Do police still take inebriated folks to “the Drunk Tank?” What exactly is the drunk tank? Is it separate from where they hold other criminals? What kind of procedures are used for those too inebriated to be properly booked?
They do in my city.
We toured the new, improved police station, which is next door to city hall and just down the road from my house. The drunk tank is one of the holding cells where all the edges are rounded on the bench/bed, and it is made of some plastic material that is softer than concrete, so the drunks don’t hurt themselves and it is easier to clean up the barf. There was also a discreetly hidden slot for handcuffs so they could restrain a violent drunk.
There were two other cells, both standard issue concrete and steel doors and thick plastic observation windows, for sober arrestees.
If someone is too drunk/high to be booked, they don’t go to jail, they go to detox where they are held for 24 hours until they sober up enough to go to regular jail or to court (usually not for the first time). I used to work for a hospital system, and the IT department was upstairs from the adolescent chemical dependency detox center. So sometimes I would come into work in the morning to see some drugged-out teenager being dragged in handcuffs downstairs while I went upstairs (thru a different entrance).
We later expanded down and the detox center moved to a different location. We put our printer in the former 4-point restraint room. Somebody I worked with mentioned that he had been in that room three times, for three different reasons - once because of a drug overdose, once because he was a chem-dep counselor for a while, and then to get his printouts.
Regards,
Shodan
Depends on if you use Depends.™
Depends on where you are.
Not heard myself of anyplace with a special place.
I don’t think they care much unless you are a pretty you are a yung girl with torn or ripped pantyhose. YMMV
Not here. But being drunk is not against the law in New Jersey. There is no public drunkenness statute. So you can be as drunk as you want as long as you aren’t disorderly.
They do in Key West. DH and I took the offspring plus offspring #1’s friend down there one St Patrick’s Day weekend. Offspring #1 and friend were 19, and unbeknownst to me, had acquired fake IDs. When 3 am rolled around, and friend came stumbling back home with a missing tooth and also missing Offspring #1, I took to the main drag looking for him, wherein I happened to run into the officer that had apprehended him. He explained to me that they have what’s called a “medical hold”, where the drunk person goes to the holding cell until the authorities are assured he’s no longer a danger to himself or others. Such a hold lasts 8 hours, after which, if you are Offspring #1, you are released to find your extremely NOT PLEASED parents waiting for you. The humane thing about it is that being considered “medical”, the person is not charged with a crime, and all records are subject to medical confidentiality rules.
I wonder how it’s changed over time. If things like Miranda rights or liability issues have altered the procedures.
That sounds like a formula for getting sued. Whenever we deal with someone so intoxicated it becomes a medical issue, off the the hospital they go. The police station is no place to treat a medical emergency. Placing someone on medical hold sounds to me that they should be under the care of medical personnel.
No state law, but what about local ordinances? Wisconsin also has no public intoxication law, but some municipalities and counties have enacted ordinances.
IIRC some of the plain drunk laws here were struck down in the 70’s or early 80’s. Many of them were rewritten so the offense had to include some kind of behavior other than just being drunk. Either being disorderly, having a open container, etc…
After I retired I took a part-time patrol gig to maintain my certification. The location I’m at has no public intoxication laws.
No agencies around here that I know of has a “drunk tank” holding cell anymore. If somebody is so wiped out that their health could be in peril we end up taking then to county detox which I guess is like a drunk tank but not in the same manner as the OP probably envisions. But let me tell you, it’s a major pain in the ass taking someone there. First you end up sitting at the hospital for hours getting them medically cleared. Then you end up sitting at the detox center for hours getting them checked in. By the time you get them in they’ve sobered up a bit. :rolleyes:
The County I live in has a small area right in the booking room where DUI arrestees and “public drunks” are taken. This area has a (collect calls only) telephone, a television and some chairs. It is not an enclosed room or cell. DUI folks are booked and released on their own recognizance several hours later. Persons not arrested are allowed to leave as soon as they can arrange for someone to pick them up or are held until the deputies decide they are safe to release.
The local city police station has a single small cell which I have been told is used for this function, but only for persons not arrested. The police make the telephone calls but otherwise such persons are released in a manner similar to the County lockup.
Well, I’m sure the fine folks at the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department would be thrilled to hear from you regarding your opinion of their handling of drunks. I, however, was simply giving the OP an answer to his question, that yes, in this particular place, there is such a thing as the drunk tank.
Texas uses public intox laws as harassment excuses, once they went into a bar and arrested EVERYONE claiming the bar was public. Turned into a nationwide media story and the officials were baffled that people would find this wrong.
Another trick cops will use if they see people drinking in their house or apartment, or porch, is to ask you to step outside to talk to them. The second you step out the door BOOM cuffs you’re intoxicated in public. You can find a ton of stories like this online
Could you maybe post a few.
Not that I doubt such a thing happens, especially in the south. But you claim it, you post it.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070827184519AATLlq5
^That is the scam I know they use in Texas, I disbelieved it myself when friends claimed it but online searching turned up tons of anecdotes. If you want to dig any further you’ll have to do it on your own sorry.
No local ordinances either. Unless you are driving being drunk isn’t enough. It has to do with your behavior.
No need to sit with a drunk in the hospital. ROR TOT.
Can you be disorderly provided you’re sober ? 
What you say???
(Just when a man leans toward moving to Colorado, he hears something intriguing about New Jersey…)
nm; subject wasn’t drunk.
When I was falsely arrested for a DUI charge that was later dismissed for lack of evidence, they put me in the regular municipal jail with criminals. During intake, they did a blood draw and had me fill out a lengthy questionnaire. They did a group strip search and anal cavity check. I wasn’t read any Miranda rights, and someone during intake complained that they hadn’t been read their Miranda rights. The next day, they transferred me chained to other prisoners at the wrists and ankles to a medium security prison with barbed wire fence. I was later transferred back to the original municipal jail, then released after 48 hours, the maximum time they can detain you on “probable cause”.
After you were arrested were you questioned by the police about your offense? And did the questionnaire contain questions pertaining specifically about your specific arrest? If not Miranda isn’t needed.
People tend to think that Miranda has to be read after every arrest. This is absolutely false and based on the ridiculous dramatics seen on TV. I’d estimate about 95% of my arrests do not include a Miranda warning.
When is a Miranda warning required? I was questioned for 15-30 minutes roadside before the arrest. After they cuffed me and placed me in their paddy wagon, one of them asked what drug I was on. The paper questionnaire requested background information plus information about alcohol/drug use, but it’s long enough ago that I can’t recall the details.