over-zealous police officer

[tmm99]

Dallas police chief apologizes for conduct of officer who drew gun on NFL player outside hospital | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas police chief apologizes for conduct of officer who drew gun on NFL player outside hospital.

There is a video that shows the whole thing.

tmm

[RustyShackleford]

I think the NFL player should have been taken into a back room, had his
head wrapped in a towel, and beaten with a phone book. But that's just me.

[Trek]

Probably works part-time at the mall too.

[aaronc879]

I would've just walked into the hospital. The officer would've had to have shot me in the back.

[Walt34]

I suppose everyone involved was having a bad day.

Powell was acting like a jerk.

[ziggy29]

If I screw up badly on the job, I'm not given extra vacation time placed on "paid administrative leave." Another example that I picked the wrong line of work and the wrong employers...

[FinanceDude]

Maybe one of the retired PD folks on here can chime in. It seemed to me the officer was upset the guy didn't stop. It seemed the officer didn't care what the NFL guy said, he was going to "teach him a lesson"........

[dex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude It seemed the officer didn't care what the NFL guy said, he was going to "teach him a lesson"........

Another guess might be - The police officer was lied to many times in the past, so why believe what a person he sees role through a stop sign now.

--
The video doesn't play for me - did it for others?

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dex Another guess might be - The police officer was lied to many times in the past, so why believe what a person he sees role through a stop sign now.

Well, I always thought police were trained to find out what was going on. he could have very easily had dispatch call the hospital and verify what was going on in about 2 minutes, but chose not to.

The guy deserved a ticket, but not the extra-curriculars.........

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dex Another guess might be - The police officer was lied to many times in the past, so why believe what a person he sees role through a stop sign now.

The Agitator » Blog Archive » “Sure, Buddy. Your ‘Loved One Is Dying.’ You Know How Many Times I Hear That Lame Excuse When I Pull People Over in the Hospital Parking Lot?”

The article and the video are in here. I just posted it because I think the title says it all.

[Bestwifeever]

Looks like the hospital also tried to reason with the cop too to let Moats see his MIL before she died. I think this story is so sad--too bad the police officer didn't err on the other side and hurry the family into the hospital--he would have been lauded for his compassion. From this morning's Trib (I added the bold font):

Quote:

About midnight March 17, the Moatses received word that they needed to hurry back to the hospital if they wanted to see Collinsworth before she died. The couple, along with Collinsworth's father and an aunt, jumped into the vehicle and headed back toward the hospital. They exited the highway just down the street from the hospital. Moats turned on his hazard lights. He stopped at a red light, where, he said, the only nearby motorist signaled for him to go ahead. He went through. Powell, watching traffic from a hidden spot, flipped on his lights and sirens. In less than a minute, he caught up to the Moats and followed for about 20 more seconds as Moats found a parking spot outside the emergency room. Tamishia, 27, was the first out. Powell drew his gun and yelled at her to get back in. "My mom is dying," she said. Tamishia Moats and her great-aunt ignored the officer and headed into the hospital. Powell lectured Moats, telling him at one point, "If you want to keep this going, I'll just put you in handcuffs and I'll take you to jail." Hospital security guards arrived and told Powell that the Moatses' relative really was upstairs dying. Another hospital staffer came out and spoke with a Plano police officer who had arrived. "Hey, that's the nurse," the Plano officer told Powell. "She said that the mom's dying right now." "All right," Powell replied. "I'm almost done." It had been about 13 minutes. Moats and Collinsworth's father went into the hospital, where they found Collinsworth had died, with her daughter at her side.

The Dallas chief of police is praising Moats for his behavior and has already dismissed the ticket he received--that should tell us something.

[travelover]

That cop is a punk.

[tuixiu]

I'm with the cop for much of that, as even though that car pulls into the hospital it's still a vehicle that's refusing to stop and he doesn't know for sure what's going on and it certainly isn't a line of work where you can take people's word for granted.

However once it became obvious the occupants of the car weren't a threat and weren't going to just scatter when the chase ended he certainly should have used a little more reason that getting into the power play "I'm in charge" thing. Especially when hospital staff came out and told the cop they had a code blue on that guy's relatives the cop should have turned him loose and handled whatever needed to be handled later.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dex Another guess might be - The police officer was lied to many times in the past, so why believe what a person he sees role through a stop sign now.

My solution: Give the driver the benefit of the doubt and take the driver to the hospital, perhaps with police escort. If it turns out the driver was lying, charge them with a criminal offense.

If they're looking at a criminal record instead of just a ticket, maybe some people would think twice about lying to the police.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 My solution: Give the driver the benefit of the doubt and take the driver to the hospital, perhaps with police escort. If it turns out the driver was lying, charge them with a criminal offense. If they're looking at a criminal record instead of just a ticket, maybe some people would think twice about lying to the police.

Felony if you're lying, misdeameanor if you aren't? Isn't obstructing justice a felony?

[dex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 My solution: Give the driver the benefit of the doubt and take the driver to the hospital, perhaps with police escort. If it turns out the driver was lying, charge them with a criminal offense. If they're looking at a criminal record instead of just a ticket, maybe some people would think twice about lying to the police.

Then would the cop have been in the news for doing so while a bank is being robbed or a child abducted nearby? Should the police now escort everyone who uses an excuse of rushing someplace when breaking the law?

I'm not saying the cop did everything correct in this issue. I'm saying a police officer has a difficult job. From what he knew was that, he saw someone rolling through a stop sign (and then not stopping quickly, many people getting out of car - a possible threat? - I didn't see the video - I'm going off of what others said); being told they were going to the hospital to visit a dying relative. We have the benefit of now knowing what the driver said was true.

This was a traffic stop. A dangerous part of what the police do.

The Associated Press: Mourners for 4 slain officers arrive in Oakland
The 26-year-old parolee accused of killing Dunakin and Hege with an automatic pistol during a traffic stop, then Romans and Sakai with an assault weapon during the ensuing manhunt, also died in a hail of bullets.

[eridanus]

Did you read the article? The video stunned other police officers.

"Shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday, at the department's weekly crime meeting, many members of the command staff viewed the video for the first time. The reaction was one of disbelief and head shaking, said several who were present."

' "When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes," he said, "we were embarrassed, disappointed – it's hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief." '

[Trek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dex I didn't see the video - I'm going off of what others said); being told they were going to the hospital to visit a dying relative. We have the benefit of now knowing what the driver said was true.

You really should view the video, it's all over the net now. They were AT the hospital in front of the Emergency Room entrance. Pretty clear.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eridanus ' "When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes," he said, "we were embarrassed, disappointed – it's hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief." '

Dude would have been SO instantly fired in the private sector, from what I've seen and heard.

[Texas Proud]

Dex....

The video is something that allows us to observe and not have to listen to the police officer's version and the 'suspect'...

He was right in following the people... maybe even right in drawing his gun... but I do not think right for pointing it at anyone from what I see in the video...

The man's wife and aunt just left the scene... they were not taking any crap from the guy... if it was me, I would have told him I am leaving now to go to my dying MIL, you can write the ticket, tow the car, follow me up there.. I don't care... but I am going WITHOUT RESISTENCE...

But I am sure the cop would have tased me or tackled me... who knows..

The big problem was the cop was trying to be in charge... telling the man to keep your mouth shut (or something similar)....

At first, I was thinking this should not cost him his job, just a warning.. but the more I think about it, the more I think he is not fit to do the work..