Cops who arrested blind Florida man suspended -

[packman]

A Florida sheriff apologized this week after a legally blind man was arrested when deputies mistook his walking cane for a gun.

Deputy Jayme Gohde and her supervisor were suspended after arresting James Hodges, of Lake City on Oct. 31 for resisting an officer without violence, according to Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter.

“As sheriff, I take full responsibility for this event and want to extend my sincere apologies to Mr. Hodges for the actions of my deputies,” Hunter said Tuesday.

The incident:

More detail:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-florida-sheriff-apology-legally-blind-man-arrested-cane-mistake-gun-20221109-ja3lcovvjjdfxivgnylwddayry-story.html

[Ray Bruns]

1. Alright, this is getting ridiculous. Now we have cops who can't tell the difference between a cane

and a gun. Where do they get these people?

[sdfernando]

3. Perhaps they watched too many 007 movies as kids...

next they will be arresting you because your shoes!

Piece of sh!t cops! full disclosure: my older brother was a cop but he was one of the good guys.

[Ray Bruns]

6. Don't give them any ideas

[Higherarky]

19. You're lucky.

My older brother was a cop, too. He got fired from four different forces for things like beating his third wife and breaking her arm, collar bone, and several ribs; for getting in a fist fight with a 73-y-o man while my bro was refereeing a ball game because the old man disagreed with a call my brother made; and one of the lawsuits my brother filed (& lost) against one of the departments that fired him ended up setting several precedents which have been used against plaintiffs in later cases.

Also, he used to hate bikers with a red-hot vengeance. Now that no cop shop in his area will hire him, guess what? He bought a Harley and a leather vest, and now he's a biker. He's always been a demented poser.

And he's STILL a sick deranged POS.

ACAB. YMMV.

[Mariana]

4. They're lying.

If she really thought he had a gun, she would have shot him when he pulled it out of his pocket the way he did. She didn't even flinch. They arrested him because he didn't grovel.

[iemanja]

8. They just don't like that he wasn't deferential

They saw it wasn't a gun, but they arrested him anyway.

[Deuxcents]

2. Just suspended?

Hope there’s more to the story

[d_r]

14. paid vacation

[gratuitous]

22. I checked the story for that very detail

Sadly, it doesn't specify whether the suspension is unpaid or not. If the cops are still drawing pay, then the suspension is indeed a 30 day paid vacation. That'll teach 'em a lesson!

[sl8]

24. I read it was without pay, also demoted:

https://mycbs4.com/news/local/columbia-county-sheriff-suspends-deputies-who-arrested-legally-blind-man-with-cane-4th-amendment-body-cam-lake-city-police

[no_hypocrisy]

5. I get that customer service is not necessarily a forte of most police officers.

But c'mon. Read your Constitution. Keep up with the most recent court decisions.

This was beyond abusive.

[sop]

7. "Tyrant" indeed.

These two power-drunk assholes just cost their county a pile of money. Both of them need to be fired. And any settlement should come out of their own pockets, not the taxpayers'.

[albacore]

9. Well... somebody has to point it out... so I will..

When he whipped that cane out of his back pocket fast like that, if he'd been black, he'd have been dead.

[zipplewrath]

10. Many reasons to become a cop

Like any job, people are attracted to it for different reasons. Unfortunately, far too often, people are attracted to police work because of the badge and the gun. It's a power combination that just screams "I'm powerful". Take away the gun and see how many quit.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. Omigod. These cops need to get smarter.

[malaise]

12. I hope he sues the shit out of those two fascists

That is all.

[Hekate]

20. Yes

[Hotler]

15. Since when does a long white stick with a red end sweeping side to side 2" above the ground

look like a gun? These fuckers are not your friends.
P.S. Never ever talk to a cop unless you have an attorney present. Take the fifth and shut up.

[Leith]

17. I saw it when I watched the video

It was a foldable white cane. It was fully folded when he took it out of his pocket. He was not moving it back and forth.

One can be legally blind and still see light and vague shapes. He was in familiar territory in middle of the day so he probably figured that he didn't need it to help him get home.

Still, I don't think I have ever seen a white gun in that shape.

[DFW]

16. I would want those two deputies to experience more than just a suspension.

They deserve termination and about 18 months behind bars for false arrest and assault.

This kind of thing CANNOT be "given a second chance." You don't give cancer cells a second chance, you eradicate them from the host as soon as they are found.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

18. I'm with you.

[Hekate]

21. Absolutely

[Brother Buzz]

23. Can you say de-escalation? I'm guessing they two bozos missed that day of training

Deputy Jayme Gohde went full in your face escalation from the get-go, and that "supervisor" was totally cool with it.