- Officers in Decatur, Illinois stopped a truck driver after a brief snowy chase.
- They found out that the driver was a fellow officer named Andrew Ziegler.
- The department placed Ziegler on paid leave and didn’t jail him either.
Police have a tough and noble job, but they’re not always known for being patient, kind, and calm. That’s especially true when they’re dealing with a person who runs from them and is suspected of driving drunk.
Despite that, one department in Illinois gave one of its own officers what appears to be extremely preferential treatment in this scenario. The trouble for the cops is that they recorded almost all of it.
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The incident happened on December 15, 2025. An officer spotted a truck allegedly speeding down a snowy road. As he followed, the truck driver ended up off the road and in the median.
That’s when the officer tried to pull the driver over. Instead, Officer Andrew Ziegler took off. The officer made another attempt to stop him, but Ziegler sped away again.
Who Gets to Run?
According to the Macon County Sheriff, officers had identified Ziegler by that point but terminated a chase. It was only when another officer found Ziegler in a ditch that they managed to take him into custody.
That process wasn’t a simple one either. Video shows Ziegler ignoring commands for several minutes, arguing with the officers, and stumbling toward them when he finally decided to comply.
Once in custody, a supervisor arrives on scene and appears to direct two other officers to mute their bodycams while muting his own. Later, once the microphones are back on, we hear one officer specifically tell another not to talk to Ziegler at all while on the drive. That seems to be an attempt at helping Ziegler avoid self-incrimination.
Once in jail, the police cited him and then released him. He’s now facing charges of DUI. Note that he is facing zero charges for running from the police, obstructing, failure to obey commands, speeding, or anything else.
When Enforcement Looks Selective
As attorney John Bryan of TheCivilRightsLawyer points out, all of these actions are questionable. Police are typically swift and forceful when dealing with potentially dangerous individuals, you know… the types that run from the law and then ignore commands and argue.
Officers certainly aren’t known for intentionally muting their bodycams when perfectly normal and legal things are going on. On top of that, why does it appear they wanted to help Ziegler avoid providing additional evidence? To Bryan, these officers seem to be intentionally destroying and avoiding evidence that could incriminate their coworker.
Maybe the worst part about the entire situation is that, as of this writing, Ziegler not only has his job, but he’s on paid leave. Bryan calls it a paid vacation, and it’s hard to see how that’s not an appropriate way to view it.
While Ziegler may lose his job, he could potentially pop back up anywhere else if his law officer certification isn’t voided. Of course, he could just end up keeping his job, too.
