Oklahoma state trooper shoots unarmed man in the back

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tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
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I agree with that. She acted "unprofessional" because the guy wasn't listening and she had appear like she's a person who could make him comply through threats; and when he complied at first, she acted fine. I really don't see a problem there - I've seen even big male cops having to act tough at the get-go so the suspect would understand that the cops shouldn't be messed with...now, why are people giving this small female cop grief for doing the same thing?
I'm not sure people are giving her grief. Its very clear by the history of her coming to the force in light of this video that she is not fit to be a patrol officer and that many police officials have known she is not fit to be a patrol officer but continue to put her back on the street (she's back on the street again).

I don't think she should be fired, but at the least she should be permanently pulled off patrol duty, not as punishment, but for the public safety. She isn't fit to do the job safely and professionally. Maybe she can handle some position in the jail, transporting prisoners, court security, or as a desk cop.
 

I know I'm a bit late to the thread, and I haven't read the whole thing, but I find it interesting that the only time we hear her call over the radio for assistance is after she shot the guy. I'd assume that (and if I were a cop, I certainly would) she'd want to call for assistance for a belligerent drunk who looks shifty. If he looks like he might run, I'd want another officer there to be able to subdue him first.

I'm not sure what her department's SOP states, but I definitely think she handled the situation extremely poorly, not to mention the fact that she shot an unarmed drunk man.

:|
 

Aceshigh

Platinum Member
Aug 22, 2002
2,529
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Race is definitely an issue here because if it were a white officer and a black motorist was shot, there would be civil rights groups and the media all over this. But because the guy was white its okay right?

Where's the outrage? Where's the ACLU? Why the double standard? He wasn't threatening the officer. On the other hand he was acting scared of the officer.
 

jteef

Golden Member
Feb 20, 2001
1,355
0
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i like how that previous article somebody posted about how she is back on the force and that her fvckup was a 'split second mistake' that should be forgiven when she clearly threatens to shoot him for several minutes. some could even call that pre-meditated. i'd vote for no less than 10-12 for attempted manslaughter.
 

MillionaireNextDoor

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 2000
2,918
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Originally posted by: diegoalcatraz
Originally posted by: IBuyUFO
I like that officer. :) Jesus took that guy so long to comply with her. He was clearly drunk. Too bad that tard is still alive.

The idiot should get his hospital bill paid, and the officer fired. That'll set everything square :)

Although this shooting will probably not create any riots, your suggested course of action probably will :)

Reverse-discrimination at its best.
 

PlatinumGold

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
23,168
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Originally posted by: ohtwell
What a b1tch!


: ) Amanda

exactly. :)


i still can't believe that we have posted 106 times in this thread.

what exactly is the debate? she fvcked up and if she hadn't been a black female EVERYONE would have said she fvcked up.
 

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
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Originally posted by: jteef
i like how that previous article somebody posted about how she is back on the force and that her fvckup was a 'split second mistake' that should be forgiven when she clearly threatens to shoot him for several minutes. some could even call that pre-meditated. i'd vote for no less than 10-12 for attempted manslaughter.

The bad part is is that somehow I think she had decided to shoot this guy already. I am willing to bet she was hoping to keep it all off camera. If you notice she 1) gets him off camera, 2) keeps pushing issues of him trying to assault her ('get off me, what are you crazy!'), keeps mentioning using force upon him, and then brings him off camera to the side and even has him sit in the FRONT of the squad car....any time I have been talked to by the police in their vehicles they put me in the back....even in 'civil' matters.

Watching the tape a few times now it just feels like she was hoping the situation would escalate and was almost forcing it to with fear and confusion tactics.

Å
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,338
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The funny thing I've been seeing is a lot of people who sided with the white Cincinnati police officer (Steven Roach) for shooting and killing the unarmed black suspect who was running away (not the 300lb guy incident), saying that they always side with the police because they're just doing their jobs and that the suspect deserved to be shot, are the very same people who are condemning this black cop for doing hers. Since those people wanted to turn this in a race issue, I want to ask them if they think only white cops would not abuse their position or if only black suspects deserved to be shot. Of course, I don't expect people to give me a real answer, but I am very interested to see how people justify their defense of the white cop and their attack on this black cop, who both had to deal with suspects who won't comply.
I think you may have been lacking some critical information before making such an idiotic comparison between the shooting of Timothy Thomas or any of the other "14 black men killed by Cincinnati Police in recent years" the media kindly informed us of a few hundred times without ever bothering with the details.

Thomas had 14 outstanding warrants and was a felon fleeing police when he was shot. Officer Roach was prosecuted and acquitted of charges that the presiding judge later described as "unjust and unfounded" stopping short of calling the charges motivated by race politics. Officer Roach had no previous record of complaints and his evaluations were always exemplary.
 

Spencer278

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 2002
3,637
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Yeah thats fvcked up. Why was the guy in the front drivers side seat of the car? That in of it self is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of a cop doing. I wouldn't even think they would put a suspect in a car with out cuffs on them no less let them drive. I would say 10-12 would be a good start for that bitch.
 

flyfish

Senior member
Oct 23, 2000
856
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I've sat in the passenger seat of the Highway Patrol, while he looked me up on the computer.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
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Originally posted by: flyfish
I've sat in the passenger seat of the Highway Patrol, while he looked me up on the computer.
I was, when I was involved in a car accident. Undeniably this is a STUPID thing to do if you're going to potentially arrest somebody, or they're under drunks/lots of booze, etc. That's retarded to the highest degree.
She is a woman who has a chip on her shoulder because she thinks she is not respected. Either because of her gender or physical size. This becomes obvious when she overreacts to the suspects failure to pull over (she failed to use her siren). She overreacted to his inability or refusal to follow to follow her instructions during the stop (she verbally abuses him which only confused/frightened the man even more). Then, when he resisted arrest it became obvious to her that she would be unable to physically force him to submit so she became enraged and did what she felt trapped into doing. She shot him (she could have called for backup but in her mind that would have been a failure on her part)
Sounds about right.
 

mastertech01

Moderator Emeritus Elite Member
Nov 13, 1999
11,875
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Im not defending this Patrolman in any way. If she is wrong then she should be punished appropriately. But I do know that just the day after Christmas an OHP Patrolman was shot to death during a traffic stop, and this may have influenced her over reaction.
 

Palek

Senior member
Jun 20, 2001
937
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Originally posted by: mastertech01
Im not defending this Patrolman in any way. If she is wrong then she should be punished appropriately. But I do know that just the day after Christmas an OHP Patrolman was shot to death during a traffic stop, and this may have influenced her over reaction.
The video clearly shows the date, 06/07/2003, so I doubt that.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,145
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Originally posted by: mastertech01
Im not defending this Patrolman in any way. If she is wrong then she should be punished appropriately. But I do know that just the day after Christmas an OHP Patrolman was shot to death during a traffic stop, and this may have influenced her over reaction.

heh there are times when knowing WTF people are talking about is worth it.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
55,826
13,875
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Originally posted by: Palek
Originally posted by: mastertech01
Im not defending this Patrolman in any way. If she is wrong then she should be punished appropriately. But I do know that just the day after Christmas an OHP Patrolman was shot to death during a traffic stop, and this may have influenced her over reaction.
The video clearly shows the date, 06/07/2003, so I doubt that.

Yeah, I was going to say if that's the case, she should be wealthy becuase she can see the future.
 

Rogue

Banned
Jan 28, 2000
5,774
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I'm sure officer.com weighed in on it, but for those that haven't seen their response, let me give you mine as an officer.

First off, her command voice and authority sucked. She NEVER provided him with clear, concise instructions. Through the entire thing she did nothing more than badger, insult and demean him. She entered into this entire stop emotionally charged and ready to fight this guy. Her forceful coughing on the video prior to initializing the traffic stop was enough for me to realize she was physically charged up before making the stop.

Second, her demeanor completely and utterly lacked in professionalism. From the very first use of profanity, she failed. Never mind the fact of her removing the guy from his vehicle like she did. I'm sure she suspected him of DUI as a reason for the stop, so why would you EVER ask a drunk to get out of their vehicle on an interstate road and risk him/her tumbling into traffic. Stupid, stupid, stupid incompetent mistake.

Third, she should have had him sit down on the embankment, called for backup and waited for assistance. This only further shows her state of mind as being charged up, but also points to her incompetence.

Fourth, she should have sprayed him with OC when he resisted the cuffs. One verbal warning, then whip out the canister and spray. She also potentially blew the entire DUI conviction when he stated he had a physical impairment (besides the alcohol) but she still made him participate in the field sobriety test (FST). When she used the HGN test (the pen and eyes test) on him, she should have been able to guage his level of intoxication from that alone. Granted, in most states HGN is not admissible in a DUI case, but it would have been enough for her to apprehend once he said he couldn't participate in the FST.

I don't see any point in this entire thing where she could have felt threatened enough to fire her weapon at this guy, much less threaten him with it. It's a travesty that she's not fired or charged with a crime for that matter. If any of my officers were ever this incompetent, I'd have them removed from service immediately and I would write a scathing report on their inability to conduct themselves in their duties. That is all.
 
May 31, 2001
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Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Palek
Originally posted by: mastertech01
Im not defending this Patrolman in any way. If she is wrong then she should be punished appropriately. But I do know that just the day after Christmas an OHP Patrolman was shot to death during a traffic stop, and this may have influenced her over reaction.
The video clearly shows the date, 06/07/2003, so I doubt that.

Yeah, I was going to say if that's the case, she should be wealthy becuase she can see the future.

Mistress Cleo, the Fakin' Jamaican became a cop? :Q
 

Mookow

Lifer
Apr 24, 2001
10,162
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Originally posted by: ShotgunSteve
Originally posted by: Amused
Yeah, I was going to say if that's the case, she should be wealthy becuase she can see the future.

Mistress Cleo, the Fakin' Jamaican became a cop? :Q

Hey, apparently they had a quota to fill for "female fraud Jamaican pyschic's"
 

My god. This is just sad. As a law enforcement major, I am simply shocked this person made it through the training. And to think, the federal government is starting to shut down funding for some police related programs...such as schooling and police training. Sigh. I sad day for law enforcement, that is for sure.

BTW, i think she should be prosecuted.
 

ctcsoft

Platinum Member
Nov 21, 2003
2,382
0
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i hate cops like this!!!

their always messing up like this and taking lives. then they just get
suspended briefly then reinstated within months like nothing f'in
happened!!!

BS BS BS but... we gotta live with it.

 

Originally posted by: jmoe782
i hate cops like this!!!

their always messing up like this and taking lives. then they just get
suspended briefly then reinstated within months like nothing f'in
happened!!!

BS BS BS but... we gotta live with it.

Many members of the law enforcement community think she shouldnt have been hired, let alone put on the streets. I for one would love to see her prosecuted. If she is put back on the streets, the outrage created, along with the negative publicity, should force her to quit.
 

McCarthy

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,567
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First question, since I actually bothered reading the replies...what's this no RM thing about? RealPlayer 8 basic works fine, not my player of choice, but something strange about the I WILL NOT watch RM type replies.

Anyway

Completely unprofessional from start to finish. Even without law enforcement training it's obvious to most people that the best way to get anyone to comply, especially if you suspect them of being intoxicated, is to remain calm and authoritative. This means not swearing every other word, screaming like a hysterical woman, making wild threats....and dare I say it, using clear english helps too. "I got a gun" "Turn around!!!!! Im'a shoot you!" Can't really blame the guy for not wanting to turn around given those instructions.

I'm not surprised at the lack of riots, press coverage, etc. I am very surprised she has been returned to duty though. That's mind boggling. Even before the shooting she had done almost nothing in an appropriate manner.
 
Aug 8, 2001
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Originally posted by: Mill
All you have to do is watch.

All I can say as a CJ student and someone who wants to go into Law Enforcement was that she was 100% wrong. People on the officer.com message boards are outraged that she was not fired for this incident. A few OK state troopers said that was known to be a threat before she completed training, and that they campaigned against her hire. Not only that, but she attempted to quit the academy three times, but the brass begged her to stay because she would be the first Black female officer they had. Not only that, but she failed parts of the academy, and when she passed her FTO during training wanted to fail her. Unfortunately, she leaves a big black eye on anyone who believes in competent police work, and leaves a bigger black eye on her department. She was reassigned to other duties and will NOT be charged with a crime.

Hey, Mill I thought the cop was always right? I'm sorry but I'm inclined to believe the cop over an unarmed victim. Right....
 

arcenite

Lifer
Dec 9, 2001
10,658
3
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She's a B!tch

Bill

Edit: after seeing the entire video, I can't fathom how anyone would even consider putting her as$ back on the streets...