Sheffield — An examination of the Sheffield Police Department’s log over the last month shows two instances of drunk motorists stopped by police, who rather than citing or arresting them, helped them get a ride home.
And one of those was a Great Barrington police officer.
Off duty officer Daniel Bartini, 24, was stopped last Saturday by Sheffield police officer Brennan Polidoro after Polidoro saw Bartini’s car move as if it had a drunk driver behind the wheel. Polidoro said Bartini’s eyes were “bloodshot,” his speech “thick tongued,” and he smelled strongly of alcohol, as did his passenger. Both were “intoxicated,” Polidoro reported.
Bartini told Polidoro he had been at an Ashley Falls residence and “had a couple beers.”
But in a practice termed “professional courtesy” Polidoro told Bartini to “call for a ride,” and Bartini’s fellow Great Barrington officer, Timothy Ullrich, came to get Bartini and his passenger and drive them home. Bartini, who was heading north on Route 7 when he was stopped at the town line at around 1:35 a.m., left his car in the former Rte. 7 Grill restaurant parking lot.
Bartini was not given a field sobriety or breathalyzer test, nor was he cited or given a court summons. He was not charged or arrested, and Polidoro reported his “Action” as “Services/Assistance Rendered.”
The incident has induced a fury over what appears to be special treatment for a dangerous behavior that is illegal and not tolerated when it involves civilians.
But on the night of August 21, according to the Sheffield log, a Sheffield resident who was parked at a rest stop on Route 7 in Sheffield, was given a ride home by police despite the “odor of alcohol present” in the car. The police officer’s “Action” in this case was listed as “Peace Restored,” since when the man was brought to his home, his wife told police there had been an “argument.”
There were four arrests made for driving under the influence over the last month, and numerous citations given for speeding.
Police logs are enormous documents, and the Sheffield Police Department, for instance, logs an average of around 500 calls per month, according to Sheffield Police Chief Eric Munson III.
Great Barrington’s monthly log is even bigger. It was a slow month for OUIs, however. The month of August showed only one OUI arrest.
Munson said he is unable to further comment on the incident, after initially speaking to another newspaper. Great Barrington Police Chief William Walsh declined comment as well, as did the Berkshire County District Attorney David Capeless.
It is a particularly sensitive topic now, since just last May, Great Barrington was steeped in grief and controversy over the suspected drunk driving death of a young Great Barrington police officer. Officer Ryan Storti crashed the car he was driving into a tree after drinking with friends at a bar in Lenox.
And Storti’s crash came just days after Michael’s Restaurant had it’s liquor license suspended for a period because it served young patrons involved in a deadly crash after leaving the bar.
