We can do better than this.
I've cussed people while in uniform, before. I'm not proud of it. As a matter of fact, I'm generally ashamed of it. But it's happened.
The most recent circumstance was as I was investigating a Visiting Burglar who was loitering around downtown at 3:00 AM, with a car full of burglary tools. I casually asked him his name, and he lied to me. I knew it. He knew that I knew it, and my cover officer knew it. When a check of that name and date of birth came back as "No Record Found," (strange for a guy covered with prison gang tattoos), I investigated until my cover officer discovered V.B.'s real illustrious past, and that V.B. had a warrant. I told V.B. to turn around, so that I could pat him down. I asked him carefully and clearly if he had anything on him that could cut me or poke me. He assured me that he didn't.
The last pocket that I checked had a used syringe in it.
"What the f**k?!? G*dD***it, you said that you didn't have anything like that! S**t!" I blurted out. He began to apologize profusely.
Now, I have to admit that I'm scared of being poked by used needles from a guy like this, who was in fact a bug-carrier. Still, I should have conducted myself more professionally. If my chief or city council or one of my citizens ask me about this, I shall have to apologize for my actions. I already have apologized to the arrestee, just before I took him to jail, as a matter of fact. Apologizing for unprofessionalism doesn't excuse it, but it's the second step* in beginning to make it a little better.
_ _ _ _
Friend Gay Cynic passed on this little video of a Canton, OH police officer losing his mind over what he perceived as a late notification by a concealed carry license holder during the traffic stop.
I haven't watched the whole video, because I got to 9:08 before I couldn't listen to any more.** This isn't a "days off" offense. This is a "pack your stuff, and move on" offense. I would actually consult with the city attorney to consider charges against the officer for terroristic threats made against the driver. As a street cop, I'm disgusted at this.
______________________________
*Everyone knows the first step, right?
**Okay, I've listened to a bit more. It gets worse.
Labels: civil liberties, dumb cop tricks, polarization, police
posted by Matt G @ 3:43 AM
16 Comments:
Thanks for your post--both for getting the word out on this, and in getting the word out that decent cops find this unacceptable.
I didn't make it past 14:03. I'd hate to believe that officer still has a job after admitting that he intends to harass the man every time he sees him in the future, threatening to shoot him in the head, threatening to commit assault and battery on a person in custody and who knows what other specific-to-Ohio laws that I missed.
Unfortunately, his police union will fight to protect him, and his own chief will likely do the same, despite the fact that such conduct is clearly out of line and should not be tolerated at any level. If that's protecting and serving the public, I'd hate to see what he considers "over the line" behavior.
Makes my own experience look like a walk in the park, though.
And my wife wonders why I laugh when she wistfully daydreams about us moving out to OH to be closer to the in-laws. Not for all the guns in the world.
Wow, just wow. I live in Ohio, have my CCW & carry everywhere possible and that scares the ever loving HELL out of me. I cannot fathom how the officer thought his conduct appropriate and how he's still in uniform. Thank you for sharing the link.
"Unfortunately, his police union will fight to protect him..."
Not necessarily, Shrimp. The head of his police union is distancing:
"I’m not condoning ... anything that might have happened in the video.”
This, in stark contrast to the way I've been treated by the LEO's I've crossed paths with over the years since I got my CHL (a few stops, scene of an accident, and the like). I've had ONE bad stop, and it was a State Trooper (fresh out of the academy, by my guess) who insisted on removing me from my vehicle, disarming me, interrogating me, and then taking my weapon to his patrol car to run the numbers on, before returning with a warning citation about a dim license plate light. On the ticket was the information about my gun, etc. He was astounded when I told him that was the first time I had EVER been disarmed during a stop.
However, any other time I've run into an LEO, I've notified, then the officer either said:
1. Good. Don't show me yours, I won't show you mine.
2. Cool. What are you carrying?
3. Holy crap. You don't play around! (seriously. DPS trooper down in the Big Bend region)
4. Oooh! I've been wanting one of those. Would you mind letting me see yours?
This assortment of responses from LEO's that ranged from Lubbock to Alpine to Odessa to Dallas/Rockwall county.
As far as the LEO in the video, I can't think of a department here in Texas (maybe Houston or Austin, or so I've been led to believe) where he would get away with such nonsense. If there is such an area, I'll certainly never go there.
I couldn't make it past 7:43. That guy shouldn't be a cheap security guard, much less law enforcement.
Matt, it would be hard for me not to use some language if the guy I'm beginning to pat down has told me there's nothing that can cut on his person, and I find a sharp in his pocket. Especially is he has a deadly communicable disease.
I hope that the officer in the video does lose his job--he deserves to, IMO. But, I'm cynical enough to think he won't, or that the union will still fight to keep him employed.
I can only hope I'm wrong.
As you know, my Mom and Dad were both LEO, Mom Deputy Sheriff for in a large county in which sat the largest city in the state and Dad, Military. I think if they were here to see that they would be as deeply upset as any good police officer out there. That person needs to hand in his badge. NOW.
Decent cops need to do more than find this unacceptable - they need to make guys like this fired ex-cops. He just did incredible damage to all your reputations. The prosecutor and union protecting him make all your jobs harder and more dangerous.
Seems to me if nothing else this cop shouldn't be a cop because he's too damned chickenshit. He acts like it is a de facto threat to him, as a cop, for a citizen to be expressing his constitutional right to have a gun. That's insane. Anyone who is that afraid of a gun -- especially when there's millions of them in the state! --is completely nuts.
Almost everything that officer did was wrong, but it seems based on the fundamental wrong that he's a chickenshit.
Both officers in this put themselves and others in danger with stupidity, and kept making the situation worse.
Now, there are lots of other such videos like this - but bear in mind, if things are OK there is little reason to post it.
For one of those rare ones, from the coast of CAlifornia yet -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFzH5Oe-YL4&feature=related
Matt- YOU are professional, that guy, he's F'ing nuts... He should be summarily fired, and it is almost like he was 'trying' to force a confrontation so he could shoot the CCW holder.
What good is firing this unstable thug? He'll just go to another jurisdiction, and get a new job; somewhere like Prince Georges County MD, staffed with the likes of Keith Washington, Carlton Jones & Stephanie Mohr.
He should charged with a felony, tried, and if convicted, THEN we will be safe from him.
Anonymous, I live in PG County. :-( My civilian job is guarding military posts, and I have all the typical force options of LEO except a Taser- but I can't legally carry when walking with my GF at night...
"And he would have been a nice witness as I executed you because you're stupid."
He's the right type for that. In the entire incident, he gives no sign of seeing anything wrong or anything he doesn't usually see in a day's work.
I'm glad to see decent officers speaking out against this POS.
I hope it goes further, & the BG w/ a badge is not only fired, but charged with the exact same things I'd be charged with if I did the same as he did. (I'm sure that if I'd done that, I would not be free to live my life for quite some time.)
Incidents like this are precisely why I will NOT inform unless required/forced by law. In WI, with our new cc law, we're only required to hand over a permit IF we're concealing or in a place where only licensees may carry AND the officer is acting with lawful authority.
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