Posted on 06/16/2009 1:10:08 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
You really should read Paramedic White’s official statement, as well as the two troopers’ statements which have been released by the OHP. White did not get out of the vehicle for the purpose of confronting the officer. However, as the person legally in charge of both the driver and patient, White most certainly DID need to get out of the ambulance to determine why the trooper had pulled it over. That is not, however, why the paramedic initially got out. Read his statement http://s3.amazonaws.com/content.newsok.com/documents/j12emtnarrative1.pdf and then read the statements of the two troopers (I don’t have that link handy, but it’s on a lot of the major news sites).
That is why they call it color of law. He needs some time off and a gussied up resume. With his aggression he is more suitable as a bouncer.
Thanks for posting that link. That patrolman should definately lose his badge. Watching that video got my blood boiling.
See post #51. I was wrong.
It's real simple ~ AMBULANCES ARE SPECIAL even if they're just sitting there quietly minding their own busines.
Rules you might apply to folks just now involved in a running gunfight DO NOT APPLY, and the EMT or doctors or nurses on board can get out and DO STUFF as they please because their job is more important than yours.
Get the picture?
There’s plenty to be shocked at, for sure. Trooper Martin needs mental health treatment and a new line of work.
How would the officer know there was a patient in the ambulance with no lights or siren going? As another poster mentioned, once someone gets out of a vehicle at a traffic stop, all bets are off. The officer must control the situation or there can be big trouble. The officer will likely be fired, too much pressure from the special interest groups for the Highway Patrol to withstand.
It was a simple traffic stop. The issue was between the officer and the driver. EMT White had nothing to do with it. It was EMT White who escalated the situation by refusing to follow the instructions of the officer.
Of course, it is all a game of “what if”, but if EMT White had not butted in where he had no business, the officer probably would have just told the driver that he has to yield and he really shouldn’t flip off the police, and they would have been on their way.
Had a supervisor like that.
I saw the video, and even better, on another forum a LEO that had worked with this officer(in another police dept.) was not the least bit surprised at his over reaction.
He has a history of reckless behavior.
End of story.
Isn’t that the truth. How many supervisors would have sat there quietly and just told him to sign the unjustified ticket from that bully?
And if there is a legitimate reason to stop the ambulance (e.g. if an officer notices an urgent safety problem with the vehicle, such as gasoline pouring onto the roadway from its tank), the first thing the officer should do is inquire as to whether there’s a patient inside, because that information is critical to deciding what the next priority is (e.g. calling for a second ambulance, if the one that was stopped really isn’t safe to proceed).
Not to even mention the fact that its not even very bright as a general reality. Cops get in wrecks, run over by cars, shot, stabbed, etc,, not real bright to treat the local EMS that way when they might be the ones trying to save your life. (even though most would act professionally, unlike him)
Ever notice how grunts treat their corpsmen and medics?
This event sounded like nothing I've ever heard of before ~ just doesn't happen ~ cops don't bust and cap ambulance drivers anywhere.
I took it initially that the cop was mentally ill or on narcotics.
He was told by the supervisor who told the officer he was responsible for the ambulance and the patient. Lost my internetr connection so I am typing off my phone.
the officer does not have the right nor the authority to impeed medical care to any human.
“I took it initially that the cop was mentally ill or on narcotics”
ROFLMAO
oh! dangit! I lost my internet connection and have Freep via my phone.
I saw the video, and even better, on another forum a LEO that had worked with this officer(in another police dept.) was not the least bit surprised at his over reaction.
He has a history of reckless behavior.
________________________________
Having viewed the videos I’m not surprised either. The buzz cut and bulk up on the trooper are the first signs of possible steroid use of an ‘operator wannabe’, the quickly escalating rage another indicator. Hope the EMT’s lawyer and or.Ok State Police test for drugs.
Get the picture?
No, I do not.
The rules Officer Neckvein was following are not the rules he would follow for folks just now involved in a running gunfight. Under those rules, EMT White would have been dead on the ground before he took two steps.
The officer was establishing control of the scene. That is what officers do.
If EMT White wanted the officer to deal with him instead of the driver, the proper way to do that is to comply with the officer's instructions to get back into the vehicle and talk to the officer from there.
The reason to get EMT White back into the vehicle is because it lessens the risk of a physical confrontation or of people getting hurt out in traffic. This is pretty basic stuff. Notice that once EMT White is out of the ambulance, the driver comes out, too, along with the family member. Now the officer has a scene that is completely out of control, and all because EMT White could not follow the rules and talk through a car window.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.