The whole subtext here is that the cop's self-serving misconduct comes at the expense of the system.

The cop got a free laptop so of course the ball got dropped. The point is he they didn't want it dragged through court where that could be easily uncovered so he just dropped the ball. $5k+ lawyer fees minimum if they decide to prosecute the DUI vs $2k at best laptop. The math is supposed easy for the accused.

So then this guy goes and gets the GPS info, confronts the cop, it spirals, whole thing comes crashing down.

And now the state is going after this cop because he's at the very least implicitly making DUI enforcement look bad.