Shutdown Corner: NFL Player Ryan Moats Police Video (while MIL dies in hospital)

[ariesgem]

Run time: 08:14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Q49VztpLI   Posted on YouTube: March 26, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: March 27, 2009 By DU Member: ariesgem Views on DU: 3391

 
Dallas officer delayed NFL player as relative died

DALLAS (AP)—A police officer was placed on administrative leave Thursday over a traffic stop involving an NFL player whom he kept in a hospital parking lot and threatened to arrest while his mother-in-law died inside the building.

Officer Robert Powell also drew his gun during the March 18 incident involving Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats in the Dallas suburb of Plano, police said.

“I can screw you over,” he said at one point in the videotaped incident. When another officer came with word that Moats’ mother-in-law was indeed dying, Powell’s response was: “All right. I’m almost done.”

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized to the family and announced that Powell would be on paid leave pending an internal investigation.

“When we at the command staff reviewed the tape, we were embarrassed, disappointed,” Kunkle said. “It’s hard to find the right word and still be professional in my role as the police chief. But the behavior was not appropriate.”

snip.....

“His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, the discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit,” Kunkle said.

Moats’ wife, who was in the car along with other relatives, said Powell pointed his weapon at her.

“He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car,” Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News.

The Moats family did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press. Powell did not respond to requests for comment through the Dallas police union.



http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-player-stopped&prov=ap&type=lgns


Part 2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzjg2EhNLY0&feature=related

[lebkuchen]

1. This does not happen in Germany

or any other European country I can think of.

[firedupdem]

2. I couldn't even watch it all. That makes me so angry! n/t

[Prattvictory]

3. And the police wonder why they are hated

I had a similar thing happen a year ago. I nearly had the SWAT team come in my yard. The cop was abusive and I think pissed he didn't have a chance to shoot me.

[tomm2thumbs]

4. I guess if he had killed someone running that red light, he would say 'but my MIL was dying'

If someone is running red lights and putting other innocent people in jeopardy, they probably should be slowed down and held accountable. It's called Failure To Obey An Officer. His MIL being near death unfortunately is not a reason to disobey an officer and speeding and running lights.

His responses to the officer, instead of explanatory, were entirely snapping and crude, so if he wanted to be clear, he shouldn't have said things like 'YOU get it' when he asked for registration info. He was running from that officer for quite awhile. So what would have happened if some smart car-jacker did the same thing - figured 'there's a hospital, let's go there and exit into the building and say it is an emergency'. Or what if he were a half-hour from the Hospital, should he be allowed to continue driving all that way and then get out and run inside and no one should stop him?

Going to visit someone who is dying in a hospital is unfortunately not a valid argument for speeding and running red lights, and more importantly, continuing to speed away when flagged by a police car. They truly could have killed someone. I think the officer was a little bit angry, but kept his cool more than I would have thought after the length of that chase at the beginning.

[GaYellowDawg]

5. I don't believe this response.

Going to visit someone who is dying in a hospital is unfortunately not a valid argument for speeding and running red lights, and more importantly, continuing to speed away when flagged by a police car.

If you don't endanger anyone else in the process, I think trying to get to a hospital to say the very last goodbye you'll ever have to a loved relative IS a valid argument for speeding and running red lights, and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't have the compassion to realize that emergencies like that can outweigh the letter of the law. He pulled into a hospital. The officer could have followed the family up to the room if he was afraid he was being scammed. And it would have taken less time than the officer spent holding the guy up.

That officer was an asshole whose ego was more important to him than the situation. I thought the guy who was pulled over was REMARKABLY calm given the circumstances.

And one more thing on edit: I wonder if the officer in question would have let the driver run on into the hospital if he was white?

[barbtries]

12. i agree with everything you said

once upon a time if you were speeding to the hospital with a woman sitting shotgun, they would have assumed she was in labor and given you an escort. instead these people pull into the hospital parking lot and - i couldn't watch it all either.

what is happening to the police in this country? this is sad.

[EnviroBat]

26. What's happening to the police in this country is 8 years

of a war mongering, fear mongering administration that treated our constitution like a "God Damn piece of paper" has a lot of hillbilly/redneck cops drunk with power. Dick-less fuckers that joined the police force because they have major inferiority issues... Just a bunch of thugs. I can't help but look at cops with contempt every time I see them. Only one time did one ever do anything decent to help me, and even then, his fucking stupid partner wanted to bust me for vagrancy. Vagrancy/Dying from hypothermia and exposure, hell what's the difference? The rest just talk down to you. That stupid cop wasted more time extolling the virtues of his almighty "power", and how he could "screw his life up..." Complete asshole. Is this what they are teaching in police academies now? Rule 1. "Always assert what a powerful bad-ass you are"! You may carry a gun pig, but your shit stinks just like anyone else's..

[grace0418]

28. "...would have let the driver run on into the hospital if he was white?" Sadly, I think

we know the answer to that. The only reason this even became an issue for the officer is because the black man he harassed ended up being an NFL player. Otherwise we would've never heard anything about this story, I think.

I was stopped for speeding once and the officer asked why my hand was shaking. Afraid he was going to publicly embarrass me with a sobriety test (I was perfectly sober, my hand was just shaking because I got pulled over), I told the officer I was meeting my husband at the doctors' office. It was actually true, but my husband wasn't gravely ill, I was just picking him up there. The officer said, "Well why didn't you tell me that? Do you want me to escort you?" And he was completely serious. But I'm a white woman.

[asphalt.jungle]

6. oh please. watch the video because he didn't just bust through a light

he stopped at the red light and waved off traffic. the cop told him that he doesn't HAVE THE RIGHT to direct traffic. there is a reason even his police chief is pissed off and won't defend him. you're talking crap.

dallas morning news editorial

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-cop_0327edi.7341749c.html

[Brucie Kibbutz]

7. The Dallas PD is really lucky to have this officer on the force.

:sarcasm: Did you even read the article?

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle apologized to the family and announced that Powell would be on paid leave pending an internal investigation.

“When we at the command staff reviewed the tape, we were embarrassed, disappointed,” Kunkle said. “It’s hard to find the right word and still be professional in my role as the police chief. But the behavior was not appropriate.”

“His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, the discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit,” Kunkle said.

[kenfrequed]

9. pure idiocy

The policeman should have just written the ticket and let him go. There was absolutely no reason to drag this event out like this. The driver was obviously stressed out and it is unreasonable to expect him to sit still and listen to an absurd lecture.

[JTFrog]

10. Either you are spouting without a fucking clue and didn't watch the video

or you're just as ignorant as the fucking cop.

HE WAS NOT RUNNING FROM THAT OFFICER FOR QUITE A WHILE. THE HOSPITAL WAS LESS THAN 60 SECONDS FROM THE RED LIGHT. THE OFFICER HAD HIS LIGHTS ON FOR JUST OVER A MINUTE AND 1/2 OF THAT TIME WAS PULLING INTO THE EMERGENCY PARKING LOT.

I can't even stop shaking long enough to address the rest of your ignorant dribbling.

Fuck your transparent noise. I know exactly what your post is about and I'm sure most folks will see right through you.

[Mother Of Four]

14. Officers are given discretion for a reason-

As soon as the man stated his mother was dying, the officer could have called in a "Person in distress" and followed him up there after telling them to wait the minute 30 seconds it would have taken for him to pull the car straight and turn it off.

If he was being scammed, the officer could then call for backup from either hosp police, or his own police force.

No, speeding through lights and endangering others because of a loved one in the hosp/dying isn't valid. However, with DISCRETION (http://www.jstor.org/pss/3110478 read the second to the last paragraph- trust me it will enlighten you)


With DISCRETION, that situation could have been handled a hell of alot better. If a ticket needed to be given, it could have been handled AFTER the person was escorted up to check his loved one.

And before you tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, my husband is a LEO. (Edit: I also used to work 911 dispatch along with me being an EMT Intermediate)


EDIT: In case you're thick in the head. I'll type out a little example.

Officer pulls up lights flashing. Woman is crying jumping out of the car and yells "My mother is dying!"

Woman gets grabbed by woman number two, and drug into the hospital.

Officer "Sir, what is your name?"

Man "Blank suchandsuch....I have to get up there...My Mother is DYING!"

Officer "Sir, hand me your drivers license and I'll park the patrol car we'll walk up there together."

Man calmed by knowing he's going to go up hands the license.

Officer while parking the car "Unit 111 to central, I have a person in distress at Hospital such and such. Will be escorting to emergent situation"

Central replies "Copy unit 111, is everything 10-4 at your location?"

Officer "Please have additional unit standing by."

Escort man to Mother/Mother in law.

Now tell me...is that so frickken hard? Nope, but it does take DISCRETION!

[CatsDogsBabies]

15. Did you watch the video

He didn't run the red light. He stopped, checked that no cars were coming, then went through. He wasn't driving carelessly. After watching the video, I think the officer should be fired (and I believe he will be or would be shocked if he isn't). The officer had no grasp of the situation, even after numerous people, including hospital staff, tried to explain it to him. That part was really disturbing.

And, where does the speeding part come from? You keep saying he was speeding through red lights. Moats wasn't pulled over for speeding. I thought Moats showed extraordinary restraint, far more than I would have in the same situation.

[WestIndianArchie]

16. your response

Surely you are being sarcastic? I hope.........

[TheEuclideanOne]

19. When you comment before watching the video, it is easy to say really stupid things

You are really not that stupid are you? Even if you did watch the video, please just lie and say that you never saw the video. Just lie about it, because if you are able to spew such pure idiocy after watching the entire video, it makes me sad that you may reproduce one day. Heck it makes me sad that you are even taking up space on this planet and wasting oxygen.

[firedupdem]

23. Sure, let the killers crying wife head on into the hospital while you

stand there saying "shut your mouth" to the killer? I think NOT. Bullshit!

[George II]

25. Obviously you didn't watch the video or read the story. Wonder if the reason you reacted like this

....because the player was BLACK????

[Butch350]

30. You must be a cop or wanna be - your post is BS! Sorry.

[Butch350]

32. Hey 2thumb

What would you have done if the dying MIL was in the back seat of the car? (besides shoot her - to put her out of her misery)

[FrenchieCat]

8. I saw the tape on television...and the officer was threatening

this guy, while the guy was saying "yes, sir!"

IT reminded me of something that shouldn't be happening in 2009!

[opihimoimoi]

11. The tape reveals the all too often superior attitude toward others

esp if color is involved....

He should be fired and run outta town...a disgrace to his Dept

[TheEuclideanOne]

18. I see your point, I think,

This incident had nothing to do with that on one level and alot more to do with that at a different level. I suspect racism played into this, and the yessa yesssa that we have seen earlier in the country's history does sound a bit like that. In this case, however, by answering "Yes, sir", Moats was really just doing what the cop had asked and that was clearly not what the cop wanted. From what I can see, the cop is one of those cops who is on a major power trip. The cop tried to act as if Moats was delaying the incident by having an attitude. If you stop answering back, this will go alot quicker. The reality is that had nothing to do with that. Moats demonstrated that by answer "Yes, sir" to all of his questions. The cop really was just on a power trip and wanted to show that he was so in control of Moat's life at the moment. If he wanted to keep Moats out there for 3 hours, he could because he is an almighty police officer. It didn't matter that Moats had a dying relative, he was just that powerful. I hope that they fire the cop.

[MrSlayer]

13. This guy is a disgrace to the badge and besmirches the reputation of all police officers.

He's probably justified in the cold, hard word of the law to do what he did. But this is the type of unfeeling, authoritarian action that makes all cops look bad. You're supposed to be more than a rules and regulations robot. Sad.

[90-percent]

17. Paid Leave

Well, I guess that Officer learned his lesson. The poor man.

-90% Jimmy

[grace0418]

20. I wonder if the cop would've even gotten in trouble if the guy was not an NFL player.

It's sickening, and I cannot believe that the cop wasn't immediately fired instead of suspended with pay.

[SkyDaddy7]

22. Police in this country are

power hungry idiots! Had this been you or I it would have never made the news.

[Captain Hilts]

21. I can't watch this. I saw something similar in an emergency room in Va. Beach. nt

[George II]

24. Why do these fuckers always get put on PAID leave???

They should be suspended outright and then, if found to be not culpable (which is rare) be paid their back pay.

The guy should also be forced to drive the family to the funeral!!!!

[FailureToCommunicate]

27. Thank goodness for dashboard video. Interesting also that the hospital security

guy stood by to witness. The driver keeps saying yes sir yes sir and complying with requests. Yet the cop says "I can screw you!" and "Your attitude sucks"
Not JUST a case of DWB. I did a research paper years ago on police chases and how adrenalin becomes the judge and jury and executioner. Someone runs a stop sign (a misdemeanor)
and the cops chase. If the car doesn't immediately stop the speeding cop car can smash into other innocents and now the one being chased is a felony (fleeing an officer) so the ante is
up. Far too often, the chase ends with crashes and bullets. Innocent bystanders or motorists involved, and the stop-sign-runner dead.

[Butch350]

29. F**king A**hole Cop!!

[rateyes]

31. ALMOST done? Officer Powell,

stick a fork in yourself. You're done.

[Butch350]

33. Hey..there is a bright side to this story...

...The Dallas PD has just made a bunch of new friends.