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“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?”
Thursday, March 26th, 2009Lovely exercise in community relations by one of Dallas’ finest.
39 Responses to ““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?””
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“The essence of being a police officer is common sense and discretion,”
most cops are just bureaucrats and/or tax collectors. it’s like giving guns to dmv clerks. assholes.
As a healthcare professional, this story has boiled my blood more than usual when I visit your site.
I hope that young punk remembers what he did to this guy when he’s trying to get to his mom’s death bed.
Any police officer who refers to non-police as “civilians” – as one commenter on the WFAA thread did – should find another line of work. Guess what, buddy? You’re a civilian too. Such use of the term betrays a mental “us and them” distinction that is positively toxic to proper performance of a police officer’s duties. I long for the day when the majority of police see themselves as *of* the people, not part of some army at war with the people.
The headline should read ‘Shock apology from Police Chief following officer misconduct’.
That would more accurately capture the reason this story is newsworthy.
http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=345864
Here’s a video of the Police Chief. Impressive, but maybe he’s just a good PR person.
If this had not happened to an NFL player, I don’t think we would ever have heard of the incident.
He drew his weapon, too. He put people’s lives at risk over an alleged traffic violation. Cowardly prick.
“I can screw you over” said this worthless sack. Yeah, we know. You are the worst kind of scumbag. The kind with a badge.
I’m a pretty big NFL follwer and had never heard of Ryan Moats.
NFL or not, that ridiculous action would have been reported regardless.
Yeah, I think the video is probably what got this kind of coverage. Tape all leos, all the time.
The interesting/different thing in this story is the Chief NOT telling us he was ‘just doing his job’ and giving him a promotion.
Let’s give some love to the Chief, he’s gonna get some heat about not ’sticking up for his men’ or some such drivel. If you’re local, send him a letter thanking him for doing his job. Send one to the Mayor, too. Praise the Chief’s compassion and courage.
The radio stations are buzzing with this story here in Dallas. I was listening this morning and they were taking callers and a Dallas cop actually called in and called it inexcusable….especially considering that even AFTER the nurse came out and told the cop that yes, his mother-in-law was dying and he was needed inside and the cop STILL refused to let him go.
I hope mr. policeman feels like a big man after this and enjoys his desk duty. You, sir, are too stupid to be allowed to carry a gun and a badge…try the National Guard, they are desparate these days and might even take a shithead like yourself.
Ben in post #3 said: “I hope that young punk remembers what he did to this guy when he’s trying to get to his mom’s death bed.”
When that happens you can bet he will have his blue lights on “allowing” him to disobey traffic laws. But, it will be OK then (in his mind).
Wow, a story where I have met one of the people involved. This officer’s father is my boss. I even hired him to cut my lawn years back before he became a cop. Seemed like a nice guy and not like the guy on the video.
None in the officer’s family are having a happy day today.
I doubt he will be fired because others in the DPD have done worse and they are still there or if they do get fired, they are later reinstated. Hard to justify keeping the others and firing this guy just because an NFL player was involved.
Hopefully he learns something from this and becomes a better officer.
I think police would behave better if they knew they were on camera at all times.
Could have been worse… I posted this one on my site too, but I also put it up with another story based on a letter I received from a reader out here who was stopped while taking a friend to the ER who had just been beaten and almost raped.
In that case, the officer pulled them over and when the girl explained what happened and tried to get an escort for her now half-blind friend, the officer looked at her injuries, including a bleeding eye socket, and laughed… then took his time writing the ticket before he left.
It’s a symptom of the “us vs them” mentality police officers develop that leaves them unable to empathize with anyone who isn’t a fellow police officer… and it happens quite a lot.
I think police would behave better if they knew they were on camera at all times.
Well it didn’t seem to help this guy. I mean, the camera was in his car, right? I bet he was a pretty nice guy though, like you said — before he became a policeman.
Also, why do stories like this always make me want to tell people to watch The Wire?
To #13 Stepehn – You can tell your boss that ZappaCrappa from Mckinney said he raised a souless piece of garbage for a son and should really consider having a heart to heart sit down with him and how it really might serve him better in the future to place himself in another’s shoes and think about how HE would want to be treated in certain situations. But from what I gather from the article, the cop has no remorse and feels he did nothing wrong…which takes me back to…your boss raised a piece of garbage. Maybe we will get lucky and someone will go “Oakland” on him….
Note that the officer was suspended in this case, unlike too many cases where an officer kills a pet or a person.
#16 | ZappaCrappa |
Come on, would YOU tell your boss something like that?
My impression of the DPD is that they pay less than the surrounding communities. So, a good cop with experience is going to end up with a job in the suburbs. Leaving the young officers to learn from the guys that could not get a job elsewhere. The young guys are unlikely to be able to compete for the jobs in the suburbs so they end up at DPD.
Not a good recipe for excellence.
@Chris in AL: I regret that I can only mod you up once.
Stephen,
I’m sorry, but I believe there are several flaws with the whole “Pay bad cops more money and maybe they’ll stop being bad” theory of law enforcement excellence.
In fact, the phrase “Give me a cut and nobody gets hurt” distinctly comes to mind as problem number one with that approach, don’t you think?
I mean, if that’s what you’re proposing, why don’t we try paying rapists a lot of money not to rape people?
I was surprised to hear a lieutenant from the P.D. being interviewed on Fox Sports Radio this afternoon. I was even more surprised to hear some of the things he said (paraphrasing here):
“Cops do have discretion. We have the power to take away people’s freedom, which is an enormous amount of power. So discretion and common sense are pretty important.”
when asked bout the dashcam…
“Videotaping stops is great for everyone. If we’re right it’s good for us. If we’re wrong, it’s good for the other people involved.”
So, yeah… I’m not sure which is weirder. That you had to tune into a sports chat show to hear such “controversial” statements from an LEO, or that an LEO would go on-record with them.
#20 | Packratt |
The reverse of the cause is not necessarily the solution unless you start fresh with all new officers.
Paying the guys that could not get a job somewhere else more money is not going to make them better cops. They are still what they were.
The point would be to use more money to get DIFFERENT better cops.
#18 Stephen:
Of course I wouldn’t. And I was being mean with the “Oakland” comment. But I really think a lot of cops need to be brought back to reality with some checks and balances and maybe a slap in the face to realize that these are actual PEOPLE they are dealing with. Not everyone is a scumbag murdering rapist…in fact…the vast majority of us are just regular folks trying to make it through the day and doing the best we can for our families regardless of wha they think.
I apologize for the “Oakland” comment…it was over-the-top. But god I get pissed at that attitude so many cops seem to have.
#23 | ZappaCrappa |
Thanks for the response and apology.
I think having his name all over the place in the papers and on the internet has been quite the “puppy getting his nose rubbed in his mess” kind of lesson for him.
I overheard Dad’s half of one heart to heart this morning but I’m only going to say that it happened.
Stephen…
The problem is that, under current civil employment laws and with current layers of appeal available to cops thanks to tireless efforts of their unions, it’s nearly impossible to fire a cop WITH due cause, let alone just because you want to start over.
It’s a systemic problem, throwing more money and more bodies at it without addressing the underlying root causes of color of law abuses will not solve the problem.
Wish it were easy, but it’s a rather difficult and thorny problem once you really spend some time digging into it.
This blog has really changed my perspective on police the last couple years. I find myself struggling for perspective, to remember that not ALL cops are assholes when there are clearly so many of them that are out there.
Last year a VA state trooper pulled over the **ambulance** my grandma-in-law was being transported from hospice to a hospital in – for speeding! They had their lights on, had given notice of the transport, and it was a clear Sunday morning, great weather, practically no traffic on the road. In retrospect, I wish we had sued that petty little asshat.
One word for Mr. Moats.
“Sue.”
It’s the only way to get city governments to even pretend that they care…when you hit them in the wallet, frequently and hard.
Then again, it hasn’t gotten Joe Arpaio out of office.
I read the piece thinking, it can’t get any crazier, it can’t get any worse, until I got to the line:
“The hospital twice sent nurses to try and get the officer to release Moats.”
I’m reeling. Unbelievable. I mean, I wish it were unbelievable.
Ryan Moats used to play for the Eagles. Seemed like a nice enough guy. It’s scary and sad that he had to take the initiative to put his hands on the car without being asked just so he didn’t have to worry about getting shot.
By all rights he should be able to walk over and punch that cop in the mouth without any legal repercussions. Then we could call it a day. Too bad Moats is a 5-9 scat back and not a left tackle.
Packratt
I agree with you about the unions. Firing a cop is probably at least as hard as firing a teacher.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2406704/How-To-Fire-An-Incompetent-Teacher
I wasn’t offering a possible solution, just a possible cause. The real solution will probably take longer than it took to get this way in the first place because you would need at least a generation to flush out the old stuff. It would be rare to get that many good police chiefs in a row.
The fact that the authority and immunity to normal accountability tends to ruin many people who go into law enforcement is really on display here. Police are among the most privileged people in society, perhaps outdone only by politicians. The officer in the story has clearly come to the point where he no longer feels that using judgment and decency is a requirement for his job, instead of just an option when he’s feeling magnanimous. He should not be a cop.
But, just to reinforce a point Scott mentioned above, there are some decent cops who see what went on in this case with open eyes. From the comment section of that report (sorry, the link just goes to the article, but this is CWright’s comment on 3/27/2009 12:41 AM CDT):
I wish I were confident that that perspective was the prevailing one among police, but I am at least glad it’s out there.
The thing that bothers me the most is there are comments under the news story defending the cop.
This excuse for a clown suited pig reminds me of officer Sgt. James Kuehnlein who stopped Brett Darrow near St Louis.
He threatens him him arrest multiple times is incredibly abusive, about the only thing missing was he did not repeat the phrases “do you want to try me? Do you want to try me tonight? You think you had a bad night? I will ruin your fucking night. Try me young boy.”.
I also have to go with Packratt’s view over Stephens about more pay. Pigs always say they are in it to help people, but obviously that is false. They always say they are willing to lay down their life for us, but they will beat, rape, shoot, torture, and kill us just to keep their job!
It seems to me that Moats’ only mistake was an excessive respect for the cop. Upon being confronted with “I will have your car towed,” I think the best possible answer would be, “Go for it”…and then walking into the hospital. Yes, the cop might have tried to stop him, in which case we’re looking at a dubious arrest, but he’s already being inappropriately detained. Let the cop go on record as arresting him…or let him deal with returning the car to the upstanding citizen he victimized after following through on the threat to tow it, and still having the story reported. I expect that the story would have had the same outcome, but Moats would have stood a chance of saying goodbye to his mother-in-law.
If Powell wants to keep his job, fine by me. I’m sure the vice squad needs a gay prostitute for a sting operation somewhere…
Bonus points if Powell actually has to perform homosexual acts “in the line of duty.” The best he can hope for is medical retirement for AIDS.
‘#4 | Jeff Darcy | March 26th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Any police officer who refers to non-police as “civilians” – as one commenter on the WFAA thread did – should find another line of work. Guess what, buddy? You’re a civilian too. Such use of the term betrays a mental “us and them” distinction that is positively toxic to proper performance of a police officer’s duties. I long for the day when the majority of police see themselves as *of* the people, not part of some army at war with the people.”
#1, people like you are as much a reason for the “us/tem” mentality as any other factor. Unreasonable private citizens not willing to give cop the benifit of the doubt create the “external enemy” needed for an “us/them” perception to exist. Funny thing is most other cops I know personally are (like me) sympathetic to Libertarian goals , hell, several of use are LEAP members, but unreasonable smucks like the people who visit this blog, who think we are all some evil authoritarian army, thats what pushes cops futher into their own little world.
#2. You need a dictionary, but let me help you:
ci·vil·ian
Pronunciation: \s?-?vil-y?n also -?vi-y?n\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1: a specialist in Roman or modern civil law
2 a: one not on active duty in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force
b: OUTSIDER
For example, I’m a cop, Radley blako is a civilian, to me, Balko is a civilian (not a cop), to him I’m a civilian (not a journalist).
This is a prime example of you anarchists (NOT libertarians, our founding father, THOSE were libertarians…and they created a government….) seeing what you want to, “police militarization” around every corner. “Civilian” is prefectly acceptable as a description of private citizens who are not cops.
Saying cops arne’t “civilians” isn’t the same as saying we’re military, it’s saying we are citizen public servants.
Now that the English lesson is done, please return to your regularily scheduled cop bashing (because of one idiot in Dallas PD, most of my buddys on Dallas PD have more sense than that.).
Its part of a cycle LibCop, you treat civvies like crap, you get it back. I can fully understand the arrogant/bossy attitude cops have, its effective in their job, damn necessary in many circumstances. My problem with that though? Most cops these days foster that us/them attitude, that arrogance and NEVER LET IT GO even when they clearly should. I can’t afford to give cops the benefit of the doubt anymore, even as an unassuming law abiding white guy. Hell, you’ve got state cops in MI (or wherever it was) claiming anyone with a libertarian/ron paul sticker on their care just may be a domestic terrorist!
There was the stern/firm attitude a cop gave me during an accident caused by the other driver. Now the gal who hit me was more shaken up (if I hadn’t swerved I would’ve hit her side door fairly hard but we both walked away thankfully) but I’m getting an attitude from this guy and I’ve got witnesses telling him I did nothing wrong. That ended up pissing me off more than getting in an accident. About the only nice thing he did was call in a tow truck for me via AAA.
Don’t get me started on the DA attorneys’ attitudes when I served on a grand jury. One was real snarky about how “see we listen to you folks about cases” when we took away her leverage on a case via a silly “inciting a riot” charge on a guy who hadn’t made a deal, all because two bike cops were “concerned” with their safety due to a large mob watching two guys fight.
Your own definition says “OUTSIDER”. Thats how most people take it these days, and it isn’t used in a respectful manner most of the time. Call me a fellow citizen and I’ll probably respond better.
Sorry, but an armed agent of the State that wields unilateral power to initiate deadly force against me must earn, rather than be given, the “favorable judgment in the absence of full evidence” that benefit of the doubt confers.