Comments on: Paramedic: Officer Was In "State Of Rage"

Ambulance Medic In Scuffle On Way To Hospital Says Trooper Had "Total Disregard" For Patient

[lloydbest1]

by ralphschmaltz June 16, 2009 4:10 PM PDT
"OK Law Enforcement here is the situation. I'm a 50ish white male. I have 2 daughters and I no longer tell them to go to the police for help. There are so many very good officers and yet the few who act as this one did make it dangerous to seek help from an officer. This is a sad state of affairs.

There is only one solution that I can see. That is for you good officers to seek out and remove from your ranks those who tarnish your reputation though acts such as these. There is no excuse. You must clean up your ranks. You know who they are. The ones who let the badge and gun go to their heads. The ones who have a point to make. The ones who must have submission from those they encounter.

These officers, the bad apples among you, make it us verses them. And that is a fight you will not win nor should you even engage. We have the power of the vote, we have the power of the pen, we have the power of the purse. We will be beaten, some of us will die, and in the end you lose and never regain the trust of the public.

Again let me plead with you: Do not protect the bad apples among you. Turn them in and turn them out."

This comment makes enough sense that it bears repeating. Excellent post.

If someone were to examine Trooper Martin's service record, What would he find? Systematic abuse of lower ranks? Suppose we were to go back further, say in high school or college. Would we find a youth that was constantly getting into fights? Suspended repeatedly for hazing those smaller and weaker?
I do not believe for a moment this man suddenly flipped. I think he has had a long history of persistant temper and control issues. I believe he has a record, or at least a well deserved reputation for bullying going back to early childhood. I am as certain as I can be without the affidavits in front of me that he has harrased and/or assulted civilians and soldier colleagues in the past; perhaps even assulted fellow officers.
The antics we saw on the video is never something that erupts out of the blue as a one-off. It is always the continuation of a long standing sequence of behaviors that folks like him always engage in when they do not get their way. I can guarantee he's done this kind of thing in the past and, if not stopped, will do so again.

[Kuei1248]

I guess the stupid cop was not in too much of a hurry to provide backup if he had 20 minutes to sit and bicker about such a silly incident. Fire the cop! He obviously has mental issues preventing him from controlling his temper (like most cops). He is a danger to society and a disgrace to the great state of Oklahoma.

[ibsteve2u]

"Maggie Rodriguez spoke with paramedic Maurice White Jr. about the traffic stop gone bad where a police officer placed White in a choke hold."

That is supposed to be a picture of a legitimate choke hold? lolllll...yeah, right - that is plain old-fashioned assault.

[justsane-2009]

what if the patient had died in that 5 minutes? and what happened with the officer that he was supposedly going to back up? what would have happened if that situation had gone bad because of his failure to arrive on the scene? the officer is lucky that none of the possible worst-case scenarios played out. had he used some common sense, and realised that an ambulance failing to yield was probably en route to a hospital, all this could have been avoided.

[justsane-2009]

i would say 'unbelievable', but it's just one more example of a guy with a badge going too far. i think most cops are decent people, doing a difficult job under sometimes difficult and dangerous circumstances. however, some of them are too much like the people they are supposed to protect us from. this officer should probably be given a desk job, one that doesn't involve contact with the public. there should also be some type of punishment, preferably one that impacts his pension.

[cdegolier]

And once they put down the bong and preach some peace, it'll be to late.

[cdegolier]

Why did the driver and other emt get out of the vehicle? I have never gotten out, usually they police prefer you not it shows aggression towards them. I am glad the ambulance got stopped, I have seen extremely reckless driving from them without lights on and several near misses. I have watched the video and if instructed to do something by a cop, you do it. This stop would have taken 5 minutes had they just stayed in the vehicle.

[justsane-2009]

what if the patient had died in that 5 minutes? and what happened with the officer that he was supposedly going to back up? what would have happened if that situation had gone bad because of his failure to arrive on the scene? the officer is lucky that none of the possible worst-case scenarios played out. had he used some common sense, and realised that an ambulance failing to yield was probably en route to a hospital, all this could have been avoided.

[micheleisfree]

This is clearly a case of the police believing that they are a higher form of life than everyone else.

^^^That's it right there. Cops think they're a higher form of life. Well stated.

[demongirl60]

I know what should be done with all the troopers involved:

MY SIZE 2.5 UP THEIR DUFFS!

Lose their jobs - turn in guns and badges

Jail time

MANDATORY sensitivity and anger management classes

MANDATORY volunteer work in an ER ward.

Heavy fines

After jail - probation and PINS petition signed out on all.

And for the coup de 'gras....

MADE TO WALK AROUND WITH SANDWICH BOARDS THAT SAY "I CANNOT CONTROL MY TEMPER"

[micheleisfree]

"He?s not this ogre, this depriver of people?s rights," the trooper?s attorney, Gary James, said. "He?s a good man."

Yes, your client is an ogre and a depriver of people's rights. Yes, he is a bad man.
And an incompetant and very bad cop. He should be fired immediately.