Inexcusable behavior by DPD officer

[frazzled]

It does to a large segment of the populace. Until he gets fired its just words.

[Frost]

I wish i could get a paid vacation by abusing my customers, wait, no i don't.

[ninemm]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

[Liberty]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

He was with his wife whose mother was dying in the hospital parking lot! Many of us who are always insured have had trouble finding the insurance papers when under pressure. This officer had a lot of attitude and its pretty clear that there was something about Moats that he didn't like.

[DEADEYE1964]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

I did not get that at all when I watched the video, he actually handled it better than I would have. The cop was out of line and abused his power. He will get his one day, he will pull over the wrong guy having a bad day and pull his crap and get what he deserves. Like I said earlier, a few bad apples make the whole force look bad and LEO'S wonders why no one trust them. They need to make an example out of him to regain at least some public trust.

[cdc101]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

I did not get that at all when I watched the video, he actually handled it better than I would have. The cop was out of line and abused his power. He will get his one day, he will pull over the wrong guy having a bad day and pull his crap and get what he deserves. Like I said earlier, a few bad apples make the whole force look bad and LEO'S wonders why no one trust them. They need to make an example out of him to regain at least some public trust.

Can I ask what you think he deserves?

[KRM45]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

I did not get that at all when I watched the video, he actually handled it better than I would have. The cop was out of line and abused his power. He will get his one day, he will pull over the wrong guy having a bad day and pull his crap and get what he deserves. Like I said earlier, a few bad apples make the whole force look bad and LEO'S wonders why no one trust them. They need to make an example out of him to regain at least some public trust.

Can I ask what you think he deserves?

People end up dead that way as we saw in CA last week.

[ninemm]

Obviously, I look at it differently than most. But the gravely ill person wasn't in the car nor was anyone a doctor who was in the car who needed to get there to possibly save someone. I've been in that situation a number of times. I still don't think it's OK to run stop lights, speed or otherwise drive in a manner that would endanger anyone in the vehicle or other drivers or pedestrians. I have, on two occasions, rushed people to an emergency room with life threatening conditions. Both times I called 911 and explained my situation. Both times a LEO met up with me and gave me an escort. His exact words were, "Stay right on my tail." The first time this happened, the dispatcher called me and told me that the officer wanted me to get closer (like no more than 30 feet). The next time, I understood what to do. Until the LEO met up with me, I drove only a little over the speed limit (about like most of us do all the time anyway) and stopped at stop signs and red lights. I didn't want to compound the situation by being in an automobile accident.

I haven't tried it, but I think if I called and alerted them that I needed to get to the hospital in a hurry because I wanted to see someone whose death was imminent, all I'd get would be an admonishment to relax and not break any traffic rules.

I will agree that the cop was a little over the top in the jerk category but Moats expectations were a little too much, too.

[G.C.Montgomery]

Obviously, I look at it differently than most. But the gravely ill person wasn't in the car nor was anyone a doctor who was in the car who needed to get there to possibly save someone. I've been in that situation a number of times. I still don't think it's OK to run stop lights, speed or otherwise drive in a manner that would endanger anyone in the vehicle or other drivers or pedestrians. I have, on two occasions, rushed people to an emergency room with life threatening conditions. Both times I called 911 and explained my situation. Both times a LEO met up with me and gave me an escort. His exact words were, "Stay right on my tail." The first time this happened, the dispatcher called me and told me that the officer wanted me to get closer (like no more than 30 feet). The next time, I understood what to do. Until the LEO met up with me, I drove only a little over the speed limit (about like most of us do all the time anyway) and stopped at stop signs and red lights. I didn't want to compound the situation by being in an automobile accident.

I haven't tried it, but I think if I called and alerted them that I needed to get to the hospital in a hurry because I wanted to see someone whose death was imminent, all I'd get would be an admonishment to relax and not break any traffic rules.

I will agree that the cop was a little over the top in the jerk category but Moats expectations were a little too much, too.

I won’t lie and claim I’ve been in that situation but, I am able to empathize with someone who is rushing to the side of a dying loved one. It is my belief that Powell was beyond just being a jerk and I don't believe Moats's expectations were beyond reason. Based on overwheming respsonse from the public and most of the law enforcement community, you and Officer Powell do look at things a little differently than most.

The initial traffic stop and Powell’s authority to stop Moats isn’t an issue. Moats was speeding and he ran an intersection. Those are offenses under the law and Powell was fully justified in chasing Moats to detain him for the initial traffic stop. I don’t think anyone has argued against this fact. What is at issue is Powell’s behavior after he became aware emergency conditions did exist. Powell was notified not once, but twice by third parties that there was in fact an emergency requiring Moats’s presence inside the hospital. Even with this information in hand, Powell failed to act reasonably.

At no time during the traffic stop did Moats identify himself as anyone special (that is if you watched the same video as the rest of us). Nor did Moats request special treatment beyond stating the emergency and asking the officer to conduct his business as quickly as possible and to be released to enter the hospital due to said emergency. That’s a perfectly reasonable request to me but, apparently you and Powell apparently disagree. Instead of offering help as most of the rest of us might expect, Powell lectures Moats about his attitude and tells Moats “I can screw you over…your attitude sucks.” Moats was about as compliant as an emotionally distressed person could be at that point so the threat wasn’t necessary.

Fairly early on, Powell is notified by a nurse and a security guard that Moats really is needed inside the hospital. If you watched the video, you should note the first nurse actually tells Powell that Moats and his father-in-law are needed inside to authorize resuscitation of the dying party! Powell could and should have released Moats at that time if he had exercised any common sense. Instead Powell continued to detain Moats and process the citation. At the very least this was an error in judgment. However, the earlier “I can screw you over” statement by Powell just makes it look like Powell is abusing his authority.

Things go from bad to worse when Powell is notified a second time by hospital staff that Moats was needed inside. Instead of either expediting the citation and/or releasing Moats, Powell continues to detain Moats and then lectures Moats about Moats failure to respect Powell’s authority to stop and detain him. That’s not over the top; it’s stupid and poorly represents police to the community at large because Powell wasn’t helping anyone. If you can’t see that, I am truly glad you are not a cop because you would endanger the lives of your fellow cops and the citizens you’d supposedly serve.

Most of us know cops already get a bad rap because the only time most of us see them is at the worst times in our lives. I grew up with cops in my family yet, I once held great contempt for most cops for that very reason. The public at large is ignorant of the fact that most cops do a great job of providing a necessary service to the community in which they live because they see themselves as members of the community. They quiety go about their duties without asking for special thanks or recognition. The officers who make it hard for everyone and make the news are those acting as Powell did by forgetting they are providing a service to the community rather than keeping the public under their thumb. In this case, Powell lived down to the image of an idiot going out of his way to prove “I’m the police and I’m in charge” rather than actually helping these people.

I don’t know Powell so I can’t know if his apology for this incident is sincere. I seriously doubt that it is in light of the video and the fact he allegedly told his supervisors he did nothing wrong even after viewing the video in their presence. If Powell is convinced this is the way to do his job; there’s a serious leadership problem in the Big D that is endangering the public and the police. I hope that’s not the issue and I hope Powell is just a young officer who might learn better interpersonal skills from this incident. If not, Powell is surely going to have a rough career and or a tragically short one in which Powell’s attitude gets him, another officer and/or a citizen needlessly killed.

[DEADEYE1964]

Obviously, I look at it differently than most. But the gravely ill person wasn't in the car nor was anyone a doctor who was in the car who needed to get there to possibly save someone. I've been in that situation a number of times. I still don't think it's OK to run stop lights, speed or otherwise drive in a manner that would endanger anyone in the vehicle or other drivers or pedestrians. I have, on two occasions, rushed people to an emergency room with life threatening conditions. Both times I called 911 and explained my situation. Both times a LEO met up with me and gave me an escort. His exact words were, "Stay right on my tail." The first time this happened, the dispatcher called me and told me that the officer wanted me to get closer (like no more than 30 feet). The next time, I understood what to do. Until the LEO met up with me, I drove only a little over the speed limit (about like most of us do all the time anyway) and stopped at stop signs and red lights. I didn't want to compound the situation by being in an automobile accident.

I haven't tried it, but I think if I called and alerted them that I needed to get to the hospital in a hurry because I wanted to see someone whose death was imminent, all I'd get would be an admonishment to relax and not break any traffic rules.

I will agree that the cop was a little over the top in the jerk category but Moats expectations were a little too much, too.

I won’t lie and claim I’ve been in that situation but, I am able to empathize with someone who is rushing to the side of a dying loved one. It is my belief that Powell was beyond just being a jerk and I don't believe Moats's expectations were beyond reason. Based on overwheming respsonse from the public and most of the law enforcement community, you and Officer Powell do look at things a little differently than most.

The initial traffic stop and Powell’s authority to stop Moats isn’t an issue. Moats was speeding and he ran an intersection. Those are offenses under the law and Powell was fully justified in chasing Moats to detain him for the initial traffic stop. I don’t think anyone has argued against this fact. What is at issue is Powell’s behavior after he became aware emergency conditions did exist. Powell was notified not once, but twice by third parties that there was in fact an emergency requiring Moats’s presence inside the hospital. Even with this information in hand, Powell failed to act reasonably.

At no time during the traffic stop did Moats identify himself as anyone special (that is if you watched the same video as the rest of us). Nor did Moats request special treatment beyond stating the emergency and asking the officer to conduct his business as quickly as possible and to be released to enter the hospital due to said emergency. That’s a perfectly reasonable request to me but, apparently you and Powell apparently disagree. Instead of offering help as most of the rest of us might expect, Powell lectures Moats about his attitude and tells Moats “I can screw you over…your attitude sucks.” Moats was about as compliant as an emotionally distressed person could be at that point so the threat wasn’t necessary.

Fairly early on, Powell is notified by a nurse and a security guard that Moats really is needed inside the hospital. If you watched the video, you should note the first nurse actually tells Powell that Moats and his father-in-law are needed inside to authorize resuscitation of the dying party! Powell could and should have released Moats at that time if he had exercised any common sense. Instead Powell continued to detain Moats and process the citation. At the very least this was an error in judgment. However, the earlier “I can screw you over” statement by Powell just makes it look like Powell is abusing his authority.

Things go from bad to worse when Powell is notified a second time by hospital staff that Moats was needed inside. Instead of either expediting the citation and/or releasing Moats, Powell continues to detain Moats and then lectures Moats about Moats failure to respect Powell’s authority to stop and detain him. That’s not over the top; it’s stupid and poorly represents police to the community at large because Powell wasn’t helping anyone. If you can’t see that, I am truly glad you are not a cop because you would endanger the lives of your fellow cops and the citizens you’d supposedly serve.

Most of us know cops already get a bad rap because the only time most of us see them is at the worst times in our lives. I grew up with cops in my family yet, I once held great contempt for most cops for that very reason. The public at large is ignorant of the fact that most cops do a great job of providing a necessary service to the community in which they live because they see themselves as members of the community. They quiety go about their duties without asking for special thanks or recognition. The officers who make it hard for everyone and make the news are those acting as Powell did by forgetting they are providing a service to the community rather than keeping the public under their thumb. In this case, Powell lived down to the image of an idiot going out of his way to prove “I’m the police and I’m in charge” rather than actually helping these people.

I don’t know Powell so I can’t know if his apology for this incident is sincere. I seriously doubt that it is in light of the video and the fact he allegedly told his supervisors he did nothing wrong even after viewing the video in their presence. If Powell is convinced this is the way to do his job; there’s a serious leadership problem in the Big D that is endangering the public and the police. I hope that’s not the issue and I hope Powell is just a young officer who might learn better interpersonal skills from this incident. If not, Powell is surely going to have a rough career and or a tragically short one in which Powell’s attitude gets him, another officer and/or a citizen needlessly killed.

He did not blast through the red light or was he driving 100 mph like the idiot cop in Dallas last week that flipped his car, he slowed down to make sure no one was coming then ran the light, I would do the same. Several more reports are coming out about this cop, this was not an isolated incident. This guy is a power munger and needs to be dealt with.

[DEADEYE1964]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

I did not get that at all when I watched the video, he actually handled it better than I would have. The cop was out of line and abused his power. He will get his one day, he will pull over the wrong guy having a bad day and pull his crap and get what he deserves. Like I said earlier, a few bad apples make the whole force look bad and LEO'S wonders why no one trust them. They need to make an example out of him to regain at least some public trust.

Can I ask what you think he deserves?

I think he deserves to have the crap beat out of him and with his attitude, he will get it. His job is to serve and protect, not abuse his power with his badge. Like I said in another post, several more reports are coming out about this guy, it was not an isolated incident. There will be more reports, do you think he just started being a jerk that day ?

[cdc101]

If he wasn't some kind of celebrity would this even make the news?

I agree. I saw the video when it first came out. I guess I look at it a little differently. It seemed to me that the officer would have let it go if Moats had simply provided proof of insurance. In Dallas, if someone is stopped for a traffice violation and cannot provide, the car is supposed to be impounded. It seemed to me that Powell really didn't want to do that be Moats was forcing his hand. I'm a little surprised that people here are OK with people not having insurance on the vehicle they drive.
I guess if you drive a Cadillac Escalade, it's OK to violate the law. Sure, Powell could have shown more compassion but (it seemed to me) that Moats expected special treatment.

I did not get that at all when I watched the video, he actually handled it better than I would have. The cop was out of line and abused his power. He will get his one day, he will pull over the wrong guy having a bad day and pull his crap and get what he deserves. Like I said earlier, a few bad apples make the whole force look bad and LEO'S wonders why no one trust them. They need to make an example out of him to regain at least some public trust.

Can I ask what you think he deserves?

I think he deserves to have the crap beat out of him and with his attitude, he will get it. His job is to serve and protect, not abuse his power with his badge. Like I said in another post, several more reports are coming out about this guy, it was not an isolated incident. There will be more reports, do you think he just started being a jerk that day ?

Usually, when someone says 'you'll get what you deserve', they are talking about more than just getting the caRp (12 y.o. daughter rule) beat out of them. It's apparent that is not what you meant...which I/we now know.

When did I say anything about his jerkness starting that particular day?

[G.C.Montgomery]

He did not blast through the red light or was he driving 100 mph like the idiot cop in Dallas last week that flipped his car, he slowed down to make sure no one was coming then ran the light, I would do the same. Several more reports are coming out about this cop, this was not an isolated incident. This guy is a power munger and needs to be dealt with.

Powell's decision to stop and detain Moats was correct. Until Moats stopped, there was no way for Powell to know why Moats was speeding or failing to obey traffic devices. So the initial traffic stop was certainly legit. To argue otherwise is unreasonable. It's Powell's behavior after that point which is at issue and as you noted, this apparently isn't his first time showing poor judgment. Like I said, if Powell can't figure it out, he's in for a rough and/or short career.

[DEADEYE1964]

He did not blast through the red light or was he driving 100 mph like the idiot cop in Dallas last week that flipped his car, he slowed down to make sure no one was coming then ran the light, I would do the same. Several more reports are coming out about this cop, this was not an isolated incident. This guy is a power munger and needs to be dealt with.

Powell's decision to stop and detain Moats was correct. Until Moats stopped, there was no way for Powell to know why Moats was speeding or failing to obey traffic devices. So the initial traffic stop was certainly legit. To argue otherwise is unreasonable. It's Powell's behavior after that point which is at issue and as you noted, this apparently isn't his first time showing poor judgment. Like I said, if Powell can't figure it out, he's in for a rough and/or short career.

I agree, I am not upset about the traffic stop, I am upset after two nurses and a Plano cop told him the situation after Moats told him several times as well. I do not know if you heard the scum bags response but he said, I am almost done. I hope someone beats the hell out of this guy and teaches him some manners.

[G.C.Montgomery]

I agree, I am not upset about the traffic stop, I am upset after two nurses and a Plano cop told him the situation after Moats told him several times as well. I do not know if you heard the scum bags response but he said, I am almost done. I hope someone beats the heck out of this guy and teaches him some manners.

Yep, I heard him. I don’t wish Powell any undue harm but, I do hope he doesn’t do this again. If, as it appears, Powell has a history of this sort of behavior then it’s past time to weed him out. Part of me just wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. In that case, Powell’s actions make me wonder if he just so consumed with writing a citation that he just plain wasn’t listening. That’s not an excuse, but I’m curious to know why he was so dense that day.