'I'm Very Proud of Him:' Sergeant Major of the Army Reacts to Black Lieutenant's Traffic Stop

Military.com ^ | 4/12/2021 | Gina Harkins

[CodeJockey]

The sergeant major of the Army commended the second lieutenant whose December traffic stop prompted a lawsuit and the firing of a Virginia police officer for remaining cool as a pair of cops pointed their weapons at him.

"Like many of you," Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston tweeted Monday, "I was concerned by the video of [2nd Lt. Caron] Nazario's traffic stop in December. He represented himself and our Army well through his calm, professional response to the situation -- I'm very proud of him."

[GOYAKLA]

“I was concerned by the video of [2nd Lt. Caron] Nazario’s traffic stop in December. He represented himself and our Army well through his calm, professional response to the situation — I’m very proud of him.”
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Did we just observe, a new way to spell “Karen”?

[sarge83]

The Sargent major and Lt. jackass that got pulled over wouldn’t tolerate insubordination from the doggie faces for a second in a military setting and if they did they will deserve the ass kicking at the hands of an enemy who takes advantage of this lack of discipline. This Lt. was a complete horses ass, all he had to do was step out and answer some questions. This I don’t have to do what I am told street attitude is what is getting these idiots tazed and sometimes shot.

[zeugma]

Does anyone have a link to the whole video?

[MayflowerMadam]

Nobody seems to mention the context. The reason he was stopped was because there was no license plate in the holder on the back of the car. There was a CLEARLY VISIBLE temporary license taped in the rear window, where it should be.

Of course, if some infringement had occurred by the driver and the car was stopped, then you obey the cops. I think that by the time the SHTF, the cop realized he’d screwed up. Instead of apologizing and saying, “I screwed up; you do have a license plate”, he doubled down on stupid.

The cop would’ve shot the guy in a heartbeat, and could have used the guy reaching to unlatch his seat belt as rationalization. “I thought he was going for a gun.”

[sarge83]

I’m as white as wonder bread and a couple of years ago I got lit up by an officer because he couldn’t see my temp tag on my new truck. It was at night, raining and the tag was in my back window which was tinted. When he lit me up I pulled over in a lit area, turned my interior light on and pulled my paperwork out from over my visor, rolled the window down and was saying to my wife I wonder why he pulled me over as the officer walked up to my window.

As he got to the window he said good evening and then, oh I see it now, I couldn’t see your temp tag for the tint and it being a dark rainy night. He then suggested I put it in some type of ziplock bag and attach it to the back window on the outside so you won’t get pulled over again, wished us a good evening and we went our separate ways.

You seem to be as bad as the BLM bunch, stereotyping and holding an hate for all people in a group for the actions of a few. You hate my brother-in-law and son for simply putting on the uniform as a police officer. Please don’t be a hypocrite and ever call 911 for ANYTHING because people you already hate will show up to probably get an ear full of horse crap no matter how courteous they maybe or if they have to arrest you, then your hate the cops jibber-jabber will have another story to tell on how bad you were treated.

[Sans-Culotte]

LOL, you don’t seem to have even read your own post. If the officer who pulled the guy over had acted the way the guy did you stopped you, he would still have a job. Instead of saying, “oh I see you have your tag”, he had his gun out and when the guy said he was afraid to get out of the vehicle he said “you better be!”.

[CodeJockey]

This YouTube Video probably has all of it, but it has comments throughout.

Here is where it starts with the cops talking with the Lieutenant at the end of the stop.

You can start from the beginning if you want to see the entire ordeal.

https://youtu.be/VgBMnJyOiT0?t=1223

[Vermont Lt]

What if two cops are screaming contradictory orders at you? Which one do you follow? Choose wisely now...they are answering your questions and they both are ready to shoot you.

[MercyFlush]

Look, I have a lot of respect for decent cops. My problem is the jerks that get into the profession and then go crazy with power, are terrified of the public, and who are sometimes too eager to want to kill people.

Search “donutwatch” on this very forum and you’ll find hundreds of accounts of idiots doing stupid things.

Heck, right now there’s a flourishing industry of “First Amendment Auditors” who are just guys with video cameras who make recording from public places. Which is perfectly legal and a protected 1st Amendment activity, and it’s also excluded as a probable cause in several states such as California (CA PC 148(G))

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN&sectionNum=148.

These auditors have reams of videos on You Tube and elsewhere that show them doing something 100% legal and then they get threatened, beat up, arrested, and etc. by badge wearing jackasses who are literally breaking the law!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=first+amendment+audit

These auditors go on to reap sometimes massive court settlements because the cops are absolutely wrong and they keep doing it! It’s all about their power and it has NOT ONE THING TO DO WITH THE LAW.

Now think about it: These cops are going after people who are livestreaming their video and they don’t care that they’re breaking the law.

Imagine what they do when there isn’t a camera around?

So sorry, I’m not sipping the cop-worshipping Kool Aid here.

Yes, there’s a lot of good cops and I sure wish the hell they’d start doing something about the bad ones!

[SomeCallMeTim]

If I saw some crazy looking dude standing around filming our office, I’d call the police and have him removed.

I guess, some people just have too much time on their hands.

I know there are asshole cops out there. Lots of them. When I’m forced to interact with one, my #1 goal is to get OUT of the situation, as peaceably as possible. I’m not going to get into lawyerly discussions with an asshole wearing a belt full of nasty weapons.

I’ll take my chances with the next level of the justice system.

[AppyPappy]

“I thought he was going for a gun.”

Do you mean the gun he had within reach?

[MercyFlush]

You’re just going to have to deal with the fact that you have no say in someone else’s right to aim a camera at your property from 1) a public space or 2) their property.

That’s the way it is.

[SomeCallMeTim]

I can deal with that. But, I don’t have to allow them on my property.

[MayflowerMadam]

“Do you mean the gun he had within reach?”

I don’t know if he did or he didn’t — if a gun existed. But it would be easy for a cop to make the shoot and just SAY he thought the driver was going for a gun. Most people would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Altura Ct.]

What a bunch of BS!

[Altura Ct.]

Here you go. Officer Tatum does a great analysis of the whole video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgBMnJyOiT0&t=1048s

[MercyFlush]

Of course they have no right to trespass, just can take pictures from a street or sidewalk.

[DMZFrank]

Would you care to venture as to how many stupid, BUT LAWFUL orders that this officer has given or WILL give in his military career? I will hazard more then just a few. Yet he would expect those orders to be obeyed, and might even consider recommending a court martial or an Article 15 for a subordinate who did not obey them.

I spent 26 years on active duty and the National Guard, retiring as a Master Sergeant. I was also a State Police Officer. Even the very best of officers I served under, some of whom I love and respect ENORMOUSLY, occasionally gave ill-considered and dumb-ass orders. It goes with the territory of being a fallible human being.

If you could conduct a séance with George Patton, I am sure he would express his regret over having ordered the Hammelburg raid.

I am not saying that the police officers may not have been overbearing and utterly inappropriate as they gave conflicting orders. No matter, at the moment of confrontation, it was incumbent upon an army officer, who should understand the meaning of a lawful, if stupid order, to comply with them and sort out any wrongdoing afterward.

His behavior was just about as silly as any of the officers, PARTICULARLY when he told them that he did not have to get out of the car for a traffic violation when ordered.

If I was this dummy’s CO, I would haul him on the carpet and reprimand or sanction him as I remind him that the Punitive Articles of the UCMJ require a commissioned officer to publicly comport himself at all times in a manner consistent with the dignified behavior that is demanded of them. I see possible violations of Article 92, 133, and 134.

But in this age of the “woke” armed forces, he might just be given a Medal of Honor!!!!

In almost every state, there is a requirement to obey the lawful commands of a police officer. Instructing you to exit a motor vehicle may be inappropriate or stupid, you may even consider it as arbitrary, but it is not per se illegal or unlawful.

When I was a police officer, the State of Illinois had a specific criminal statute in ILCS Chapter 38, making it illegal for a citizen to resist even an unlawful arrest. Many states, to include VA have similar statutes. While I do not personally agree with the rationale behind such laws, the notion for them is that the courts will sort out the necessity of, and the legality behind, the arrest, thus minimizing the likelihood of injuries to the officer or the resisting subject of the illegal? arrest.

I am not surprised that this officer’s department decided to fire him, given the current political climate and the moral cowardice of police and political leadership. They probably violated some civil service or union contractual due process issues by doing so.

You just KNOW that the Democ-RAT bastid governor Klan Man hood Northam will demagogue the hell out of this incident for to exploit racial tensions for his perceived political gain.