were impaired or a drunk driver hit the car. That really gets to me.”
So he’s always on the lookout.
A retired Marine gunnery sergeant and police officer for more than five years, Braithwaite knows an impaired person when he sees one. Extremes — whether it’s driving too fast or too slow, hugging one side of the lane or stopping abruptly — usually tip him off that something is not right with the driver.
He’ll pull the vehicle over, talk to the driver and notice a set of blood-shot eyes. Sometimes it just means the driver is tired. But if there is a glazed look, he knows to keep prying.
“Have you had anything to drink tonight,” is among the many questions he asks to keep drivers talking. He rarely gets an accurate answer immediately.
“I’ve had two beers,” is what he frequently hears.
He follows up the questions with a field sobriety test.
It isn’t foolproof.
“Professional drunks can walk a straight line and do a one-leg stand perfect,” Braithwaite said.
But the eyes don’t lie.
“People who are drunk can’t control the movement of their eyes,” he said.
He performs a test called a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, which basically involves having the person follow Braithwaite’s finger or a light with the eyes. He also uses an instrument called an Alco-Sensor to help determine if the impairment is caused by alcohol.
“It all helps me to form my opinion,” Braithwaite said.
When he’s confident he has enough evidence, he arrests the person and they go to the police department to get an Intoxilyzer reading if the person agrees. If the person’s blood alcohol level is .08 or more, that person is considered legally impaired.
“When I take that person and place him under arrest, I know I have saved one person’s life that night,” Braithwaite said. “Then it’s up to the court system to do its job.”
While there is a sense of power that comes with taking an impaired driver off the road, Braithwaite works just as hard to make sure that people who decide to drink don’t even opt to drive.
He’s frequently the officer that commands from Camp Lejeune or New River Air Station request to come speak to Marines and sailors about the dangers of driving drunk. Often the briefings happen before a 96-hour holiday or if there’s been a high number of alcohol-related accidents involving military personnel.
“As a retired Marine, I can relate to them,” Braithwaite said. “They will listen to me. I tell them, ‘Been there, done that. We’ve all chewed the same dirt.’”
Braithwaite doesn’t mince words or his message. His presentation is straight to the point and graphic. He includes information about wrecks involving drunk Marines, outcomes and often bloody photographs that capture their attention.
“I tell them that it’s not a game out there,” Braithwaite said. “It’s our job to protect lives. The photos really hit home. They think, ‘Man, that could be me.’”
While a lot of people think that drunk drivers are usually the ones who walk away from accidents unharmed, Braithwaite said, he sets Marines and sailors straight with the real statistics.
“A study in 2002 indicates that a majority of the people injured or killed in alcohol-related accidents is the drunk driver,” Braithwaite said.
The holiday season, especially New Year’s Eve, is frequently thought to be the time when more drunk drivers hit the roads. Braithwaite said if there are more arrests, it’s only because there are more officers saturating the streets.
Impaired drivers are on the road regardless of the time or season, Braithwaite said.
“It’s all year round,” he said. “I’ve arrested impaired drivers at 7 a.m. on a Monday on their way to work and at 1 p.m. on a Sunday. It doesn’t matter.”
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