Cops to Forceful or Lady Just Pissy

[David Heath]

Do you think the cops were forceful or the lady just pissy. What do you think?

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/conte ... deo3a.html

David

[Zimmerit]

I can't muster up too much sympathy for her. Refusing to do what the officer told her pretty much created that situation. He gave her plenty of warning too. The rest is just her melodramatics.
If he had used his baton or fist, that might have been exessive.

[Hertston]

I disagree. "Pissy" or not, the woman was distressed and obviously no threat, and the situation could have been resolved without resorting to that. One of the most important characteristics of a good cop is the ability to read situations and people... and a good cop could have achieved the required result with his mouth, not a taser.

[Sarge]

Did she actually take a swing at the cop on the passenger side of the vehicle, can't tell from the video.

Facts of the traffic stop

1) She was speeding (in the side note)

2) Her license was suspended ( in the side note)

3) She was asked step out of the vehicle and to put the cigarette and phone down
........................"NO ! I am calling somebody"............................

4) She was asked one more time and she proceeded to ignore the officer but stated on the phone she was going to get arrested

5) After opening the door to the vehicle for her the officer warned her four times to get out of the car or he will use the taser


I think the cop was a little trigger happy but in the end may have been unavoidable [X(]

[Marc von Martial]

Yup, a "trigger happy" cop. But to me it was clearly the woman that forced the situation (nope I´m not a cop friend particularly [;)]). How stupid can you be ???? You wouldn´t even want to act like this in a traffic stop in Germany, and our cops don´t have tazers.

With all the whinning goingon after she had been tazed I think this women needs proffesional help. Totally hyperactive.

[Marc von Martial]

ORIGINAL: Hertston

I disagree. "Pissy" or not, the woman was distressed and obviously no threat, and the situation could have been resolved without resorting to that. One of the most important characteristics of a good cop is the ability to read situations and people... and a good cop could have achieved the required result with his mouth, not a taser.

That totally depends on the area. Also in the UK there are areas where "mouth" is worth nothing, unless you use it to hit it [;)]. I tell you, there´s a difference between how a traffic stop can develop in the inner city of Cologne or the dock area in Hamburg [;)]

I don´t find tazers a good thing, and hell no I woulnd´t want to be hit by one. That´s why you better get out of the car when an officers asks you to do so.

[Terminus]

There's been a general decline in the Western world in respect for the police. It happens everywhere; people take police orders as things to be discussed, instead of as orders.

[Cap Mandrake]

You have to look at the whole traffic stop video, the arrest video in isolation suggests that the officer was the hothead.

In context, you can clearly see that she has not taken a Dale Carnegie course on How to Win Friends and Influence People

Imagine yourself in his shoes. I think he did well not to empty his service revolver into her, then high five the back-up officer. I think she owes the arresting officer a new set of Tazer batteries [:D]

It is my fervent hope that some poor sod is not married to her.

[Marc von Martial]

What´s even more interesting is the forums of the website, people "discussing" the hell out of this incident [;)]

[Erik Rutins]

Indeed, the full video and the video with the commentary from the training officer is necessary to really understand what's going on. According to the report, she also took a swing at the officer from inside the car. The alternative methods of getting her out of the car, based on the commentary, would all have had more risk of harm to her - the officer used the most non-lethal method at his disposal. Talking is always better, I agree, but she was clearly having none of that (and again, see the full video).

Regards,

- Erik

[Zap]

Granted she did'nt cooperate but she could have been easily handled by those young officers, without the use of the tazer. He was trigger happy. Similar example of trigger happy cops. In Compton, Ca. 14 officers fired 120 bullets into a moving car. Wounded the driver;(lucky for the driver they were bad shots) turns out he was not the suspect they were looking for.

It seems to me their temprament is like the gung ho cop. Being young, they may not be long out of the police academy. I've seen other police in action who would have been more patient than these two.

[KG Erwin]

Does this mean that I should be driving on the Columbus trip, and not my wife? [:D]

(Just kidding, she's a good driver when she takes the lead out of her foot [;)] )

[mbMike]

I think there are over 50,000 assaults on police officers in America each year. If I'm a cop, I don't find out who's the martial arts expert by going into the car to pull an irate driver out by hand. I'll tazer that lady every time, just to be safe.

When a cop asks you to do something, for heaven's sake, if your life is not at risk, just do it. It's not that difficult of a request.

[rhondabrwn]

I have to comment that this lady was an embarrassment to our gender and I really can't muster any sympathy for her. Her extended theatrical screaming was ridiculous.

If I had been the arresting officer, I would have been more patient about letting her finish her phone call...

"Ma'am, go ahead and advise them that you are being arrested for driving with a suspended license and you will be taken to the ??? police station for processing. They should come there. Now tell them that, hang up the phone, and get out of the car immediately."

That would have taken 30 seconds tops and probably spared them the 10 minutes of screaming as she writhed on the ground after the tasing.

These days, I can understand someone wanting to tell family that they are being arrested and I am sensitive to minority concerns about arrest and possible mistreatment. In fact, with people "disappearing" and being held without access to an attorney or contact with family, I can begin to understand why anyone's first reaction might be to call someone and tell them what is happening to them.

In summary, I can understand her fear, but am totally unsympathetic to her reactions to the situation.

[Charles2222]

ORIGINAL: Zap

Granted she did'nt cooperate but she could have been easily handled by those young officers, without the use of the tazer. He was trigger happy. Similar example of trigger happy cops. In Compton, Ca. 14 officers fired 120 bullets into a moving car. Wounded the driver;(lucky for the driver they were bad shots) turns out he was not the suspect they were looking for.

It seems to me their temprament is like the gung ho cop. Being young, they may not be long out of the police academy. I've seen other police in action who would have been more patient than these two.

Granted there were two officers, but from what I heard one cop say, often the woman is the last person you want to take into custody, because when they get to fighting, they often don't reach a point where they will give up like a man, but fights as though it's to the death.

She may be an uppity smart-aleck, but whether that's true or not, from what I seen, it looks as though not only the speeding might have been caused by the cellphone, but that her refusal to get out had in large portion to do with her attention being divided by it (IOW I don't think she understood everything he said and of course the person on the other end of the line was probably talking). She would rather talk to her audience than comply. Did anyone hear her joke that he was going to shoot her? I would agree that the chances of doing damage to her were a lot greater if they had forceably pulled her out. What's more if they pulled her out it would look a lot more like police brutality. Sure getting tazed could be brutality too, but it's a lot easier to conceal.

I don't think the fact that she had the attitude that her cellphone was more important then a policeman seriously wanting her to comply, exactly made him any less aggresive. She probably thought she was invincible from them doing anything to her, apart from a ticket, simply because she had an ear-witness so to speak.

[Home40]

Wow, mini electric chairs.

'Careful lady or I'll have to let l'il old smokey outta my pokey.'

Now every mile is a 'green' mile.

What's that you say, Mr Tyson? You couldn't take it (your title) back?

H40 [electric eel on 'charge']

[Charles2222]

From what I understand, she had a broken taillight out, a broken windshield, and an expired driver's license (edited - No, I think they said her license was suspended). She claimed they pulled her over because they're racist (I guess the State was racist for suspending her driver's license too), and then of course when she been tazed a couple of times they're racists all over again. I'm venturing to guess that she was hoping the neighborhood would at least give the cops hell and that was the reason for the theatrics.

[Reiryc]

She deserved the tazing... She was told multiple times to get out of the car and she chose to argue instead. The time to argue is in court, not during the arrest.

Although, I'm glad she did resist, provided me with quite the amusing video! [:D]

[bradfordkay]

If they had tazed the cellphone, would that have destroyed it? We might have a new weapon against cell phone rudeness!

[Charles2222]

ORIGINAL: bradfordkay

If they had tazed the cellphone, would that have destroyed it? We might have a new weapon against cell phone rudeness!

Good one bradfordkay, in fact, I think you're on to something. You know how people would deal with rude smokers, well, you got you tazer in this case. Which leads me down another path. If smoking was banned in certain places (it's banned at practically all public places in Dallas thanks to our fascist mayor) then why not cellphones too?