No fair what-iffing my what ifs!
But, seriesly, folks... Could Officer Neckvein have handled this thing better? Of course he could have. He could have been much more low key and dealt directly with EMT White, and the whole thing might have worked out much better.
But where I get off the bandwagon is in calling for Officer Neckvein to be fired, or prosecuted, or drawn and quartered, or whatever. The whole situation is unfortunate, but ten minutes of videotape should not end a career or land a man in jail, unless it proves he was breaking the law or doing something completely out-of-line.
So the question is, were Officer Neckvein's actions so outrageous, or even illegal, that he deserves some kind of severe punishment?
To my mind, the situation escalated way too quickly and an opportunity for a more calm and measured outcome was lost. But I will not fault the officer for trying to control the traffic stop and keep people in the vehicle. That is really basic stuff. I will not fault the officer for wanting to talk directly to the driver, unless somebody can demonstrate that he was breaking the law by doing so. And I will not condemn the officer for applying a choke hold that he did not, in fact, apply.
So I am not saying that Officer Neckvein should be put up for Office Of The Year based on this performance. If his supervisor has seen this sort of behavior from him in the past, or thinks it falls into a pattern, he probably should take some action to intervene. But that would be a matter for the supervisor to decide, based on his extensive experience with Officer Neckvein.
Of if he broke the law, throw the book at him. I'm OK with that. If he broke the law.
I sympathize with your post but officer Neckvein needs psychological help and should not be in a position of authority as a LEO
It would be best for Officer Neckvein to accept a job at a different law enforcement organization in a different locale.
For even if he is cleared to resume work... he will, most likely, eventually need the EMTs at some point in his life. And *THEY* will remember him.
Life can be much shorter when the medics take their time helping you. Gotta follow all the traffic laws, now don’t they. And heaven forbid they get stopped en-route.