This cop just frosts me. (Ryan Moats story)

[DatHoser]

The story on Ryan Moats being pulled over as his mother-in-law is dying of cancer. This cop should be sent to Siberia.

LINK

 

EDIT: More specific title.

[fondybrewfan]

Yeah the actions of that cop aren't defensible.

 

I mean he had his hazards on, he speeds up to the entrance of the emergency room, everyone is crying when they get out and he pulls that crap? That is mind boggling. I am glad that the cop has been reassigned but that type of behavior is pink slip worthy.

 

The cop car had the dashboard cam going the entire time and it is painfully obvious that Moats was acting reasonably and explained more than once that his mother-in-law was dying. Not to mention the fact the hospital staff came out to back up Moats' story and the cop still took his jolly sweet time writing the ticket.

 

But nope the cop had to have an ego that cost Moats the chance to see his mother-in-law one more time before she died.

 

Just a jerk

[Patrick425]

I think the cop was clearly in the wrong. He was on a power trip and should be disiplined for his actions.

 

However, trying to keep in mind the rules of this message board, I don't think there is significant proof of anything beyond a possible abuse of power issue here.

[DatHoser]

Agreed Patrick. What really kills me is the cope saying "I can do this to you" or something to that effect. While there is allusion to racism (not at all proven, but possible), it's the abuse of power, not to mention the failure to "serve the people," that got to me, and fondy too.

[GormanHarvey]

I'm not even going to say what I think should be done to that "cop". What a disgrace

[JoeHova]

Yeah, this story is pretty disgusting. I understand traffic laws are there for a reason but it doesn't sound like the rolling stop put anyone in danger and there were clearly extenuating circumstances. Hopefully the perpetrator moves on to a new line of work if the way the incident is characterized in the article is accurate.

[berniebrewer4life]

A police officer's strongest(and best) tool is his/her use of discretion. Seriously, this is horrible.

[razzzorsharp]

One thing that kills me is when public workers are places on "Administrative Leave". Do they get paid for this and if doing so, they need to just can them like what would happen in the private sector for such an egregious act.

[bucks2281]

I don't think there is significant proof of anything beyond a possible abuse of power issue here.

 

He said, "I can make your life very difficult" to a guy who's mother-in-law is dying, just steps away. He also drew his gun. I think it's a definite abuse of power. Police must have strong discretion skills -- isn't his job to serve and protect? This reflects terribly on the Dallas PD, so I imagine that he'll be ousted.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Chief of Police had some very strong comments in the few articles I've read. He stopped short of using terms like "reprehensible", but the tone was definitely there. Won't be surprised at all in a few days when we see this guy was canned.

 

Absolutely pathetic behavior.

[GormanHarvey]

From some of the comments I have read elsewhere in response to the article, it seems people that live in the Dallas area seem to have a pretty low opinion of the Dallas PD in general. Seems to be very little respect there

[phxMILWfan]

What a disgusting act by this officer. He cost the family a chance to be with the mother in-law when she needed them most. He does not deserve paid leave. It's time he finds a new line of work.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

I haven't been that angry for someone else in a long time. I can't even imagine being in Moats' shoes. I'd probably have told the guy fine, have my car towed, I'm going in.

 

The saddest thing is that the father-in-law felt (and probably rightfully so) the need to stay behind and make sure Moats was safe instead of seeing his dying daughter.

 

Disgraceful. And other things I can't type here....

[logan82]

This is being discussed over at the political forum where words can be used that accurately describe feelings towards this officer's behavior.

 

I don't think there is significant proof of anything beyond a possible abuse of power issue here.

 

I guess I agree with this, but the extent of the abuse demands dismissal in my opinion.

[TracyThom]

Do I have a problem with the officer drawing his gun when a bunch of people jumped out of an SUV after failing to stop? Absolutely not. There were 4 Oakland Police Department officers buried yesterday after a traffic stop gone bad. That suspect got out of his vehicle and opened fire on the officers. How was this officer to know initially why the vehicle was not stopping?

 

Do I have a problem with pretty much everything else the officer did? Yes, I do. The officer should have taken Moats' license and allowed him to go inside with the rest of his family. If Moats was suspended/revoked/wanted, he could have dealt with that later.

[PeaveyFury]

I agree with what Tracy said- I respect that an officer comes into a situation not knowing what to expect and has to react accordingly. But as the situation became known to him, he handled it about as poorly as he could and made himself look extraordinarily bad in the process.

[crewcrazy]

Here is the video of the incident, if someone hasn't seen it yet. The footage starts about 55 seconds into the video if you want to skip the Dallas newscast.

 

 

I also respect that the officer perhaps didn't know what to expect, and always need to be alert when getting out of their car. Still, it's the way he handled the situation that rubs me the wrong way -- "Shut your mouth," "I can screw you over," etc. is over the line. Yeah, the guy needs to be a cop, but he also needs to be a human being at times -- they pulled into a parking spot at the hospital...even if you didn't know what was going on, it seems highly unlikely that they'd be lying about a relative dying.

[SquirrelMaster]

I respect the fact that his mother in law was dying, and I agree that the officer also stepped over the line when he stated, "shut your mouth," but when you run stop signs you deserve to be pulled over. Doing that increased his risk of getting HIMSELF killed as well as the people in the truck with him. I can't fault the cop at all for the initial pulling over, but the actions afterwards are inexcusable.

[Oldcity]

The article said he stopped at the light and only went once he saw now cars were coming.

[RyDogg66]

I dont think he was risking anyone's life. He said repeatedly that he stopped at the red lights, turned on his flashers and rolled through them. Of course you pull him over...and then when you see that people are dying and they are trying to get to the hospital you simply step aside and let them grieve.

[brewerjamie15]

I wish things would have worked out differently for Moats. It matters not who was going to the hospital to say goodbye to someone. Moats, his wife, and his mother in law all had something very precious and very private taken away because of an apparent poor judge of the situation.

Unfortunately, I've gotten a couple of phone calls from the hospital like Moates' wife must have gotten. I hopped on my motorcycle once when my dad was ill and headed up the freeway (hwy 41) to St.Joseph's Hospital. I was apparently going at a pretty good clip, the cop pulled me over far from where I got on the freeway where he informed me he had been tailing me with lights on for a few miles. I never saw him. I was crying a bit, explained the situation and why I was in a hurry. He said that at the time he could have and should detained me but let me go. He had to impound the bike because I was around 80 MPH in a 45 zone though. He let me go and offered to have another car get me when the tow truck got there. I said it would take too long, and started running. I saw a couple dudes washing a car and begged for a ride the last 10 or so blocks. They took me immediately and wished me well.

I'd say that 99 times of 100 the officer is gonna let ya do what ya gotta do. A ticket can wait. Moats was in the hospital parking lot for Pete's sake. I was around a mile or so away. There may be more to the story than I or we are aware of, but that was from what I see, a bogus call on the cops part and he should surely be repramanded somehow.

By the way, I went to court when I was supposed to about the speeding ticket. The cop said he checked into my story, and then recommended to the court I get a break on the violation. He also gave my family and I a nice sympathy card.

[DuWayne Steurer]

When my son was 6 months old, my wife called me at work, screaming hysterically. Through the screaming, I as able to pick out "he's not breathing". I threw my store keys to a co-worker, ran to my car, and blazed home, hitting 85 mph on a 30 mph surface street.

 

I didn't get pulled over (or see a cop for that matter), and I'm not going to say what I would have done had a cop seen mye or tried to pull me over. I can't say because it didn't happen.

 

To finish the story, my wife had called 911 before she called me, and the ambulance "got lost" trying to find our place. I beat the ambulance to my house, and it took me 4 minutes to get there. Luckily, my wife had pounded on his back and dislodged the item. I wasn't exactly happy that the ambulance driver got lost on a call for a non-breathing infant.

[pretendastronaut]

The police officer who pulled out his gun and threatened an NFL player with jail instead of allowing him inside a hospital where his mother-in-law was dying resigned Wednesday.

Officer Robert Powell had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation of the March 18 incident.

"I made this decision in the hope that my resignation will allow the Dallas Police Department, my fellow officers and the citizens of Dallas to better reflect on this experience, learn from the mistakes made, and move forward," Powell said in a statement issued through his attorneys.

"I still hope to speak with the Moats family to personally express my deep regret, sympathy, and to apologize for my poor judgment and unprofessional conduct," he said in the Wednesday statement.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4033626

[DuWayne Steurer]

Interesting that the cop resigned. I wonder how much pressure he was given from above.

[DHonks]

I feel bad for the cop. Emergencies are emergencies, but laws are laws. It could have been handled better--that's for sure. As a teacher, everyone wants us to be firm...until dealing with their child. Aren't rules rules?