Why Police Have A Problem

Did you see the video making all the rounds on the news channels? A Houston Texans player -- Ryan Moats -- is stopped for blowing through a red light. He's stopped after pulling into Baylor Medical Center in Plano, Texas with his hazard lights blinking. He explains to the officer that he and his wife are at the hospital after getting a call his mother-in-law (her mother) is dying and they were called to her death bed.

The officer ignores him despite visits from hospital security and nurses who plead with the officer to let Moats into the hospital. The officer threatens Moats with arrest and towing of his vehicle. "You busted through a red light" replies the 25-year old officer. "Do we have a problem?," asks the cop. Moats again explains his mother-in-law is dying. "Shut your mouth," replies the officer.

Even the officer's chief of police admits he felt sick to his stomach when watching this video.

"If my mother-in-law was dying I'd be upset, too..." says the officer, who then takes even more time to talk about going through the light. "Shut your mouth and listen...if you want to keep this going I'll put you in handcuffs and take your vehicle...because state law says I can do that...I can screw you over, I can do that...your attitude sucks..." and even threatens to charge him with fleeing. (dashcam photo, left, of Moats wife from Dallas PD)


WATCH the full dashcam video HERE from WFAA-TV Dallas

Thirteen minutes later, with Moats getting written up and waiting for his ticket, when security again tells the officer the mom is dying, the officer lectures Moats on his attitude and insultingly adds if Moats had explained the situation he would have probably let him go with a warning. Watch the video -- isn't that what Moats, security guards and nurses tried to do?

Watch the full video as the officer and security guards laugh later and the officer admits in the past three years he's had only ONE traffic stop turn into a chase. One can't make the argument that the officer is operating from the position of prior experience chasing motorists breaking the law left and right.

The department apparently had the same thoughts: Officer Robert Powell's on paid leave while under investigation.

WATCH WFAA-TV report: it's unlikely Powell will keep his job and the Chief apologizes

Note Powell has seven internal affairs complaints, mostly for sick leave issues. When meeting with the brass, Powell reportedly showed no understanding of why this was causing such an uproar and wouldn't acknowledge any mistakes. He was just doing his job.

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I remember a case in Cleveland a few years ago when an officer pulled a similar stunt with a man speeding on I-480 on the way to the hospital, where a family member was dying. The officer -- whom even fellow cops privately noted had his own attitude issues -- refused to let the man go. He missed those last moments.

I also remember a story my brother-in-law tells of rushing to a hospital; when he explained the situation to the officer, the cop told him he'd get a ticket after the officer personally escorted him safely to the hospital.

The case of two mindsets, from three officers.

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There is no denying most people, watching this in the safety and comfort of hindsight, will judge this officer spending more time on the process of protecting a traffic light than the policy of service. It bears mentioning officers get a rash of excuses all the time, ranging from the lame to the unbelievable, from motorists trying to get out of a ticket. But in this case, flashers blinking on a vehicle pulling up to a hospital entrance, shouldn't it have been obvious to the officer that circumstances warranted a different approach? Is it proper to offer the officer exercised poor judgment or is that much easier in hindsight watching and listening from the safety of your desk and couch?

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It also bears mentioning the officer is white, and Moats is black. I thought about this when viewing the video, and the problems the Akron Police Department have in their relationship with Akron's black community following the Vinson and Stephens shootings. I watched this video and felt anger toward this officer, so blindly focusing on writing a ticket that he apparently forgets where he is, what his subject is telling him, and the service element of his job.

Most police officers I know are acutely aware of the strong emotions negative interaction with police leave behind. It's a big reason why traffic stops are among the most deadly for officers; one only has to remember Officer Josh Miktarian lost his life last year in Twinsburg after pulling over a motorist.

What's the answer here?

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It is interesting to note that while it took Dallas PD some time to sort things out, the Chief stepped up and issued a public apology, and is taking very public steps in addressing the case -- including releasing Powell's photograph and details of his interviews with top cops after the incident. It is a lesson worth remembering on both sides of the case: actions and deliberations taken in the open can lead to the confidence that justice works on both sides of the thin blue line.