Posted on 10/08/2004 9:39:18 AM PDT by skyman
WASHINGTON -- A woman from Bowie, Md., who was arrested for eating a candy bar at a Metro station, had her day in court Thursday, but it was a brief visit.
Stephanie Willett claims she was frisked under her shirt, handcuffed and held for three hours after a Metro transit officer confronted her for eating a candy bar on the escalator.
Transit police claim Willett was "belligerent."
In court Thursday, Willett tried to tell a judge what happened that day, but she was cut off after a few minutes. The judge told Willett her case is over and that it ended when she posted $10 to get out of jail last July.
Willett has a year to appeal the arrest.
The incident gained worldwide attention, and goes on a list of other Metro Transit Police actions that have raised both eyebrows and questions.
In September, a transit officer reportedly forced a pregnant woman down on the floor and pushed his knee in her back, after he claimed she was talking too loud on a cell phone.
In 2002, an officer ticketed a wheelchair-bound cerebral palsy patient who the officer said cursed when he was unable to find a working elevator to exit the system.
And in 2000, an officer handcuffed a 12-year-old girl for eating a french fry on a subway platform.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbc4.com ...
Coming soon to So Calif. - once they force us all out of our cars and onto mass transit.
"In each case, the perp escalated the situation to the point where an arrest was necessary. It's BPOC Syndrome."
So why are the officers being trained to de-escalate the situation? I think they have much better things to do than being distracted by gum-chewers and loud-talkers.
Whoopsie... I meant to say:
So why AREN'T the officers being trained to de-escalate the situation? I think they have much better things to do than being distracted by gum-chewers and loud-talkers.
You haven't quite figured out this "freedom" thing that we have in the United States have you?
De-escalation takes two people committed to the task; escalation only requires one.
I wish to use your vehicle as a restroom and trash can. You OK with it?
Fair enough.
Sure. Come on over.
Not from what I have seen in my city. Cops here are trained to control people without having to arrest them. Other cities send their cops here to get that training. I've seen it work many times and you would think all hell was about to bust loose and in the end the person apologizes. It is all about respect and understanding human nature. It is also about having the same cops in the same neighborhoods so they know the people they serve and the people know them. With the brute force method you seem to advocate, there is only one result and that is an arrest that eats up valuable patrol time and only reinforces resentment in a community and the stereotypes about gestapo-like cops.
It's damn near impossible to de-escalate a case of BPOC Syndrome.
Nope. I'm saying that the officer can be absolutely committed to de-escalation, but that said commitment will be useless if the person being cited is committed to being a belligerent a$$hole.
Well then maybe the officer should just give the person the citation and walk away, even if they are being "disrespected". Sometimes walking away is the BEST way to de-escalate a tense situation.
The person can curse about it all they want, they still have to deal with the ticket. It's no skin off the officer's back.
Arresting people for being "belligerent" (which is not a crime), sounds a whole lot like an officer being upset because he was disrespected and teaching that person a lesson.
The problem is, you can't give the citation to someone screaming obscenities in your face when you ask their name for the citation.
The person can curse about it all they want, they still have to deal with the ticket. It's no skin off the officer's back.
Arresting people for being "belligerent" (which is not a crime), sounds a whole lot like an officer being upset because he was disrespected and teaching that person a lesson.
It's called "disorderly conduct" and "failure to identify."
Of course, I never have problems like this with the cops; then again, I don't turn everything into a pissing contest with the cop.
If the person doesn't give their name, that's already a crime. And using profanity in and of itself is not "disorderly conduct".
I didn't see anywhere in this article or in any other article about this arrest where the woman refused to give her name or where she interfered with the officer in any way. It sounds like she was mad because she was getting a ticket. People get mad about that all the time when they feel they've been treated unjustly. I don't see why people shouldn't have the right to express displeasure so long as they do not interfere with the officer in his duties. It is not necessary to arrest people because of this.
It sounds like this officer has a problem.
But since you've already stated people should be shot if they curse at you I have to wonder how far we can really go in this discussion.
And that's what they get busted for.
And using profanity in and of itself is not "disorderly conduct".
Screaming it in the cop's face--or anyone else's--is.
I didn't see anywhere in this article or in any other article about this arrest where the woman refused to give her name or where she interfered with the officer in any way.
We're discussing another incident.
It sounds like she was mad because she was getting a ticket. People get mad about that all the time when they feel they've been treated unjustly.
I somehow contain myself. I don't suffer from BPOC Syndrome.
But since you've already stated people should be shot if they curse at you I have to wonder how far we can really go in this discussion.
Dame, charge up into my personal space and scream obscenities at me, and you're going to die. I expect a similar outcome for me if I were to do that to someone else, which is why I don't do things like that...
I know I'm probably wasting my time but...
If you shoot or kill an unarmed person who has not made physical contact with you that person will be dead and you will be living a nightmare.
At the very lest you will lose everything you own or will own including your home just to pay for lawyer fees.The life you have now will be gone forever.
You will also spend some time in the shower room of a prison playing their version of "Ring around the Rosie" and guess who will be "Rosie."
For heavens sakes think man!
"...Need some advice. About 6 months ago I was pulled over for a dui...What should I do?..."
- - -
By all means, post your story on a public forum
and request legal advice from total anonymous strangers.
That shows good judgement...
...just like drinking too much wine and driving a car.
Thanks. Good advice! Do you know of any more forums I can post too?
Drinking too much wine and driving was bad judgement on my part. I paid the price. I'm still paying for that mistake, despite the fact I have had no driving violations for the past 30 years.
But the tone of your response invites my response, to whit:
1) I believe most FreeRepublic posters are honest, intelligent folks whose opinions I respect.
2) I was guilty of a first offense misdemeanor. It's a matter of public record. What's not on the record is the fact that my wife may have had her rights violated.
3) With regard to discussing this issue on a "public forum" and the suggestion that it suggests poor judgement,I would ask you: do you know my name? Where I live? What I do?
However, in the interest of full disclosure, my name is T. Kennedy and I live in New England.
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