Joe Biden's Troopergate:

By Bryce A. Priggemeier, Sr.

On January 1st, 2001 at about 1 o'clock in the morning, while employed as a police officer for the City of Newark, Delaware and on patrol, I observed a 2001 Ford Explorer pull along side of me at an intersection and proceed about a full car length past the white stop line. When the light turned green and we pulled away, we pulled up to the next intersection and the same vehicle came to a stop well into the middle of the intersection.

A traffic stop was initiated and the driver identified herself as Ashley Biden �" inquiring if I knew who her father was. I detected what I believed to be an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Ms. Biden. As per department protocol and because of Ms. Biden's public notoriety, I requested that a supervisor respond to the scene.

During the time period in which I was waiting for the supervisor to arrive, I performed two field sobriety tests while she was inside the vehicle (both of which she failed miserably). Ms. Biden was drunk. My sergeant arrived and was advised that it was my belief that she was intoxicated. As a new officer and fully aware of the political implications that could possibly follow, I looked to my superior for guidance.

I had an idea as to how I wanted to see things play out �" a win/win situation! I wanted to have one of the other officers park the vehicle in a parking lot and take Ms. Biden home. A win/win in my book, because she would have been off the road and any political snafu avoided. Is this right? Absolutely not, but when you see where this is headed �" if you don't understand my reasoning thus far you certainly will after hearing the outcome.

I was advised by my sergeant that I was to pull Ms. Biden out of the vehicle, perform the remaining field sobriety tests, and that if she was indeed found to be intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle then she was to be arrested and processed accordingly. Needless to say, when she performed the rest of the field sobriety tests she was barely able to stand let alone perform the tests. I looked to my sergeant for one final guiding point and he raised his arm as if to say "What are you waiting for, arrest her." I did..........
.....Two weeks later I was fired without just cause which they could do because of my probationary status as a new officer.....