Officers suspended in case of woman who miscarried

CNN.com/Associated Press ^ | February 2, 2007 | CNN

[faloi]

Suspension is the least of what should happen to them. The woman was obviously requesting medical assistance, and given that she was a nonviolent offender it seems like the proper course of action is to secure medical assistance prior to patting yourself on the back for getting another person who vagrantly flaunts minor traffic laws off the street.

[Leatherneck_MT]

While the video does seem to indicate that a firing would be the proper course of action, (and I'm not a LEO cheerleader), I personally would rather see them finish their investigation first.

For this reason.

I think more heads need to roll on this incident than just the cops at the scene. As someone else mentioned in this thread, she was in lockup overnight and had to have her clothes changed several times. More than just the arresting officers need to swing on this one.

[freedomfiter2]

This poor lady needs a better attorney too. If I were the city I'd settle for the $25K she is seeking.


Yeah, I'd settle quickly. She could get ten times that in a heartbeat.

[Teacher317]

Sounds like a clearcut case of wrongful death to me.

You'd have to prove that the child/fetus/tissue-blob wasn't already dead/miscarried/non-viable.
The woman said she was already bleeding when the cops were arresting her.

[sweet_diane]

I just watched the video. Unbelievable. One of the times she explains that she's pregnant and bleeding the FEMALE officer says "It's called a menstrual cycle."

Not that I would expect that from a male officer, but it coming from a female makes my blood boil hotter. I'm not a fan of lawsuits, yet in this case I hope she OWNS the entire police department after this.

[joe fonebone]

WOW........kill a kid, get a paid vacation...how do I get in on this gravy train?

[Shimmer128]

ping

[em2vn]

That was what Fox News stated when it ran the tape of the incident.

[wideminded]

While there is a limited need for female police officers, most women who would want to become one shouldn't.

I've encountered some very good female police officers. In particular one who responded when I had a car break in. Competent. Professional. Smart. Beautiful. She said that police work was a family tradition.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

"There's a lot of guys people who want to be are police officers who shouldn't be police officers.

[stuartcr]

At least if they had shot her, they would have brought her to a hospital before jail...

[agrace]

Actually, a live baby boy was born the next morning and died after one minute. He might have been saved had these jerks listened to her the night before.

[elkfersupper]

Those officers should be seriously reprimanded then fired!

Yes. Had the child survived, he or she would probably eventually request a driver license; thereby becoming a revenue source.

This is fiscal irresponsibility of the highest order (/sarcasm).

[traviskicks]

Libertarian ping! To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[Kozak]

Guess what the medical treatment for a miscarriage in the first trimester is?

NOTHING.

There is no way to stop one.
That said she should have been evaluated. But "wrongful death is a long long long long stretch.

[Emmett McCarthy]

The only way to live reasonably free is to avoid all contact with the police. Period. Once a person is in their net for any reason, they are utterly at their mercy - and there's rarely any of that. They keep a person locked up overnight just for the fun of exercising their power. When the arrested person asks if the cops have called the wife, husband, Dad or Mom, they lie and say they called "but nobody picked up". I also am no fan of lawsuits, but until local governments and police departments suffer - and I mean suffer greatly - because of actions like this, there will be no change.

[MIDad23]

It is "in excess of $25,000." 25K is probably the jurisdictional amount for their trial courts, rather than the smaller claims-type courts.

[VeritatisSplendor]

Kozak, there is something called a threatened miscarriage. Bleeding, but the baby isn't dead. She might have had a weak cervix and a cerclage might have stopped the dilation. She might have had contractions, that medicine had a chance of stopping. She might have had a small placental abruption, that might have clotted and resolved with bedrest.

She was bleeding so much that sanitary napkins weren't enough, they had to bring her new pants several times. That woman needed to be in a hospital.

Mrs VS

[spectre]

If she'd have been bleeding from her nose, would they then have taken her to the hospital?

I'm disgusted with the ignorance these officers displayed, and this is a case where a lawsuit is clearly called for.

sw

[Kozak]

I happen to be an ER doc with 20 years experience. I deal with threatened SAB all the time. There is NO TREATMENT for SAB in the first trimester. They either miscarry, or they don't.You don't do a cerclage in the first trimester because an incompetent cervix is not the cause of miscarriage in the first trimester. Ditto placenta previa or abruption, NOT first trimester problems.

I SAID she needed to be evaluated, women DO bleed to death from a miscarriage. Sometimes they need a D&C to stop the bleeding. But to say they caused a "wrongful death" is just a completely inaccurate statement.