Reason Magazine
- reason.com
- reason.tv
- reason.org
- Donate
- Site Search:
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsadvertisements
|5.4.09 @ 10:28AM|#
"What were you thinking?"
If reporters chased cops asking that question more often, I'd
respect them much, much more.
On a personal note, a 911 operator hanging up over curse words
would have killed me. In fact, I was cursing so much and so loudly,
I became the 911 tape they played over and over again for laughs.
(A cop told me this years later.)
|5.4.09 @ 10:30AM|#
The fundamental problem is that we have a street cop with 20 yrs experience answering 911 calls. He assumes he's still on patrol and doesn't have to take anyone's shit. Here in California, we have professional 911 operators who aren't street thugs...er...cops and probably would have dealt with this better.
911, Can I Help You?|5.4.09 @ 10:32AM|#
I don't understand why people even bother calling the
authoritah!s.
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the hospital
faster than calling someone to call someone else to get a
ride?
Fucking public school indoctrination works!
|5.4.09 @ 10:34AM|#
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the
hospital faster than calling someone to call someone else to get a
ride?
Not trying to be snide, but you ever try and get a person having a
seizure into a car without a few big guys and stretcher? But, I
agree... unless I'm completely immobile or bleeding like a geyser,
drive me to the hospital.
Abdul|5.4.09 @ 10:43AM|#
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the
hospital faster than calling someone to call someone else to get a
ride?
Now THAT is a liberatian.
|5.4.09 @ 10:45AM|#
Wait... A TWO WEEK SUSPENSION AND "TRAINING"? ARE YOU KIDDING
ME? How in the heck is he not losing his job, his pension, and
every cent he has when she sues him into the stone age?
Wait, I know the answer, don't tell me.
911, Can I Help You?|5.4.09 @ 10:51AM|#
Not trying to be snide, but you ever try and get a person having
a seizure into a car without a few big guys and stretcher? But, I
agree...
OK then, but why call the middleman? Ambulance company is just 2
miles away. How much time to you save by dialing 911 instead of
381-9446?
The 911 person has to take the info and then relay it to the
driver.
BTW, if you are bleeding like a geyser, do you really want to wait
on the government to help you?
|5.4.09 @ 10:54AM|#
BTW, if you are bleeding like a geyser, do you really want
to wait on the government to help you?
Better dead then get blood all over the wife's car. Srsly.
|5.4.09 @ 10:54AM|#
What a power tripper. He calls her a "bitch" over the line and then refers to this "girl" to the other dispatcher. Big tough man cop. Barf.
Paleo Pat|5.4.09 @ 10:59AM|#
Hi Guys,
I'm from Lincoln Park. That story is quite old. The officer
involved was put on leave and ordered to take anger management
classes AND was sent for retraining. I believe he was also removed
from the 911 system here.
The chick was let off her charges as well. I believe.
In Short, Yes, the officer was punished and Yes, the young lady was
basically let off.
Don't be picking on my town now, I've been here since 1989, and
believe me, when I tell you; as someone who grew up in southwest
Detroit, it's another world downriver. (as we locals call it.) It
is not the ghetto that some would like to call it.
Anyhow, yeah, I was steamed when I saw the story myself, but it was
handled very well.
Be well all and come on over and visit the blog!
-Paleo Pat
http://www.politicalbyline.com
A Lincoln Parker.
|5.4.09 @ 11:01AM|#
What a wonderful daughter... to save her father's life, she must
swallow her pride and refrain from cursing for 30 seconds. But
that's just too much to ask.
The cop is clearly more wrong in this situation, but that girl is
fucked up.
|5.4.09 @ 11:09AM|#
I don't understand why people even bother calling the
authoritah!s.
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the hospital
faster than calling someone to call someone else to get a
ride?
My sainted mother was of the opinion that if you had to rush a kid
to the hospital you call a cab company and tell them it's
an emergency. Her reasoning was it's faster and cheaper.
Like so many other things I discovered about my folks after
reaching adulthood, she was right.
_______________________________________________
It's irony squared to hear a cop upbraiding someone about their
language.
|5.4.09 @ 11:17AM|#
Don't be picking on my town now, I've been here since 1989,
and believe me, when I tell you; as someone who grew up in
southwest Detroit, it's another world downriver.
True. But that's kinda like saying
Don't be picking on my town country now, I've
been here since 1989, and believe me, when I tell you; as someone
who grew up in southwest Detroit Somalia,
it's another world downriver here in Nigeria.
I keed of course. Lincoln Park is a fine community. ;-)
Paleo Pat|5.4.09 @ 11:30AM|#
J sub D,
I've lived here since 1989, other than a few speeding tickets, all
of which I had coming to me, as I was driving too fast. I've had
zero trouble around here at all.
-Pat
Citizen Nothing|5.4.09 @ 11:54AM|#
The cops too often forget that they are our employees.
They do deserve respect, the exact same respect I give to my
mechanic or the kid who pours my coffee.
bubba|5.4.09 @ 12:11PM|#
Anyone else see the parallel with "how not to get your ass beat
by the police?"
She's a young, dumb bitch, but the cop is old enough to know
better.
Seizing dad gets what he deserves for raising such a potty
mouth.
There's so much blame to go around, but first I want more pics of
the girl
Zeb|5.4.09 @ 12:28PM|#
"They do deserve respect, the exact same respect I give to my
mechanic or the kid who pours my coffee."
Very true. But what they seem to misunderstand about respect is
that if you do not get the respect you deserve, it does not entitle
you to be whatever kind of a dick you want to. Especially when the
job you are doing is likely to make a difference to whether people
die or not.
wingnutx|5.4.09 @ 12:36PM|#
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the hospital
faster than calling someone to call someone else to get a
ride?
Probably not.
Here in Phoenix there is likely an ambulance much closer to you
than a hospital, and the central 911 system can dispatch the
closest one to you. They track them by GPS.
This means You can probably get an ambo in 2-4 minutes. This will
also be an "ALS" ambulance, meaning it has a paramedic onboard, not
just an EMT. Now your victim gets defib/intubation/drugs or
whatever in under six minutes, and continues to get them all the
way to the hospital. You are getting a lot more than just a
ride.
Unless you are extremely close to the hospital, call 911.
LarryA|5.4.09 @ 12:53PM|#
OK then, but why call the middleman? Ambulance company is
just 2 miles away. How much time to you save by dialing 911 instead
of 381-9446?
The 911 person has to take the info and then relay it to the
driver.
When it works how much time do you save by dialing
911 and getting a professional responder who can quickly collect
relevant data and send appropriate assistance, as opposed to
looking up the number of the ambulance company, misdialing it
twice, and getting the one that's on the wrong side of town?
Seizing dad gets what he deserves for raising such a potty
mouth.
Trust me, it isn't necessary these days for a parent to "raise" a
potty mouth.
That said, and reiterating that the officer should have known
better, one of the first things my Dad did while raising us was
train us how to handle emergencies, particularly how to call for
help:
Location
Problem
Desired response.
I made sure my kids had the same training, including practice
drills. We also did the first aid/CPR thing.
Couldn't she put the old man in a car and drive him to the
hospital...
Standing rule around my family: Never, ever, drive anyone with an
acute medical condition to the hospital without two grownups in the
car; one to deal with the patient, one to concentrate on driving.
And we live in a small town, not a city.
Wait... A TWO WEEK SUSPENSION AND "TRAINING"? ARE YOU KIDDING
ME? How in the heck is he not losing his job, his pension, and
every cent he has when she sues him into the stone age?
Take this as an individual case, not "what all cops do." Watch the
video again. Years of service, commendations, no other reprimands.
This guy has one bad day, so throw him to the wolves?
I'm not an apologist for cops, but in any business if you crucify
everyone on their first mistake you're going to end up with a bunch
of rookies so scared of screwing up they won't do
anything.
JLap|5.4.09 @ 1:19PM|#
well, larrya, I certainly hope they are scared enough to not taser 14 year olds or hang up on 911 calls
the innominate one|5.4.09 @ 1:33PM|#
yes, the cop was punished, but the punishment wasn't adequate or
proportionate to his misbehavior
note also, the girl didn't start off swearing until she couldn't
get someone to pick up, and swore before she realized someone had
picked up
She shouldn't have escalated at that moment because it wasn't
efficient for accomplishing her goal, but really she didn't do
anything wrong. I really like how the cop calls her a bitch while
admonishing her for swearing. If I thought one of my relatives was
dying while anyone gave me a lecture on appropriate language,
rather than offering help as was this cop's job, they'd be hearing
some really inventive language once the emergency was resolved,
along with receiving notice pending of a lawsuit.
JB|5.4.09 @ 1:34PM|#
Someone should torture him to death.
Government employees are absolutely useless.
|5.4.09 @ 3:57PM|#
re: wingnutx's comment:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(medicine)
there's a certain calculus at work, obviously, and you've got
imperfect knowledge at the time you have to make the decision about
what the variables are.
generally speaking, i would say, if you can see the problem
(gunshot wound,) drive yourself (or the person)
car accident victim, complaining of severe abdominal pain without
visible trauma, call the paramedics.
the difference is in the kind of diagnotic care your're likely to
get on the ride in. if you drive yourself, and get to the emergency
room with your severe abdominal pain following your car accident,
it might be that you sit there forever.
the paras might be able, in the ten minutes you're in the
ambulance, to call it in and maybe(?) clear the decks for
you.
not a doctor, but this seems to make sense.
hmm|5.4.09 @ 6:27PM|#
There is a distinct advantage to having an ambulance show up.
Even if the ambulance arrives and scoops and runs the care in the
"bobo" is not the largest defining difference. The call to medical
control is. An unconscious patient on the floor in is an automatic
head trauma and Cspine consideration. Add to that a history of
recent brain surgery and having a neurologist and melon surgeon in
the ED as you arrive could be the difference between living and
dying or walking and being in a wheel chair.
The medics will be able to handle any other life threatening issues
relative to possible head injury such as positive ventilation or
heart implications, but the call to medical control and the heads
up on the incoming case is probably a larger factor in that case.
The same goes for trauma cases such as car accidents. A good medic
report for what is incoming can make a difference in resources
ready in the ED.
As to the officer that is reprehensible conduct. I've been cussed,
spit on, yelled at, threatened, and so on and never offered care
any different that the person that hugged me or was polite. It's a
job, you agree to do it to the best of your ability and on top of
that you are holding the public trust. To violate any of the those
concepts is grounds for removal. Even once. The industry has enough
jaded assholes in it that need to find other jobs.
Morris|5.4.09 @ 6:28PM|#
"...his career is also a cautionary tale on never quite
fulfilling your promise or thinking truly radical thoughts."
Transalation: He never swallowed the libertarian Kool-Aid and
became a mindless true believer.
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245