Video: Jackass cop arrests reporter for no reason
posted at 5:55 pm on April 24, 2009 by Allahpundit
To cleanse the palate, think of this as “the taser vid that wasn’t.” You know he wants to use the taser, you know he’s thinking of using the taser — but the reporter simply never gives him a pretext to do so. I’m almost disappointed: There’s no thread on HA so fun as when I post a clip of police misbehavior and a few commenters inevitably show up to defend the cop, no matter how horribly or moronically he’s acting.
I’m looking forward to finding out how this guy’s getting a bad rap. He was put on desk duty after the footage aired, you’ll be pleased to know.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 … 7 Next »
Who ate all the birthday cake???????????????????????????
HornetSting on April 24,2009 at 6:45PM.
HornetSting:
I’m pleading the 5TH! Maybe Getalife!!haha:)
canopfor on April 24, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I swear, if the cop had sodomized the reporter people would STILL be here saying the cop was provoked or “we don’t know what happened prior to the start of the video….”
It’s not being anti-law-enforcement. It’s being anti-goon.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 6:50 PM
What slippery slope?
An accident occurred. Emergency personnel were alerted. Cop is annoyed by reporter.
I fail to see any slippery slope. I do however know an asshat when I see one, and the cop isn’t who I have in mind.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:50 PM
It smells so much better in here now that he/she banned itself.
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 6:50 PM
Comments go bye-bye? Wot just happened
???
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:51 PM
I see this stuff and can’t help but to think back to Fonda’s speech in Easy Rider. “…..hassled by the man” indeed.
Still true today.
The right to bear arms does not seem to inhibit this type of behavior by the authorities.
lexhamfox on April 24, 2009 at 6:51 PM
The main problem with society today is a lack of praise? What society is that? Not our society.
Good behavior is supposed to be the norm in a healthy society. You shouldn’t need praise, nor should praise be expected, for good behavior. Only aberrant behavior should require commentary.
keep the change on April 24, 2009 at 6:52 PM
sarainitaly on April 24, 2009 at 6:47 PM
You aren’t alone. Most Americans will take the word of an officer over any citizen. And its a well earned commodity…faith and trust in the police, that can quickly erode to the point where a citizen can legally fight back…and it will hold up in court. Cops do not want to erode the trust the public gives them.
Conservative Voice on April 24, 2009 at 6:52 PM
Rumor has it he’s a New Yorker
A hard ass lawyer
I hear he carries several whips
With subpoenas at his fingertips
They say he’s nearly seven feet tall
And yet quite graceful……all in all
PercyB on April 24, 2009 at 6:52 PM
Have you ever driven in El Paso???? I have, you have half of Juarez emptying out onto the highways, along with MANY eightteen wheelers. I would rather the cop be a little angry than maybe a five car pile up occuring because of this reporter.
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 6:53 PM
Some of you are willfully ignoring the fact that the reporter was returning to his vehicle.
SouthernDem on April 24, 2009 at 6:53 PM
Agreed. And this officer was acting within the law. Try to cross crime scene tape sometime.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:54 PM
It smells so much better in here that he/she banned itself.
HornetSting on April 24,2009 at 6:50PM.
HornetSting: ….banned itself!! Me thinks,Cybil is more
apt! haha:)
canopfor on April 24, 2009 at 6:54 PM
I was thinking that it’s handlers figured out how inept it was and dropped it from the payroll.
thomasaur on April 24, 2009 at 6:54 PM
1. The cop shouldn’t have been such a jerk though, he was right to tell them to leave.
2. The tv crew should not have been parked on the edge of the shoulder. It’s not really even safe to be on the side of a highway that busy. People are looking at the accident and not where they are going.
I once ran off a reporter at a workplace accident. He was on private property and was not welcome. We finally threatened to have him arrested for trespassing to get him to leave. They too can get beligerant at times.
boomer on April 24, 2009 at 6:55 PM
It’s a glitch. When you can’t see any comments or page numbers to click, that means the previous comment page is full and the thread is temporarily unavailable for viewing. Just post any comment, and a new page appears with your comment and the previous page number(s) available to click.
Loxodonta on April 24, 2009 at 6:55 PM
And some of you are deliberately ignoring the fact that the reporter only wanted to get back into his truck AFTER he was being cuffed.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:55 PM
What does this mean? Can a cop order you to go home and sit down and watch TV? Where are the limits? If you are filming a cop arresting someone, say, can you be ordered to stop filming, and if so, under what legal pretext?
keep the change on April 24, 2009 at 6:56 PM
Loxodonta on April 24, 2009 at 6:55 PM
Thank ya… didn’t know that
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:56 PM
I just hope it stays away.
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 6:57 PM
If you are standing on the center median of a divided highway, the police can and will demand that you leave. That is their job. You don’t belong there.
gridlock2 on April 24, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Nice to see Allah wasn’t disappointed.
The comments on this thread only reinforce my basic opinion that most people, on average, suck.
Jaynie59 on April 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM
Well if you can find some story where a cop saves the life of the love of his life, Meagan Mac, particularly if it was from a big fan of Sarah Palin, I bet he would.
MB4 on April 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM
I think this latest taser video [content warning for male frontal nudity] may have just surpassed the “don’t tase me bro” guy.
Unfortunate for this guy, he can’t use the pool excuse
The Ugly American on April 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM
Not exactly.
At ~0:50 the reporter is saying he didn’t want to be arrested and “fine, I’ll go.” In fact, he says it a couple of times. But after that the cop changes his mind and says “no, you’re not going” and then proceeds to handcuff him. The reporter wasn’t resisting and had just agreed to go.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM
+++1000million
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
The reason that folks like this reporter refused a lawful order until physically restrained by the police officer is because they know that the police have been emasculated.
It takes them and others by surprise when an officer decides that someone who is not only disrespecting them and their office, but ignoring lawful orders should be arrested.
Far too many times, police officers take verbal abuse that most normal folks would consider to be on occasion to fight, but since US society wants to make police officers into automatons with no feelings and no sense of humanity, crap like this happens.
TexasDude on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
So it all depends on where the citizen is standing? What about in a parking lot, a shopping mall, a train station, any place where people have the right to stand? The point of law was not addressed.
keep the change on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
Most cops seem to think that “a police officer in the performance of his duty” is an omnibus excuse to break any law they feel like breaking. They also believe that anything they tell you to do is a “lawful police order” and that if you don’t obey such an order you’re a criminal.
What cops like SgtH above don’t seem to realize is that asshole cops pushing people around and policy agencies acting as though their policies are above debate only engenders (for you cops that means causes) disrespect for the law and for those who supposedly enforce it.
Oh, and stop whining about what a tough job it is. Nobody put a gun to your head to take the job. Cops are paid very well for the most part, get pensions that are simply not available in the private sector, and seem to be prone towards disability claims.
Just more swine sucking at the taxpayers’ teats.
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
Can they move this police officer to another department,
like chasing after Liberals who fail to pay their taxes!
It would be a win/win!!
canopfor on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
Grow up and rewatch the video. The cop jumps the fense and doesn’t order the 3 Mexicans in front of the reporter to move. He also doesn’t tell them to move their car. Selective enforcement of the law stinks for some reason. On the other hand, the cop may have been angry for being caught earlier doing something he shouldn’t have done and been on camera.
We have had tv stations at accident sites for years. a cop should know that and get used to it. TV reporters also aren’t stupid and do know how to stay out of the way.
seven on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
Would you come in here and get your butt handed to every day for free?
thomasaur on April 24, 2009 at 6:59 PM
Awww. Do you have a bumper sticker that says that?
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Well that changes everything! It only took 50 seconds for this dirtbag reporter to realize how serious the cop was.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Texas Transportation Code:
Sec. 545.058. DRIVING ON IMPROVED SHOULDER. (a) An operator may drive on an improved shoulder to the right of the main traveled portion of a roadway if that operation is necessary and may be done safely, but only:
(1) to stop, stand, or park;
(2) to accelerate before entering the main traveled lane of traffic;
(3) to decelerate before making a right turn;
(4) to pass another vehicle that is slowing or stopped on the main traveled portion of the highway, disabled, or preparing to make a left turn;
(5) to allow another vehicle traveling faster to pass;
(6) as permitted or required by an official traffic-control device; or
(7) to avoid a collision.
(b) An operator may drive on an improved shoulder to the left of the main traveled portion of a divided or limited-access or controlled-access highway if that operation may be done safely, but only:
(1) to slow or stop when the vehicle is disabled and traffic or other circumstances prohibit the safe movement of the vehicle to the shoulder to the right of the main traveled portion of the roadway;
(2) as permitted or required by an official traffic-control device; or
(3) to avoid a collision.
(c) A limitation in this section on driving on an improved shoulder does not apply to:
(1) an authorized emergency vehicle responding to a call;
(2) a police patrol; or
(3) a bicycle.
The reporter never should have been there. Lawbreaker! Two weeks of intense caterpillar contact!
Dusty on April 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM
I seem to recall some reporters recently arrested for standing on a sandbag levee after being told to stay off. Guess their rights were violated as well.
GarandFan on April 24, 2009 at 7:00 PM
The cop should be fired. When you have a gun, taser, and authority you should not be allowed to go on power trips, ever. It should be the end of his career as a law enforcement officer.
brogers on April 24, 2009 at 7:01 PM
THE COP WANTS PIG FLU IN THE USA!!!2!1@!@
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:02 PM
Are you effin’ deaf and blind? It’s against the law to block the emergency lane. How many times did the officer order the idiot to get back to the truck and move it? He did not do it.
Blake on April 24, 2009 at 7:02 PM
It actually shows that no one here was “deliberately ignoring” anything, as you accused someone of doing.
What’s the time limit to talk to an officer about why he’s manhandling you before an arrest becomes justified? I assume El Paso has that codified somewhere. Is 30 seconds too long?
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:03 PM
Which part of the reporter going back to his vehicle did you miss?
SouthernDem on April 24, 2009 at 6:42 PM
gridlock2 on April 24, 2009 at 7:03 PM
SgtH, no you’re the one without a clue. Your posts reek of disdain for “civilians”.
Repeat after me: Police officers work for and serve the public. They are not prison guards keeping an eye on prisoners.
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:03 PM
An elbow to that cops face would have been priceless. And costly.
Screw that power tripping a$$hole. Ride the desk bee-otch.
Geronimo on April 24, 2009 at 7:04 PM
I really have no comment. Priceless.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:04 PM
I think some people are THAT stupid, yes.
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Oh, and the 0:50 includes the intro by the anchor. Nice try at mischaracterizing the events. In reality the reporter/cop interaction started on the tape at 0:21. So 29 seconds between the cop telling the reporter to leave and the reporter saying “fine I’ll go,” and the cop changing his mind because of some perceived slight or something.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:06 PM
You grow up. One can only deal with one A-hole at a time.
Blake on April 24, 2009 at 7:07 PM
Assuming the officer was right to tell them to leave (which I do assume, and will continue to assume until I see the section of the video that’s only playing inside the minds of the self-proclaimed cop-haters), then everything he did from that point forward was inarguably correct procedure.
If people want to sit around and compare attitudes, I suppose they have that right. THEN it becomes a question of whose side you want to take.
But trust me, I’ve seen hundreds of arrests, and if you hate that cop then you hate ALL cops.
I haven’t talked to quite that many reporters but, again trust me: you only have to know a few to know them all. And if you like that snide jackass of a reporter, then you like ALL snide jackass reporters.
logis on April 24, 2009 at 7:07 PM
There are lots of conservatives who confuse conservatism with law and order. Stalin had law and order. So did Mao. They also confuse, further, law and order with the police officers who get paid to enforce it. Unfortunately, law and order is only as good as the guy wearing the uniform on any particular day.
In this case, the guy in the uniform stopped addressing the accident scene in order to address people watching, and then when they continued to watch, he arrested them for the crime of not stopping to watch after being told to stop watching. For his own personal reasons, that became much more important.
keep the change on April 24, 2009 at 7:09 PM
This isn’t even close. The reporter deserved to get arrested and was a jerk. I’m sorry he wasn’t tazed.
Blake on April 24, 2009 at 7:09 PM
And the second part of the “LEO apologist gambit” makes its appearance…try to minimize an effective rebuttal by pretending it’s self-evidently beyond the pale.
You accused someone of deliberately ignoring something. You were proven wrong. Intellectually honest people tend to admit the error and move on. That you chose condescension pretty much speaks volumes about the weakness of your position.
Man…it sure was easier for LEOs to get away with this stuff before video cameras were invented. I have little doubt that if the cameraman weren’t there, all sorts of interesting accusations would be levelled at the reporter. As it was, he was released “within minutes” when he was brought in. Kind of torpedoes the whole apologist argument.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:09 PM
While the reporter is saying “Fine, I’ll go”, he is not actually going, is he? And where is his cameraman and what is his cameraman doing? He is behind the officer, filming. He’s not going anywhere.
gridlock2 on April 24, 2009 at 7:10 PM
I know you think you’re making a valid point, and I want to continue being civil in our discourse.
You fail.
Like ALLAHPUNDIT fails… you disregard any supposition, however vague, that something happened before tape started rolling (OR that the video has been edited for a hungry internet audience).
I know no facts. But I’ll put my trust behind that cop before any ass kissing reporter any day of the week.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:11 PM
Ugly, all authority thinks that any challenge to them is arrogant.
A large percentage of cops have a prison guard mentality. To a prison guard any threat to his authority could be deadly.
Many cops think that “a police officer in the performance of his duty” is an omnibus (for you cops out there that means all purpose) excuse to break any law they feel like breaking.
Many cops think that anything they tell you to do is a “legal police order”.
For the holster sniffers here, please explain the limits to a “legal police order”. Also, do civilians have the right to resist an illegal arrest with force?
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Maybe he can’t go because the cop has a firm grip on the reporter’s belt and is preventing him from actually going? And as for the cameraman, hard to fault him for wanting to capture an out-of-control cop.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:12 PM
I’m normally one of those people who would defend the police because of how tough and dangerous their job can be, but that guy is a complete ass.
Scrappy on April 24, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Of course. But you quoted me out of context.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:14 PM
I’m on your side with this, SgtH. I guess it’s okay to diss a cop on camera now. Muttering as they trudge slowly back to their illegally parked vehicle distracting oncoming traffic even more than it already would have been: “We’re just doing our job, he can shoot if he wants to, he can shoot if he wants to — geez!” Quote unquote. Granted, the cop shouldn’t have only been picking on only the journalists, but I bet the rest of the gawkers in the emergency lane got the point and left pretty quick. Maybe they should have considered that the cop might have had their best interests in mind when telling them to leave. And again, people want to judge a cop based on video footage that doesn’t offer full context. These guys were adults, not an underage girl.
CO2 Producer on April 24, 2009 at 7:14 PM
Logis,
What PD do you work for? Have you ever seen a cop do something wrong? Have you ever given a cop professional courtesy for a traffic stop? Ever help a friend get a ticket quashed (for you cops, that means suppressed)? Ever report a fellow officer for a misdeed?
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Civility doesn’t include accusing people of deliberately ignoring facts. :)
Given where all the players were at the beginning of the tape, it’s hard to argue with a straight face that something so foul occurred that it would justify the cop going over the edge like that and changing course midstream to prevent the guy from leaving after he made such a big deal about “ordering” him to leave in the first place.
Allah also has a point about people disregarding any evidence that yes, a cop goofed up but people will still swarm to defend him despite the evidence. It’s usually all-or-nothing with LEO apologists, and you appear to be no exception.
So…a cop says to leave and I better hop to it within 29 seconds or I get arrested? Or what was the point with your “50 seconds” post, because I see no relevance.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:15 PM
“…feels that they were treated unfairly?” I don’t think this is a matter of feelings, this is an outrageous abuse of police power.
redfoxbluestate on April 24, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Actually…after reading other posts on this thread excusing the cop, I’m kind of thinking the pig is getting annoyed, to borrow a metaphor.
JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:18 PM
Clearing the emergency lane is very important. It is illegal and dangerous to park your vehicle in the emergency lane.
Clearing people standing on the shoulder is also very important. It is illegal and dangerous.
But some people, for their own personal reasons, don’t give a $hite about safety and the safety of others and get a bug up their butts when given a perfectly legal order by a police officer.
Blake on April 24, 2009 at 7:18 PM
Nah that cop has no justifiable reason to pull what he did. The press, though sometimes insensitive, do have constitutional protection to report. The cop needs to be put permanently on a desk. A guy that hot headed will eventually mess up bit time.
I defend police officers 98% of the time, but this guy just looked to be a hot head. The tase me bro kid deserved it.
Stickeehands on April 24, 2009 at 7:19 PM
From the linked article:
Loxodonta on April 24, 2009 at 7:19 PM
According to the statutes cited above, and the most logical way to protect public safety, the truck should have been moved so as to protect the right of way. Had the Sgt. in question ordered that to happen, he would have been totally justified. In arresting the reporter and cameraman, he only managed to ensure that the shoulder would remain blocked.
Was the officer justified in demanding the vehicle be moved? Yes, according to the law which he swore to defend and uphold.
Did the officer’s actions effectively protect the public safety by making sure the shoulder was cleared? No. In fact, he made the situation worse by the detainment of the driver of the offending vehicle.
While his motivation is justified by law, his solution failed to address the hazard, and in fact exacerbated it. If his only goal was to protect the safety of other drivers by upholding the law, I would expect that his handling of the matter would have been different. I’ll not pretend to know why he acted, but his actions did nothing to fix the problem that presented itself.
StPatrick on April 24, 2009 at 7:19 PM
If a cop asks you to get in your truck and leave.. assuming you are, like this reporter, parked along the center divider ILLEGALLY (and also, presumably, impeding on an accident scene and/or upsetting witnesses/victims) – then yes. Get your ass out of there or get cuffed.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:19 PM
But trust me, I’ve seen hundreds of arrests, and if you hate that cop then you hate ALL cops.
I haven’t talked to quite that many reporters but, again trust me: you only have to know a few to know them all. And if you like that snide jackass of a reporter, then you like ALL snide jackass reporters.
logis on April 24, 2009 at 7:07 PM
Go pour some cold water on your face and cool off. Most posters here respect police officers and the law. But we respect the constitution more. Its not a matter who we like more…the reporter or the officer. Most give the police officer the benefit of the doubt…Rodney King, I tend to give the police the benefit of doubt there. But there is a limit. Someone mouthing off, but still within the law, has a right to mouth off as they walk away in compliance to his order without being manhandled. Trust is a precious thing…when police damage that trust, then that is more dangerous than any perceived threat from a snarky reporter walking away.
Conservative Voice on April 24, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Sitting there and arresting the guys only left the emergency lane blocked that much longer. The cop was stupid and lost control.
Stickeehands on April 24, 2009 at 7:20 PM
MB4 on April 24, 2009 at 6:58 PM
LOL!! ..and is also an atheist.
jeanie on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
I guess I’m one of those few…
Again, as usual, what do we REALLY know what’s going on here? And what don’t people understand…do what the officer tells you to do. Don’t mouth off. Sure, you’ll probably be released if arrested in this kind of situation, but the reporter could have avoided it altogether if he just SHUT HIS MOUTH and left.
It’s also a bit presumptuous of AP to call the officer a “jackass”…
JetBoy on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
Not exactly a condemnation, that
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
Sgt_H is right on. Why do people insist on pushing their luck with cops? It’s really, really simple: do what they tell you — even if you think it’s unreasonable. Remember that football player who wouldn’t stop while trying to get to the hospital to see his dying mother-in-law? Same principle. Save your arguing for court.
If the reporter had just used some common sense, he’d have realized that this was not the time or place for an interview. The cop doesn’t have time to debate your constitutional rights while managing an accident scene and backed up traffic. Don’t manufacture a problem for yourself by winning the moral argument and losing the legal battle.
Here, here is the real palate cleanser from Chris Rock. :-)
Mild Content Warning
jcmorris on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
So, the cameraman was not going, you agree? He was continuing to film after being told to go from a place he had no legal right to be. The police officer made his request, but the cameraman had his own priorities, and chose to ignore him.
gridlock2 on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
OK, if you people claim you you have “no choice” about your sexual preferences, I’ll take you at your word.
Likewise, it’s not your fault that, in this case, the reporter was illegally blocking a highway emergency lane instead of sitting in his living room being ordered by a police officer to change channels.
However, you DO have a choice about making intentionally stupid comments. And I personally disapprove of the choice that you made.
logis on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
Ooooh! Disrespecting them and their office. What a sin. Maybe if they didn’t casually and routinely break the law and abuse law abiding citizens they’d deserve more respect.
Respect is something that is earned. Taking a job carrying a badge and a gun so you get a nice pension is not “earning” anything.
I’ve approached cops politely and have been threatened with arrest simply because I questioned their behavior.
The simple fact is that many cops think that citizens have no right to question their policies and actions.
They also deeply resent the notion that they work for and serve the public. As SgtH has shown, they despise non-cops.
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
jcmorris on April 24, 2009 at 7:21 PM
Amen
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:22 PM
Um… take a look at the part you are talking about. The cop is holding his belt and pressing him against the front of his truck. How exactly is he supposed to go? No doubt at that point if he was trying to move as you suggest the cop would have gotten mad for him trying to resist. The man is saying “Fine I’ll go” so that the police will release him and allow him to go.
And where exactly do you expect the camera man to be. in the limited space between where the police man is and the fence how do you expect him to squeeze past? You think the policeman would be be ok with the cameraman pressing himself against the policeman trying to squeeze by?
Scrappy on April 24, 2009 at 7:23 PM
See my previous response.
Scrappy on April 24, 2009 at 7:24 PM
[JohnTant on April 24, 2009 at 7:12 PM]
Maybe he shouldn’t have been there in the first place, except, I suppose, for the fact the law doesn’t apply to him because he’s a reporter and therefore he has the right park where he wants blocking and congesting rush hour traffic so he can mosey around the middle of a controlled access highway filming the scene and engaging in interviews for News7!!!
Dusty on April 24, 2009 at 7:24 PM
If cops cared about safety they’d enforce traffic laws for safety not for revenue or overtime (every ticket a night shift cop writes get him paid overtime for court appearances).
If cops cared about safety, they’d park their cruiser in plain sight of a stop sign near a school instead of playing gotcha from a side street.
If cops cared about safety and actually had some sense, they wouldn’t park their cruisers half in traffic lanes during traffic stops. It obstructs traffic and actually increases the likelihood of the cop or his cruiser being hit.
The hardest culture in the world to change is your local police department.
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:27 PM
He’s just bucking for the new Obama civil corp brigades when political prisoners will be much more common and arresting reporters will be an everyday occurrence.
Speakup on April 24, 2009 at 7:28 PM
Practice, practice, practice
thomasaur on April 24, 2009 at 7:29 PM
I tend to look at the original incidence of such things in this way…if the police officer wasn’t there, what could have or would have happened that’s egregious and threatening to society, law, order, etc.?
If it’s someone being robbed, then an officer could stop it…if they were there that is, and if they weren’t a crime was still committed and should be pursued.
If it’s someone jaywalking, and there’s no officer, then would said jaywalker even remember doing it 0.9 seconds after doing it, or anyone else in the vicinity?
A tree falling in the woods kind of thing I guess.
Dr. ZhivBlago on April 24, 2009 at 7:31 PM
So even his fellow police officers think his performance was below standards expected from police officers and are just withholding judgment as to exactly how far below. So why is anyone defending him again?
MB4 on April 24, 2009 at 7:31 PM
No. And the incident is still under investigation. But based on the video and reporting, this officer looks like he is behaving badly.
If for some reason, the reporter and the cameraman were interfering with police activity at the site or were causing some other problem, the officer could have handled the situation much better by repeatedly pointing that out. This would have made the press look bad. He didn’t do that.
So, even if the officer had good reason to order them to leave the scene, the way he handled the situation was not helpful to the respect and credibility that 99% police officers in El Paso, Texas, and nationwide deserve. So, at the very least he is responsible for the negative publicity.
Loxodonta on April 24, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Just because a guy straps on a piece and pins on a badge doesn’t mean his s##t doesn’t stink. I think too many of you haven’t had to deal with some power mad jerk cop who doesn’t like to be looked at, let alone being told he’s in the wrong. And for anyone here who says that you should do whatever a cop says, I call BS. This is a country ruled by law, and the reporter didn’t break any laws by trying to get the story.
Badger in KC on April 24, 2009 at 7:32 PM
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:27 PM
If cops cared about the neighborhood, they would do more about gangs and graffiti, paroling the neighborhood at night instead of parking in a hidden spot so that they can catch people speeding in a speed trap.
Conservative Voice on April 24, 2009 at 7:34 PM
corona on April 24, 2009 at 7:34 PM
And most cops don’t want to understand that their casual disrespect for the law and for their bosses, the public, damages trust and respect for the law and for LEOs.
It creates so much respect for the law when cops turn on the cherries so they can blow a red light on the way to the donut shop.
Cops will never admit to a civilian that they or their fellow officers did something wrong.
I once was walking by a state police post (and I feel that the state police here are the most professional cops around). It was shift change and I saw one, two, three, four cruisers blow the stop sign next to the cop shop. They weren’t on any emergency runs, they were just rolling the sign. I walked in to complain to the duty officer that that kind of behavior creates disrespect for the police and the law. The trooper behind the glass insisted that I was mistaken and then asked me to leave in that cop tone of voice that says you’ll have a mess of trouble if you don’t kiss their ass. So I left. After all, who am I to believe, a law enforcement officer or my own lying eyes?
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:35 PM
What a jackass cop!
NorthernCross on April 24, 2009 at 7:35 PM
I wasn’t aware of the hospital incident you’re talking about, but I was about to suggest a similar analogy.
A lot of people – even here – seem to be utterly engrossed by the fact that the police officer happened to have a gun and some legal authority. That’s just childish.
This was an EMERGENCY SITUATION. I would have exactly the same response if the reporter were trespassing in an operating room and interfering with an open-heart surgery. In that case the doctor himself wouldn’t physically arrest the guy, but somebody would have to do it.
Some people (usually, but not always self-proclaimed liberals) see the world soley in terms of their precious little egos. This was a matter of life and death – not the time or place to argue that *I* should be in charge instead of the person who happens to be qualified to handle it.
logis on April 24, 2009 at 7:36 PM
This time I think the cop was in the wrong.
aikidoka on April 24, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Law Enforcement types put up with crap from the public, all day, every day . . . while trying to protect their sorry rear-ends.
Cop sees a news van pulled over and lookilues slowing down or stopping as well. “If the news van can, so can I!” The cop was thinking public safety; of this I’m sure. He deals with stupidity every day. So his diplomacy sheild fails. So what? Dude has some stripes. How many citizens has he saved from their own ignorance in the past?
dingbat on April 24, 2009 at 7:40 PM
Whoa there buddy. There was a dispute over whether disobeying a lawful order from a police officer was a crime or not on the first comment page. It turns out it is in some states. Why don’t you grow up and re-read the first page of comments. If you did, you would notice that I am on your side in this case and its silly that you are attacking me after cherry picking one of my posts.
Joe Caps on April 24, 2009 at 7:41 PM
The cop overreacted, no question. How he made sergeant with that demeanor is beyond me.
He should remain on desk duty, be sent to a shrink and possibly consider retirement.
We ask a lot from cops but we should expect common decency and professionalism in return.
FireBlogger on April 24, 2009 at 7:42 PM
WTF are you talking about? Who said anything about sexual orientation (which I happen to believe is a bit more plastic than gay activists do)?
You say that I’m stupid yet your response is full of non-sequitors that have nothing to do with my challenge to you holster sniffers.
What are the limits of a “legal police order”?
Do civilians have the right to resist an illegal arrest?
Comments from the cops and their groupies here only reinforces my belief that a large fraction of American cops would work for any police force that let them push people around.
Let me ask the cops here another question. I was just reading about the Milwaukee chief of police who has instructed his officers to detain anyone openly carrying a firearm and confiscate their property, pending determination that they weren’t a criminal. He has taken this belligerent stance despite black letter Wisconsin law that permits open carry.
So for you cops, is this an appropriate police policy in a free society?
rokemronnie on April 24, 2009 at 7:44 PM
BTW, the three mexicans standing ‘in front’ of the reporter were probably INVOLVED in the ACCIDENT! The only thing that should not have been there was the smart ass reporter. You deal with the underbelly of society with assholes with cameras watching your EVERY move and try to do your job? People in El Paso, as in Mexico, use traffic lights and signs as mere suggestions. It is a dangerous place to drive. Been there, you need a tank.
HornetSting on April 24, 2009 at 7:45 PM
Look – I am all for law and order but there were about 100 ways for that cop to handle the situation and not look like a jackass. What if he had just said, “Sir, it is illegal for you to park in the emergency lane, and I need for you to leave please.”
And the guy would have left. Why did he arrest him after 30 seconds of non-conversation? Idgit.
johnboy on April 24, 2009 at 7:46 PM
This kind of thinking is backwards.
Law enforcement is NOT A PR CAMPAIGN. I don’t care if a cop is abrupt, rude or otherwise un-pc. GET THE JOB DONE is all I ask. ENFORCE THE LAWS is all I ask.
I wonder about people sometimes.
I have been at the receiving end of the law (as I’ve stated here on HA before) a few times. Never, in all my years, have I argued law with a cop. It’s the first sign of stupidity.
Ugly on April 24, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 … 7 Next »