This is beyond reproach... To serve and protect my ass, this officer should be fired

[Kev]

Just to be clear though, I'm not defending the cop completely. I think he acted like a complete prick in terms of his manners and attitude.

But ultimately the only thing he did wrong was his attitude and delay once it had been established that the woman was indeed dying.

The stopping of the vehicle, the demand for insurance and ID and even the issuing of the ticket are all actions required by the cop according to his job description.

Ultimately it was the several minute delay after a nurse had verified the truth and severity of the situation and the cops continued surly knobish manner that deserve scrutiny.

The rest of the actions were all completely justified and indeed demanded of the cop in that situation.

I personally would not rest so easy knowing that any potential criminals could get away from police providing they drove to the nearest hospital and cried 'Someone is dying!' whereapon the police must let them go immediately without establishing the truth of their claims.

I also think people in every career path make mistakes and act poorly but that cops are in the firing line the most and in more ways than most.

Aside from being the England goalkeeper or manager I can't think of many more thankless tasks to have to undertake.

[Tilt A Whirl]

If he wasn't famous the story wouldn't have broke though.

Yes it would have. I can't believe there are people on this board that think people being prevented from seeing a dying loved one because of a cop is an everyday occurance

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

[Kev]

Yes it would have. I can't believe there are people on this board that think people being prevented from seeing a dying loved one because of a cop is an everyday occurance

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

[match]

If he wasn't famous the story wouldn't have broke though.

Yes it would have. I can't believe there are people on this board that think people being prevented from seeing a dying loved one because of a cop is an everyday occurance

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Buddy, I suggest you be the one to get the clue. The difference is that this instance WAS CAUGHT ON VIDEO!!!!!!!!! People seeing the injustice done is what enhances the outrage. Everyday some old person gets mugged on the streets, and it's rarely made into a national story, but if you remember last year when the 80 year old man was beaten and robbed and onlookers stood by and did nothing, it made international news, because it was CAUGHT ON VIDEO!!!! And I don't know how they do it in the UK, but here in the States, when a vehicle is pulled over, NO ONE, even passangers, can just get out of the car and leave. The fact that the cop didn't even bother to detain Moates irate wife is proof that at that moment he knew he was telling the truth. Also, here in the States, police do not issue citations for every single person whom they pull over for speeding, ESPECIALLY if it's an emergency. Yes, alot of times people will bullsh!t and make up an excuse, the difference here is that IT WAS PROVEN WHEN MULTIPLE NURSES AND ANOTHER OFFICER informed the cop that Moates was indeed telling the truth. And lastly, I don't speak on U.K. law enforcement because I don't know how they operate, so I suggest you do the same about U.S. police officers. A police department will not issue a public apology and throw one of their own under the bus unless they know he was in the wrong. In this country, you have the right to contest citations and get them overturned if you can prove that you had a legitimate reason for speeding. Rushing to see a loved one about to die is a legitimate reason for speeding that no TRAINED police officer would give out a ticket once he found out, and if you don't agree you're an idiot.

[JazMerkin]

If he wasn't famous the story wouldn't have broke though.

Yes it would have. I can't believe there are people on this board that think people being prevented from seeing a dying loved one because of a cop is an everyday occurance

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Bilbo, seriously WTF is up with going on about the race issue, that everyone else agrees wasn't why it wasn't a big story. I think TM has actually summed this up best in his last post.

[Tilt A Whirl]

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

See thats the big kicker,it was a blinking red,a blinking red in the states happens either past a certain time in the night,or if theres a power outage which is what I read there was,they reset to blinking reds. The law in almost every state,is if you come to a blinking red,your supposed to treat it like a stop sign,stop, check both ways and proceed,which is what Moats did.
So ,no the cop wasnt even right to issue the ticket in the first place,he certainly wasnt right to draw his gun,and detaining Moats for 20 minutes,even after being asked by two nurses and a fellow officer to let Moats go in,is well beyond the pale.

[Tilt A Whirl]

For the record Zach Thomas is white


Officer That Delayed Moats Once Jailed Zach Thomas’ Wife

Posted by Aaron Wilson on March 29, 2009, 11:21 a.m.

Robert Powell, the Dallas police officer who delayed Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats’ and his family while they were trying to get to the hospital to say goodbye to Moats’ mother-in-law on her deathbed, reportedly detained former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Zach Thomas’ wife on traffic violations last year for five hours.

In the wake of Powell being rebuked and placed on administrative leave for his misconduct toward the Moats family that was captured on video, Maritza Thomas came forward to discuss her run-in with Powell, telling her story to Todd Archer of the Dallas Morning News.

Pulled over in 2008 for an illegal U-turn, Thomas was given five tickets by Powell with four of them later dismissed. And she was handcuffed and taken to jail. There is no video of the incident.

“This in no way compares to what happened to Ryan Moats and his family,” Thomas told the Morning News. “But we wanted to tell our story, not knowing how many others have been affected by Officer Powell. We know the vast majority of the Dallas police force are good and professional people, but this guy just seems excessive.”

Ultimately, the following charges were dismissed against Zach Thomas’ wife: not having a registration sticker, improper address on a driver’s license, running a stoplight, and failure to display proof of insurance.

A deferred adjudication was assessed on the U-turn ticket, and Thomas’ record will be cleared in April.

“This situation never should’ve happened,” said Maritza Thomas’ attorney, Brody Shanklin. “Unless extraordinary circumstances exist, no person should be arrested for a Class C citation. In this case, it was an example of Officer Powell being overzealous and exerting his authority in a manner that he never should have.”

Powell’s lawyer, Bob Gorsky, questioned why Thomas is speaking out now following the incident with Moats.

“After her arrest, she may have mentioned that her husband was a football player, but that played no role in her arrest or the disposition of the case,” Gorsky said. “I do understand that an arrest on multiple traffic charges happens often and is absolutely proper under these circumstances. Often, when there are multiple charges, an arrest made and bond posted, some of the charges from a single event are later dropped.”

[sonny78]

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

See thats the big kicker,it was a blinking red,a blinking red in the states happens either past a certain time in the night,or if theres a power outage which is what I read there was,they reset to blinking reds. The law in almost every state,is if you come to a blinking red,your supposed to treat it like a stop sign,stop, check both ways and proceed,which is what Moats did.
So ,no the cop wasnt even right to issue the ticket in the first place,he certainly wasnt right to draw his gun,and detaining Moats for 20 minutes,even after being asked by two nurses and a fellow officer to let Moats go in,is well beyond the pale.

Bollocks, Watch the video, the light is solid red all the lights in the area are on there was no power outage

[Tilt A Whirl]

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

See thats the big kicker,it was a blinking red,a blinking red in the states happens either past a certain time in the night,or if theres a power outage which is what I read there was,they reset to blinking reds. The law in almost every state,is if you come to a blinking red,your supposed to treat it like a stop sign,stop, check both ways and proceed,which is what Moats did.
So ,no the cop wasnt even right to issue the ticket in the first place,he certainly wasnt right to draw his gun,and detaining Moats for 20 minutes,even after being asked by two nurses and a fellow officer to let Moats go in,is well beyond the pale.

Bollocks, Watch the video, the light is solid red all the lights in the area are on there was no power outage

According the arresting officer,its was a blinking red,he's the one who pulled him over,he should have known

[Spicoli]

Just saw that as well...the red light and he was driving with his hazard lights on,came to a full stop and continued...........cop was a over bearing bureaucratic halfwit who might be served well by extended desk duty.Period.

[JT Rock]

Mate you don't have a clue. We have a man in the uk who had Downs Syndrome and had a stroke so went into hospital. He died due to them not feeding him. He went 26 days without food! This was in 2005 and its only made the news last week as a result of a report into 5 other deaths through neglect.

One hospital in Staffordshire has now hit the headlines because over a three year period an estimated 400-1200 people died through improper care!

None of those individual cases got any press on their own it took literally a catalog of complaints and gross incompentences before any of it made the news.

An ordinary person being inconvenienced just doesn't make headlines.

It was a huge story because Moates is a black celebrity. If he was just an ordinary working class guy, say a 23 year old McDonalds worker it wouldn't have made the local paper.

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

Thats certainly a not well thought out statement from either of you...

Bullshit!!! when you have the hospital staff and hospital security telling the asshole officer that the story is legit, you bet your ass that would have made the headlines... and news flash the hospital has cameras too outside there entrances.

Whats your proof monkey that the union got a hold a complaint

Because if you made that up, you have to stop telling untruths dude.. We need to start calling you father goose, with all the the shit you been spinning lately

[Tilt A Whirl]

Um Moates really isnt a celebrity
He's barely in the NFL,he's been cut twice in the last two years.
And it certainly isnt because he's black
Its because the NFL players union got a complaint,and then they got the dash cam,which even the cops arent allowed to erase,and lets be [/b]honest,the dash cam makes the cop look like a total douchebag.The Union probably leaked it to the press,but even if they didnt,the media would have gotten a sniff of it anyway.
A week ago,nobody knew who the hell Moats was

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

Thats certainly a not well thought out statement from either of you...

Bullshit!!! when you have the hospital staff and hospital security telling the asshole officer that the story is legit, you bet your ass that would have made the headlines... and news flash the hospital has cameras too outside there entrances.

Whats your proof monkey that the union got a hold a complaint

Because if you made that up, you have to stop telling untruths dude.. We need to start calling you father goose, with all the the shit you been spinning lately

It had to get leaked to the press somehow,the press doesnt exactly have access to cops onboards.
And Moats himself is barely in the NFL,so I doubt he has access to a lawyer who could get it that fast.
Do the math
It was it is called,a very reasonable guess

[JT Rock]

Ah I see and I get what your saying. This was exactly my thinking too that an ordinary person would have no way of proving the story or any power to demand the police camera footage. He would just telephone the station or write and make a complaint and probably not even get his ticket refunded.

You have to some major leverage to get the dash cam footage and an ordinary Joe Blow's comlpaints would just fall on deaf ears.

Oh and I definitely agree about that cop sounded like a total douche.

But I do think he should still have got a ticket. I mean its not a good precadent to set that if there is a big enough emergency you can jump a red light. The law has to apply to everybody and not be subject to personal interperation. I also feel that way about the role of the police is well. I want them to do their job according to their rules and regulations and not make their own judgements because when people start making their own judgements is when things tend to fuck up.

So I completely agree that the cop was right to stop, pull over, demand to see the license and insurance of the driver and then issue a ticket, all of that is perfectly fine with me.

Thats certainly a not well thought out statement from either of you...

Bullshit!!! when you have the hospital staff and hospital security telling the asshole officer that the story is legit, you bet your ass that would have made the headlines... and news flash the hospital has cameras too outside there entrances.

Whats your proof monkey that the union got a hold a complaint

Because if you made that up, you have to stop telling untruths dude.. We need to start calling you father goose, with all the the shit you been spinning lately

It had to get leaked to the press somehow,the press doesnt exactly have access to cops onboards.
And Moats himself is barely in the NFL,so I doubt he has access to a lawyer who could get it that fast.
Do the math
It was it is called,a very reasonable guess

I have watched plenty of shows that use police dash cam footage.. Like I said it wasnt a traffic stop on the side of the road with no witnesses.

It was right outside the ER entrance of a major suburban hospital, that has its own surveilance cameras, along with hospital security and nurses pleading with the officer..

Your guess was wild at best but illogical, also why do you keep digging on Moats putting him down by constantly repeating "He was barely in the NFL and was cut 2X"

[Tilt A Whirl]

Thats certainly a not well thought out statement from either of you...

Bullshit!!! when you have the hospital staff and hospital security telling the asshole officer that the story is legit, you bet your ass that would have made the headlines... and news flash the hospital has cameras too outside there entrances.

Whats your proof monkey that the union got a hold a complaint

Because if you made that up, you have to stop telling untruths dude.. We need to start calling you father goose, with all the the shit you been spinning lately

It had to get leaked to the press somehow,the press doesnt exactly have access to cops onboards.
And Moats himself is barely in the NFL,so I doubt he has access to a lawyer who could get it that fast.
Do the math
It was it is called,a very reasonable guess

I have watched plenty of shows that use police dash cam footage.. Like I said it wasnt a traffic stop on the side of the road with no witnesses.

It was right outside the ER entrance of a major suburban hospital, that has its own surveilance cameras, along with hospital security and nurses pleading with the officer..

Your guess was wild at best but illogical, also why do you keep digging on Moats putting him down by constantly repeating "He was barely in the NFL and was cut 2X"

It was out that morning,if I had access to a powerful union,my ass would have been on the phone with them that morning.
And how is it digging on him to point out,that he really isnt a celebrity,he rushed for 90 yards last year,he's been cut twice in the last 2 years,actually 3 times.
Bilbo kept trying to say that the only reason this is getting play,is because he's a celebrity
No,its getting play because the cop in question was acting like a total douche

[Drago]

i havnt read all the threads but after seeing that clip i think the officer should of just followed the guy into the hospital & dealt with it in a better manner. he could then see with his own eyes the situation.