Drunk Driving

This story is horrible on so many levels. Not only did friend die, she has to live with the fact that she MURDERED her. Yes, I do call it murder. They partied, she was drunk, AND she chose to drive. Chose meaning she had a choice. And she made the wrong choice. As a result of her choice, she murdered her friend. She should be punished and should go to jail. I feel strongly about drunk driving. When your drunk you and you choose to drive you put your life at risk and others as well. Horrible.

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com/

Agony, tears for Finest BY ALISON GENDAR, OREN YANIV and NICOLE BODEDAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Thursday, September 28th, 2006

Her shoulders sagging inside her crisp uniform, the rookie cop who partied with two fellow officers just before the drunken car crash that killed NYPD Officer Marlene Rivera bowed her head yesterday before her friend's coffin.
Officer Kristina Collins last saw Rivera when the cops got a ride home from Officer Danielle Baymack last Friday. Baymack dropped off Collins at her Long Island house just before losing control of her car, killing Rivera.
The three cops met in the Police Academy and were assigned to the same precinct in Queens.
"She's devastated over the loss of a good friend and co-worker," Collins' father, Michael, a Nassau County cop, told the Daily News. "She was there paying her respects."
Collins, 23, and her father, also wearing his dress blues, were among the hundreds of cops who gathered at the Metro International Church in Bushwick, Brooklyn, to bid farewell to Rivera.
Sobs from the 24-year-old's loved ones filled the intimate church during the hour-long service.
"God wrapped his arms around [Rivera]. She's in heaven today," the Rev. Marcus Brown told the crowd.
Collins leaned heavily on her father for support and comfort, her brow furrowing as he fussed over her uniform and straightened her collar.
After the service, Rivera's mother, Ana Fernandez, donned her daughter's NYPD cap at the Linden Hill Cemetery. She then stood before the coffin, clutching a white rose and an NYPD ceremonial flag, and released a pair of white doves alongside her husband, Jose Rivera.
Baymack, who has been charged with driving while intoxicated and vehicular manslaughter, did not attend the service.
The 22-year-old cop lost control of her car about 4:30 a.m. on Sunrise Highway in Wantagh, L.I. The passenger side of the car, where Rivera was sitting, was crushed in the wreck, and Rivera died at Nassau University Medical Center.
Baymack had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11, above the legal limit of 0.08, police said.
Collins was safely inside her Lindenhurst home at the time of the crash and wept hours later after being told of Rivera's death. She voluntarily surrendered her service weapon, and the NYPD has arranged for her to undergo counseling.
"Her heart goes out to both families," her father said, before refusing to discuss details of the events leading up to the accident.
Rivera was remembered yesterday as a devoted daughter who often reassured her mom about her decision to be a cop.
"She kept telling her mother, 'I'm going to be okay, and if something happens to me, I'm going to be in a better place,'" said family friend Lynette Garcia, 39, of Staten Island, "She had a lot of faith in God."
Rivera's friend Officer Bernice Gracia, who met her in the academy, said she will never forget's Rivera's positive attitude and brilliant smile.
"She was the best; she was very energetic, positive, very levelheaded," Gracia said. "When you're carrying the shield, you're always a member of the family."