Monday, June 24, 2019

Jacob Wright's success stopping drunk drivers earns him JPD Officer of the Month honor

(From the Joplin Police Department)

OFFICER OF THE MONTH

April 2019

Officer Jacob Wright


Officer Wright is awarded April 2019 Officer of the Month:

The Joplin Police Department actively seeks out intoxicated drivers and has a history of success in these endeavors. 

As part of his general patrol duties, Officer Jacob Wright has made it a personal goal to become more proficient in his DWI investigations and was very proactive in these efforts during the month. He has also volunteered to conduct DWI investigations for other officers on the team who may encounter impaired drivers.

On April 28th, 2019 a suspect fled from Corporal Bowin after he attempted to stop him for traffic violations. The suspect fled in the vehicle and on foot and hid in the attic of 302 S. Connor Ave., and was apprehended after falling through the ceiling. 

Officer Wright was requested to assist with a DWI investigation and responded to the jail where he conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. The suspect admitted he was drunk and refused to submit to any testing. During further questioning by Officer Wright, the suspect admitted he had been drinking Vodka since 8:00am and also recently “IV’ed $20 of Meth”. The suspect was charged with numerous crimes, including DWI.

On April 21st, 2019 dispatch sent out a “Check Own Satisfaction” call of a white Chevrolet truck that was driving erratically and also had the driver’s door open. Officer Wright searched the area and located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near north Main Street and Murphy Blvd. Officer Wright contacted the driver and immediately noticed a strong odor of intoxicants (alcohol) and observed several empty alcohol containers in the truck. Officer Wright detected several clues during the SFST portion of his investigation and arrested the suspect for DWI. At the jail she admitted to drinking alcohol and smoking Marijuana recently. 










On April 16th, 2019 Officer Wright responded to a single vehicle crash near the intersection of D and Main Street. An eastbound vehicle failed to stop at the stop sign at Main Street, almost collided with a vehicle traveling northbound, and went off the roadway on the east side of Main Street. While speaking with the driver, Officer Wright believed that the driver was possibly under the influence. He conducted a DWI investigation and arrested the driver after seeing numerous clues of impairment. At the jail, the driver admitted to taking sleeping medications prior to attempting to drive to a nearby convenience store.

On April 15th, 2019 Officer Wright stopped a vehicle leaving a disturbance at 209 S. McKee. During his contact with the driver, he believed she was possibly under the influence of alcohol. Officer Wright administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which showed several clues of impairment. The driver was arrested for DWI and at the jail she admitted to consuming several shots of alcohol and also smoked Marijuana recently.

On April 9th, 2019 Officer Sandbothe stopped a vehicle near 6th and Moffet for traffic violations. After contacting the driver, Officer Sandbothe believed she was possibly under the influence of narcotics. Officer Wright responded and administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, after which he developed probable cause to believe she was operating the vehicle in an intoxicated condition. She was arrested for DWI and taken to the city jail. After further questioning, she admitted to smoking Marijuana recently.

Officer Wright’s DWI enforcement skills have developed tremendously and he leads the Evening Shift patrol team in DWI arrests. Officer Wright is a hard worker and has even expressed how he practices field sobriety tests on his time outside of work. I commend him for his efforts and know that these are great examples of how he has taken the extra step beyond his general patrol duties to get impaired drivers off of the streets of Joplin. You are an asset to the community, agency, and citizens. Thank you Officer Wright.

Respectfully,
Matthew Stewart
Chief of Police

1 comment:

  1. What about the 100 people he stopped that month and harnessed that was not drunk

    ReplyDelete