Posted on 05/20/2012 1:35:59 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
The case involves Malaika Brooks, who was seven months pregnant and driving her 11-year-old son to school in Seattle when she was pulled over for speeding. The police say she was going 32 miles per hour in a school zone; the speed limit was 20.
Ms. Brooks said she would accept a ticket but drew the line at signing it, which state law required at the time. Ms. Brooks thought, wrongly, that signing was an acknowledgment of guilt.
Refusing to sign was a crime, and the two officers on the scene summoned a sergeant, who instructed them to arrest Ms. Brooks. She would not get out of her car.
The situation plainly called for bold action, and Officer Juan M. Ornelas met the challenge by brandishing a Taser and asking Ms. Brooks if she knew what it was.
She did not, but she told Officer Ornelas what she did know. “I have to go to the bathroom,” she said. “I am pregnant. I’m less than 60 days from having my baby.”
The three men assessed the situation and conferred. “Well, don’t do it in her stomach,” one said. “Do it in her thigh.”
Officer Ornelas twisted Ms. Brooks’s arm behind her back. A colleague, Officer Donald M. Jones, applied the Taser to Ms. Brooks’s left thigh, causing her to cry out and honk the car’s horn. A half-minute later, Officer Jones applied the Taser again, now to Ms. Brooks’s left arm. He waited six seconds before pressing it into her neck.
Ms. Brooks fell over, and the officers dragged her into the street, laying her face down and cuffing her hands behind her back.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This lady was 8.5 months pregnant or something ~ I'm surprised she was able to drive.
My own wife freaked out on our way to the hospital when we were stopped by a National Park Service horse mounted cop. He wrote us a ticket.
She couldn't stand to be near horses for 20 years!
I wasn't speeding. In fact, I was in an unfamiliar area at morning rush hour and these guys blocked me in and the baby was on the way.
No, I did not have to sneak back and murder that dirty batarde who stopped us. He seems to have 'splained the ticket to his boss who flipped his nut!
I got a personal apology from the Service Director.
Do not let cops near pregnant women.
wft? She should have complied...end of story. She’s a moron.
I absolutely think those cops should be held responsible for their choices.
There seems to be an echo in this canyon!
No problems with the resolutions other than failures to appear. When you run the driver’s license number, no matter the state, it brings up the photograph of the driver and other pertinent info, and then autofills the boxes on the summons/citation. It’s very quick, average traffic stop is about four minutes, and multiple tickets is just a matter of selecting a new violation and hitting print.
these good ol boy cops are just pathetic losers who like to humiliate women in particular...
these good ol boy cops are just pathetic losers who like to humiliate women in particular...
I mean, if you care about the future of our culture, you better care about the babies and you better care about the abuse of the women carrying those babies inside...
Pigs, they should be lent to Mexico if you catch my drift.
The police-head of the government-hydra has become emboldened and is more openly attacking citizens.
The situation could have been resolved without escalation—and certainly without tasing this woman and jeopardizing the life of the child.
Permanently.
“The three men assessed the situation and conferred. “Well, don’t do it in her stomach,” one said. “Do it in her thigh.” “
Of course, it’s not as though man is an excellent conductor of electricity, and no matter where the woman is tased, the electricity will flow through her entire body—and the child’s body—indiscriminately.
A pregnant woman and unborn child was shocked over a speeding ticket. She didn't try to run and gave the cops all her information. The only thing she did was refuse to sign a legal paper without consultation. I understand the signature requirement is on the books but it is completely idiotic, especially for such a minor violation.
The first time I got such a ticket, I initially refused to sign. The cop explained that I had to sign before I could go, so I spent some time reading the entire document. This really ticked him off so he leaned in real close and quietly said “if it wasn't for that camera, I'd take your smartass to jail right now”.
I used to respect cops, know several and even wanted to be one. I'm sorry, but after interacting with them and hearing of my friends’ encounters, I wouldn't trust a random cop with a dollar. I don't know a single person that was ever helped by cops but nearly every single person I know has been screwed by them. I know many crime victims and each time they tried to get help from cops, they were completely uninterested and nothing was done. One of the incidents involved my friend's mother being shot at by burglars. They didn't even question his mother or do a single hour of investigation. I've also been witness to several incidents of violent police misconduct and there's not a damn thing we could do about it - our word against theirs. Cops know they can do anything they want as long as a camera isn't present and most abuse this power.
You are talking about several entirely separate subjects.
One is whether cops are often abusive and/or unhelpful.
Another is what are the procedures for issuing citations and might these procedures be improved.
A third subject is whether, given the procedures in place in this particular case, the officers acted reasonably.
I have tried to ignore the first, set aside the second, and address the third.
My conclusion from reading this article is that the woman deliberately caused a confrontation with the officers and they dealt with the situation in a professional, by-the-book manner. You say look at the big picture but what is that big picture? There is one procedure. It applies to all. Remain calm, follow lawful instructions, and go on your way. Why exactly is this woman entitled to order the cops around in violation of the law?
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