EMT Who Fought With Oklahoma Trooper Wants Officer to Lose Badge

AP (via FOX News) ^ | June 16, 2009

[Eddings]

OKLAHOMA CITY — The paramedic who scuffled with an Oklahoma highway police officer while a patient waited inside the ambulance says the trooper should lose his badge.

Maurice White Jr. said Tuesday on the CBS "Early Show" that trooper Daniel Martin was in a state of rage when he stopped his ambulance and totally disregarded the patient's safety.

Martin stopped the ambulance May 24 for failing to yield.

White says he got out of the ambulance to tell the trooper they were taking a patient to the hospital. The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle and Martin put White in a choke hold.

[Travis T. OJustice]

NOT photoshopped:

[gridlock]

I agree that once the confrontation was started, the cops response to a confrontation was reasonable, although I do not know the legality of the chokehold.

People are throwing the term "chokehold" around pretty casually. The thing you saw in the video was not a chokehold.

A chokehold was a technique police used to use to subdue subjects by getting an arm around their necks and applying pressure to the arteries supplying blood to the brain by squeezing the neck of the subject in the crook of their elbow. This technique would render the subject weakened, or even unconscious.

This was SOP for a long time, but in the early 1990s the practice fell out of favor as being too dangerous to the person being controlled, because it could cause permanent brain damage or even death. Many departments banned chokeholds altogether. About the same time Tazers became commonmplace equipment for police officers, and the use of Tazers became the safer alternative to the chokehold.

This officer had his hand on EMT White's neck. I am not sure exactly what technique that might be, but it is not a chokehold, and it was not dangerous in the same way a chokehold would be.

[Filo]

(I still think those 20% are heroes, though.)

Agreed even if I don't agree with the number.

My problem is that many of that "heroes" percentage don't address the rest directly. There was a post above about fellows of this officer not being surprised at his overreaction.

Why didn't those other officers do something? Would they have even felt guilty if this rogue cop had taken the next step and shot the EMT for pulling him away?

[gridlock]

10-1 the cop went ballistic because it was a black guy. I hope the cop’s wife gets a case of jungle fever. But there’s no need to play the race card.

After you say you hope the cop's wife gets a case of Jungle Fever, it's a little bit late to un-play the race card...

[muawiyah]

The officer must be presumed to be smart enough to know that the ambulance driver is not the caregiver, and that the caregiver is IN CHARGE.

By this time in his career the cop should have already met most of the EMTs in the area and been apprised of "what goes on jus' so's ya' know".

Otherwise we really have to ask what what he was doing patrolling that territory.

[muawiyah]

It was certainly dangeorus to someone's career. I can just see this particular trooper off in the ditch after a wintertime spinout, and the Creek Nation ambulance is coming down the road and is the only thing between him freezing to death or living.

Will EMT White stop or will he go on by ~ or will he remember that "choke hold that's not a choke hold" and laugh quietly to himself as he prepares to drag the cop out of the patrol car and lay him out neatly in a foot of snow just for safe keeping for a few minutes.

I figure 15 minutes would be just about right to get the point across without hurting the guy anymore than necessary.

[ketsu]

Occifer Neckvein's point of view is immaterial. As other posters have pointed out in copious detail, the EMT outranked him in this situation. He should have stood down and found someone else to bully.

As it stands he committed one if not multiple felonies by detaining and assaulting emergency workers.

Ambulances *are* special and EMTs are even *more* special. If the law actually applied to the police this piece of rancid bacon would be be some big brother's girlfriend in federal prison.

Here's hoping he gets the chance.

[ketsu]

This officer had his hand on EMT White's neck. I am not sure exactly what technique that might be, but it is not a chokehold, and it was not dangerous in the same way a chokehold would be.

Still a felony. Are you really this stupid? Is anyone?

[gridlock]

As it stands he committed one if not multiple felonies by detaining and assaulting emergency workers.

And yet the officer is not being charged with anything.

It turns out that all the people on this thread are right, and the authority having jurisdiction over this matter is wrong.

How 'bout that...

[Vendome]

Where are you reading that from?

Thanks in advance.

[Tramonto]

EMT White’s mistake was that he got out of the ambulance. If you get out of the vehicle on a traffic stop without the officer’s permission, you are in a whole heap of trouble. If the officer is real nice, he’ll ask you to get back into the vehicle. If the officer is not, he’ll arrest you on the spot.

The cop assaulted an EMT that was transporting a patent. He should be fired, prosecuted and sent to prison. The paramedic acted like a professional.

[gridlock]

Gotta motor. I’ll check in later.

[ketsu]

And yet the officer is not being charged with anything.

It turns out that all the people on this thread are right, and the authority having jurisdiction over this matter is wrong.

How 'bout that...

Yeah, how about that. What a surprise.

Again, are you really this stupid? Is anyone?

[gridlock]

The cop assaulted an EMT that was transporting a patent. He should be fired, prosecuted and sent to prison. The paramedic acted like a professional.

The paramedic was being an ass.

He could have defused the situation by following the officer's instructions and getting back in the vehicle. Instead he chose to physically block the officer while he was trying to do his job.

EMT White had just as much of his ego involved in who was going to control this situation as officer Neckvein. He just had a different style. But refusing to get back in the bus and chastising the officer for the way he was talking to the driver served to escalate this situation to the point where an arrest became inevitable.

[gridlock]

Can you discuss an issue without calling people stupid, or is that a necessary part of your rhetoric?

Just want to know. If it’s a verbal tic, I won’t be insulted...

[gridlock]

But now I really have to go...

[Vendome]

You are technically correct and absolutely correct, in that it is not a classic choke hold. I was taught that technique in college as a form of control but felt that was weak and reverted back to hold learned in Hapkido. They can force someone into submission as well provide leverage to lead them where you want them to go.

The officer was, however, choking the EMT although I don't think it was all that effective, as the EMT had the neck of a stump.

Bottom line, the officer is not a person who is control of himself and therefore does not possess the capability to control situations or properly assess.

Flintstone!!! You’re Fired!!!

[Vendome]

That is a bit much

[Vendome]

lol, unfortunate but still lol

[ketsu]

Can you discuss an issue without calling people stupid, or is that a necessary part of your rhetoric?

Just want to know. If it’s a verbal tic, I won’t be insulted...

No, you're *really* stupid. It's really funny to see people in this thread that know what they're talking about making reasoned arguments based on legal fact and you coming up with gems like "ambulances aren't that special" and "if it was illegal then the DA would have prosecuted".

Again, do you have *any* idea how stupid you are?