The indelible reluctance to proceed with an arrest that every civilian should be subject to, however, seems to be an egregious exemplification of the judicial inequality present in America today.
By Kristin Turner
There’s a certain story that has been flying largely under the radar in Central Florida, barring the phenomenal and judicially persistent reporting of WFTV’s Deanna Allbrittin The story is of one David Burdick, a decorated corporal of the Orange County Sherriff’s Department and 1st vice president of our local Fraternal Order of Police. I’ll preface this by disclaiming the fact that I’m no legal expert, but it certainly seems as though the procedures in this alleged crime have been… out of order.
For those who don’t know, if you get arrested the whole world can watch along with you as every bit of information, from your bond until your court date, is regularly available on the Orange County Clerk of Courts website. Abstention from this public procedure, or ridicule, is one of the many benefits law enforcement agents enjoy (along with not having to pay for their own gas to get to work). The vast majority of pubic documents are unavailable to the public in the case of Mr. Burdick, in accordance with his given confidentiality, but this is what we’ve gathered from the shreds that are available. Mr. Burdick has been accused of engaging in domestic violence against his wife, and an injunction petition has now been filed against the corporal in tandem with these accusations. A picture of the supposed victim has also been released which shows, though I’m no medical expert, severe purple and red bruising around her lower orbital.
What we do know is that a 911 call was made at the proposed time of this altercation, and the dispatched agents were directed to Mr. Burdick’s residence. Burdick had, allegedly, struck his wife in an incident that arose from the time he felt his dinner should be ready, but no arrest was made. However, two months later, an arrest was made – strange. Were Burdick’s fellow officers sitting around one day when suddenly they thought, “hey, maybe there was something to that 911 dispatch. Maybe our superior had something to do with that black eye on the caller”? Could the supposedly equitable pendulum of law enforcement have swung in the direction of Mr. Burdick? Is it unreasonable to think that the corporal may have received a proverbial nod from his constituents? It certainly seems as though one party in the altercation should have been arrested that night, presumably the assumed aggressor, as is the standard protocol for domestic violence dispatches.
As it stands now, and seemingly only as a result of public backlash, Mr. Burdick will appear for trial in the month of August. Right or wrong, police are exempt from the public displaying of their information – including arrest records. The indelible reluctance to proceed with an arrest that every civilian should be subject to, however, seems to be an egregious exemplification of the judicial inequality present in America today.
Cops are not above the law, and it is our civic responsibility to ensure that officers too are held fully accountable for their acts, just like every other American (should).
I would like to, once again, give credit to the determined and courageous journalistic endeavor made by Deanna Allbrittin in regards to this occurrence. I would like to remind the audience that I am neither a medical or legal expert in any way. Lastly, I would like to take a moment to breathe the air above the sand.
Kristin Turner was born, and raised partially, in Richmond, Virginia. She moved to Orlando with her parents in 2012 at the age of 17. In 2016 she received her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Sociology. In her free time she’s either lounging at the beach or out of town for a music festival.
