My husband and I visited Durango to celebrate the Fourth of July. We had a wonderful time on the river and enjoyed the fireworks. On Saturday evening, we had a nice dinner over several hours at Steamworks, accompanied by a beer – as in one. But what happened next was shocking.
We were parked outside the restaurant next to a large truck, not uncommon in Durango, in a diagonal space that made it impossible to see any traffic coming up the street. As my husband, the driver, slowly pulled out into the street, he noticed a light from a bike and stopped. The bike stopped also. He continued to pull out, as now he could keep track of the bike, and headed up the street. He stopped quickly at the corner, wanting to avoid the bike-car interaction again, and made a right turn. Within seconds, we encountered the red, white and blue lights of the Durango Police, pulling us over.
Our dinner companion, a local resident, warned us that the Durango Police were known for pulling citizens over on weekend evenings and practicing DUI testing and that police came from other areas to practice this as well. Our companion called it, and lo and behold, my husband, 57 years old, was having to do the DUI roadside testing for questionable driving due to the interaction with the bike.
One officer directed the tests, took copious notes and consulted the other officer frequently, appearing like this was indeed some sort of training. After 20 minutes of this absurdity, the conclusion drawn was that they didn’t like my husband’s eyes, whatever that means, but that no citation for DUI or any driving infraction was necessary.
Really, Durango? Is this the way to treat law-abiding citizens? Over the course of the weekend, the DUI training narrative was confirmed by various locals we spoke with. In light of the justifiable concern throughout the country of questionable police tactics, I would hope that someone might ask if this is in the best interest of the community.
Pat Smith
Boulder
