Ambulance VS. Police

[vxsarin]

Watching that video is just making my blood fucking boil. Fuck them man.

[DarkKnightJared]

Originally Posted by vxsarin

Watching that video is just making my blood fucking boil. Fuck them man.

As a wise man once said:

[Forbin]

Originally Posted by DarkKnightJared

My question is--why should someone be arrested for insulting a cop? What if the person insulting the cop is someone around a dumbfuck officer like the one in the tape? If you see a cop trying to choke out an ambulance supervisor and you call the cop a dick, does he even have the right to arrest you, let alone beat you with a billy club while doing so?

I know you're more considering a guy just yelling at a cop walking the street like Keith mentioned a while back, but the inate problem with any authority figure is if you give them an inch, they'll worm and use that inch as much as possible to get your ass a mile away.

I don't think that somebody who just randomnly insults a cop should be arrested neccersarily, but then I'm a pinko commie baby faggot european. I think that police should have a duty of care to all citizen's, irrespective of how much of a douche that they are being. That doesn't mean that I think people have the right to abuse the police, or that the police shouldn't be allowed to defend themselves when neccersary, just that the police shouldn't percieve themselves as enforcers who have the right to dispense summurary justice to those who don't pay proper respect.

From this subject comming up on other message boards, however, I know that many American's don't agree with me on this.

[DarkKnightJared]

Originally Posted by Forbin

I don't think that somebody who just randomnly insults a cop should be arrested neccersarily, but then I'm a pinko commie baby faggot european. I think that police should have a duty of care to all citizen's, irrespective of how much of a douche that they are being. That doesn't mean that I think people have the right to abuse the police, or that the police shouldn't be allowed to defend themselves when neccersary, just that the police shouldn't percieve themselves as enforcers who have the right to dispense summurary justice to those who don't pay proper respect.

From this subject comming up on other message boards, however, I know that many American's don't agree with me on this.

To be fair, there is a big difference between a cop protecting himself because someone's actually trying to physically harm him and a cop using his authority to yell at an ambulance supervisor who was completely in the right.

[Dodecahedron]

This is really neither here nor there, but I did notice that the ambulance was driving at a moderate speed and did not have sirens or ligths on. I don't know the protocol for using lights in an emergency vs not-quite-an-emergency. Given this, I can only assume that the driver of the ambulance should have heard the police car way before he approached the parked car and could have easily pulled over, if that was his intention. Maybe the driver wasn't really paying attention, or maybe he had a right to be on the road, I'm not certain. But I'd be careful before I sudennly claimed that the ambulance driver was "completely in the right." What persued was not acceptable ont he cop's part in any way. however also the ambulance attendent could have said "pleas ebe quick so we can get ourr patient to the hospital" taken the ticket, got the woman to the hospital, and then fought the ticket later.

[rehtaFrey]

I don't think the choking is necessary. You either taser someone or you don't.

[EastTexas]

There ya go cops. You hire some real assholes and don't monitor them, that's why I never trust any of you.

I know you assume because the ambulance didn't have the emergency lights on the patient was ok, but I never heard the officer once ask the status of the patient to see if this EMT was assisting someone in a life threating situation. He was too busy being upset about his authority as an officer being slighted to care whether someone was dying in the back of there.

[hayroob]

My problem with this is that even if at the end of the whole thing they decide that the cop is completely in the wrong and should never have stopped the ambulance he'll get a short suspension and then go back to being a dick bag. These things never end with the cop shit canned.

[DozerMungus]

I just came across this thread and really found that I had to respond. From what I can tell from the "limited" vidoes that I have watched, there are a couple issues that I believe should be addressed.

1. I have taken EMT-B and though awhile ago and not nationally registered it was very clear in our instruction that you would use your lights and horn when you needed to draw on peoples attention to yeild the right away. It was not something to be used all the time because of the unneccessary attention.

2. As veteran, and when it comes to physical action, I am not allowed to treat anyone, meaning where I am here, home in the USA, the way he did. There is ABSOLUTELY no excuse.

[benjita]

Good point, Dozer, and FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!

There is no reason for a cop to be acting that way. If his intention was to arrest the EMT, then he should have cuffed him. This was intended to demean and intimidate the EMT, and should be considered an assault.

Even the most physical altercations involving cops should never end with a cop with his bare hand wrapped around a man's neck. Pinning a violent man down, arms behind the back, even using the club, I can see, if the perpetrator is violent and poses a threat. But NEVER, EVER should a cop be choking out someone.

I'm not saying the EMT is entirely in the right, as I don't know the circumstances, but this is a clear case of the police overstepping their bounds.