Texans running back Ryan Moats recently was involved in a disturbing incident with a Dallas police officer, and the situation sufficiently disturbed the officer’s superiors to result in a temporary reassignment, pending a full investigation.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Moats drove with his wife, her grandfather, and her great-aunt to Baylor Regional Medical Center, where Moats’ mother-in-law was dying of breast cancer at age 45.
Moats drove with the hazard lights on, and at one point he went through a red light. Robert Powell, a 25-year-old officer, followed Moats until he parked outside the hospital’s emergency room.
The ensuing confrontation was memorialized via a dashboard camera. It went a little something like this.
“Just give me a ticket or whatever,” Moats said.
“Shut your mouth,” Powell said. “You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.”
“If you’re going to give me a ticket, give me a ticket.”
“Your attitude says that you need one.”
“All I’m asking you is just to hurry up.”
“If you want to keep this going, I’ll just put you in handcuffs, and I’ll take you to jail for running a red light. . . . Understand what I can do. I can tow your truck. I can charge you with fleeing. I can make your night very difficult.”
Thirteen minutes after Moats arrived, the officer finally let him enter the facility. In the interim, hospital security guards and a Plano police officer explained to Powell that Moats’ mother-in-law truly was dying inside the hospital.
By the time Moats and his mother-in-law’s father had gotten inside the hospital, Moats’ mother-in-law had died.
Moats and his wife, who are black, believe that Powell, who is white, might have been motivated by the racial differences. Either way, Moats thinks Powell should be fired.
Dallas police are investigating.
“When people are in distress, we should come to the rescue,” Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson told the Dallas Morning News. “We shouldn’t further their distress.”
Wow.
We didn’t think there was anyone less fit than Plaxico Burress to carry a weapon. Robert Powell just might have Burress beat.
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the video.
Moats Hassled By Cop Outside Hospital Where Family Member Was Dying
Posted by Mike Florio on March 26, 2009, 9:52 AM EST
195 Responses to “Moats Hassled By Cop Outside Hospital Where Family Member Was Dying”
What a douche. Thrown in jail for running a red light? Just fire the guy for being a d!ck.
Wow, crazy
Stupid pig.
What a terrible situation. Some people aren’t fit for a badge.
That’s really F’ed up man. Way to show some compassion there Powell.
To the cop, ASSSHOLE!
I’m sure this idiot’s police union will get him cleared with a bonus.
This is horrible … as I was reading along I could understand the officers point of view, but it’s very obvious that he went way too far.
If there were a pregnant woman in the car, no question the officer assists …
Did Moats run a red light … doesn’t sound like he was arguing …
Did he say “Hey I’ve got a dying relative …” … If the officer didn’t believe him and held him up in spite/power-push, then Fire-His-@ss!!!
The police are there to assist people above and beyond anything else. This puts a bad-taste in the public eye … FIRE-HIS-@ss … or put him on desk duty to keep him out of interacting with the public
Can’t watch video from here.
Insensitive officer? Perhaps.
Did moats bother to tell him his mother was dying?
Could moats have gotten there earlier?
Wow, that is truly disgusting on Powell’s part, hope he gets fired.
Sounds like the officer was power happy. I don’t know where the racial stuff comes from but of course we don’t get to see the video. Fire his azz.
There are so many terrible names that are going through my head right now about that man. My prayers will be with the Moats family.
I feel bad for Moats,but a person still has to obey the law.
Just because he had his hazard lights on,doesn’t give him the right to blow red lights.What if he caused an accident and hurt or even worse killed somebody?The public would be screamimg bloody murder about the police not doing their job.It’s an unfortunate,tragic situation all around but to claim racism is just BULLS**T.Whenever something doesn’t go a persons way,it’s always a claim of racism.What a bunch of crap and cop-out!As bad I as feel for Moats and his family,I have no respect for them when they claim racism.Typical of
todays narcissistic athletes….white,black or other!
This is why so many people have bad impressions about the police. This racist 25 year old punk probably only joined the police force so he could bully people and act like a big man. His penis is probably very, very tiny and he needs to feel like a big man. He needs to be fired.
Driving with hazard lights illuminating and failure to stop at red lights should not warrant a traffic stop.
It is racism.
Enforcing the laws always seems wrong to those who play the race card.
Moats sucked as a player, but this cop is 100 times worse at his job.
Very very sad for both parties involved
What an awful story..this race nonsense is ridiculous..its 2009 get with the times.
AT LEAST BARNEY FIFE WASN’T ALLOWED TO LOAD HIS WEAPON.
THIS GUY WOULD ARREST THE HEARSE DRIVER IN A FUNERAL PROCESSION.
Cops.
Wow.
I keep on telling myself that Texas does not deserve the kind of rep it gets as redneck capital of the world, but it keeps on proving me wrong.
Damn, that’s the kind of stuff that just haunts you for a while.
Thank goodness for the dash cam. In cases like these they almost always take the cops word over anybody else’s. In this case it seems that Moats was on his best behavior.
The cop must of been a cowboys fan.
You know, I thought cops in California were bad, but what the hell is going on in Texas? Donald Driver’s dad gets beaten after going peacefully, and now this crap. Seriously, WTF?
why do people say my prayers are with him? You aren’t going to pray for Moats’ family tonight. I hate it when people say that.
That being said, Moats should sue the PD.
After the cop gets fired, Kwame Kilpatrick will hire him as a personal body guard.
If you click the link, you’ll clearly see that Moats was cooperative and the cop was repeatedly told that his mother-in-law was dying.
“I waited until no traffic was coming,” Moats told Powell, explaining his passage through the red light. “I got seconds before she’s gone, man.”
A few lines later-
“Understand what I can do,” Powell concluded. “I can tow your truck. I can charge you with fleeing. I can make your night very difficult.”
“I understand,” Moats responded. “I hope you’ll be a great person and not do that.”
Then the cop proceeded to continue lecturing and taking his time writing a ticket. What a poor excuse for a human being.
I’ve always wonder if it’s nature or nurture with that kind of cop. Was he already a dickhead who became a cop so he could bully people around, or did he turn into one after he found he could bully people around because he had a gun and a badge?
There is no amount of sensitivity training bullshit that will help this police officer. The prick is what he is. He encompasses what will happen when the wrong individual is given any kind of authority or influence over others. What a simple minded shill. He’s truly an embarrassment to mankind.
The officer’s behavior was disgraceful, however, as other posters have pointed out, Moats should have explained the situation first. Cops can be real pricks sometimes and Moats is a big boy, he should have known that.
wow. my brother’s a cop, and I have sympathy for what police put up with, but that is so far out of line I can’t believe Moats didn’t just deck that jack#$$. He should definitely be fired, and if possible, prevented from being in a position of any authority. Clearly the powers of being a police officer have corrupted his common sense, and he can’t function as an enforcer of ANY kind. Too big of an ego.
Link to the video:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032609dnmetcopstop.3e9c080.html
Wow , I don’t even know how to comment on that one. I give props to Moats and his father-in-law for keeping their cool and not jacking that douche in the face. I’m not sure I would have been able to hold back on that.
No surprise here. My experience with getting pulled over and saying just give me my ticket has always ended poorly. I do not have the best view of the policing profession due to my dealings with them over the years. I should add the only bad things I’ve been stopped for is speeding but I have been detained as a suspect for theft where all I did was arrive at a mall where a bike had been stolen earlier in the day and what made us suspect was my buddies flannel jacket. I view the ‘just give me my ticket’ statements as changing the power structure and with all bullies they grow hostile when said power structure is changed. It changes the authortative structure to where they are the servant of the public they are supposed to be and not the master. This is shameful but not surprising. This is law enforcement.
He was just trying to make the “Moats” of a bad situation…
For those of you who cannot videw the video at work, The VERY first thing told to the officer was that their Mom was dying. After Moats finally comes to talk to the officer, he also repeats that his mother in law is dying and that there is “seconds” before he is gone.
Again these are the first things communicated to the officer.
This video is pretty horrendous to watch, the family is obviously in a huge amount of distress and the officer continues to get louder and more abrasive as the video goes on.
Sounds like a classic case of Officer Asshole more than anything else.
If you google the story you can find a transcript of the incident. TWICE nurses came out and told the officer his mother in law is dying please let him go, and twice the officer refused. Moats told the officer several times his mother in law was dying just give him a ticket and at the end the officer quipped that if moats would have just told him what was going on he proably would have let him go, I guess he was deaf for the first 20 minutes. I do not know if this is a race issue, I am white and I get tired of hearing about race, but Dallas has had problems for years with Race relations. I think this is some punk cop that should be fired immediatley and be forced to donate whatever pension he has to race for the cure.
One word —SCUMBAG…Enough said…
Bubba Maximus – Did you watch the video? If you did and came to that conclusion than I can conclude that you are an idiot. If you didn’t but just read the transcript of the incident in the attached link – then I must conclude you are an idiot. If you didn’t read anything but Florio’s story and none of the attachment then I can only conclude you are a lazy idiot.
Not surprised here, either. I’ve never had a good experience dealing with cops on any level, whether it’s getting pulled over for a minor violation or working with the police department as a witness. The only way I’ll ever call the cops again is if someone is getting murdered on my front lawn.
I don’t even know where to begin with SaintsBucsPanthersSUKK, (Couldnt you have just made your name falconfan or something?)
I see the point you are trying to make but you need to understand this was an extremely unique situation in which Moats and his passengers literally had minutes to see their mother/mother in law and say goodbye. We have no idea if her situation made a tragic turn for the worse or if they were running late, either way this is pretty much ONE OF THE FEW cases where you should do WHATEVER IT TAKES to see your loved one for their final minutes. I do not think this is a case of spoiled athlete. I would have done the same thing and honestly, I would have probably gone to jail because I would have lost my composure.
Moats handled this situation extremely well considering how taser and pepper spray happy cops are these days.
Moats did explain everything and explained that he waited at the red light until nobody was coming. You people need to look at a couple of other sources before you start popping off.
Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurance in Dallas..or in Texas, for that matter.
Fire the cop.
from: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/032609dnmetcopstop.3e9c080.html
—————
Hospital security guards arrived and told Powell that the Moatses’ relative really was upstairs dying.
Powell spent several minutes inside his squad car, in part to check Moats for outstanding warrants. He found none.
Another hospital staffer came out and spoke with a Plano police officer who had arrived.
“Hey, that’s the nurse,” the Plano officer told Powell. “She said that the mom’s dying right now, and she’s wanting to know if they can get him up there before she dies.”
“All right,” Powell replied. “I’m almost done.”
As Moats signed the ticket, Powell continued his lecture.
“Attitude’s everything,” he said. “All you had to do is stop, tell me what was going on. More than likely, I would have let you go.”
It had been about 13 minutes.
Moats and Collinsworth’s father went into the hospital, where they found Collinsworth had died, with her daughter at her side.
—————
This guy had security officers and other cops asking him to let Moats into the hospital, and he still took his sweet time. Whether or not there was racism involved, it certainly appears that at the very least, his ego got ahead of his judgement in this case, and he certainly deserves to be punished for it.
Bubba Maximus,
What more clue did the officer need? Every single person that exited the car was near-tears saying that somebody was IN THE PROCESS OF DYING. He didnt even pull into a parking space.
I support police officers, but I do not support asshole police officers. If that makes me a punk, then I guess I am a punk.
Terminate the officer….. and I’m white by the way…. this guy is not fit to wear a badge….. a pure asswipe that gets a kick outta abusing authority……… this type officier would kill a civilian in the blink of an eye.
You people baffle me. Citizens must respect and obey the law. That’s how a functional society operates. How is the cop supposed to know each citizen’s extenuating circumstances? If Moats would have simply obeyed the law, or respectfully explained his situation to the cop, things would have been much different. Civilized societies depend upon a competent police force. You people act as if maybe that’s not what you’d prefer. So the direction of this country goes….
Just another Police officer drunk on his own power.
At what point does this country recognize the problem we have with Police officers and their self righteous power trips? It’s time we start enforcing more rigid standards in our hiring practices. There has to be a way to weed out those candidates who sole motivation is the sense of entitlement that badge and gun gives them.
Expect more stories like this as the new world unfolds.
Watching the video that deanot provided I am completely stunned. Reading about it and then seeing it and hearing it is incredibly moving. From what I heard from the video it sounded like Moats said, “my mother in law is dying!” and Powell replied, “that doesn’t matter. you ran a red light.” I just don’t understand how Powell, as a human being, can act like that. I feel horrible for Ryan Moats and his family and that cop should be fired immediately. You can say he was doing his job, but holy hell someone who does that to a family has no place on the force.
people die everyday! thousands more just like moats family member is dying right now boo f’in hoo. . if everyone who has a dying relative in the hospital is allowed to use their hazards while running a red, we’d have chaos.
but the idiot cop should have just given him a ticket and stfu.
Yea that stupid cop should have seen his hazard lights were on. Everyone knows when your hazard lights are on you can do whatever you want!!! LOL at you idiots screaming racism.
1. I pray for the Moats family during their loss and hope they will have the power to overcome….
2. This is why stereotypes will not die between minorities and cops
3. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT THE MOATS COME WITH THE FULL FURY OF GOD WITH A LAWSUIT!!!!!!!!!!! Im talking about the type of lawsuit that will net him a brand NEW 2010 BENTLEY!!!!!!!!!!! That type of lawsuit!
While I’m not sure that race had anything to do with the cop’s actions, I think there are times when breaking the law is acceptable… Rushing to the hospital to see a dying relative would be one of those times.
Texas is the as#hole of the US.In a state where they have been known to drag black people from trucks, its safe to say that the race card is deservedly pulled in this case.
hitdog042 – I’m totally in agreement, I hate when people say that too.
This guy is the reason cops get shot. I don’t know what I would do to a person who stood between me and my dying mother…but a tiny metal badge wouldn’t be a deterrent. I hope Karma catches up with officer Powell…what a disgrace to humanity.
if i was on a jury and this cop was being sued…. he’d lose everything……. cops are to serve n protect… not to stand there giving you a lecture on how they can get power trips on hauling people to jail….. this would be a tazer happy jag wad that should have an immediate hearing on whether he should even be able to open a weapon…. he sounds like a bi-polar nut case that was bullied as a kid, and now that some dude on crack gave him a badge, he can get off bullying citizens….. this same crap happened my my mother died and she was asking for me, but a idiot like this needed get his rocks off and she slipped into a coma before i got up there….. this is the definition of a pig…… there are great cops and there are pigs…. you get respect when you give respect…..remember not everyone is a criminal they pull over….. you see all these people being tazered and dying needlessly….. like nursing home patients and kids, and there is a climate being created by unruly cops and also unruly citizens, but he needs addressed……… any man wearing a badge talking in this manner is not fit to have authority over a flea.
Dear Rob,
You’re a serious asshole.
Love,
Every member of any civilized society
Most states have laws that provide that breaking of various traffic laws is allowed in exigent circumstances. This clearly was an exigent circumstance. The man had his four-ways on to demonstrate that there was some emergency for which he went through the red light. The cop followed the vehicle to the emergency room entrance. At the most, he should have accompanied the family into the hospital, verified what was going on, and left.
All professions where people have authority over others can be abused – police, security guards, ticket-takers/ushers, politicians, pastors, doctors, lawyers, unions, department supervisors at factories, etc. It’s a struggle of human nature. That being said, this cop’s error was horribly wrong – and had a severe cost to it. I hope he is met with some type of civil rights action by the family.
A sad footnote (but not in anyway diminishing what the cop did) of the story is Moats playing the race card. Race had nothing to do with it, and it’s sad that with the hip/hop, cop-killer culture, there’s a pre-disposition to think that anything bad that happens to you is because of race – and if you run a redlight or smoke pot or carjack somebody – and if you’re stopped by a cop, it’s because of race and not because, well, you ran a redlight, smoked pot, or carjacked somebody.
Bob_Nelson says:
March 26th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Driving with hazard lights illuminating and failure to stop at red lights should not warrant a traffic stop.
It is racism.
Enforcing the laws always seems wrong to those who play the race card.
You sir, are an ignoramous. Why have traffic lights, stops signs, or any traffic laws? BOTH were in the wrong here. Technically Moats ran a red light. He could have (and should have, given the incident’s context) just been warned. But he did break the law. The cop acted incredibly insensitive, and may lose his job. Also, that video was edited, we don’t know EVERYTHING that was said between the two.
Wait, the cop followed Moats to the hospital? How long did he follow him for? Why didn’t he just pull him over right after Moats ran the red light? Thats a cop who’s power mad right there. It sounds like Moats was being nothing but cooperative, even a little regretful that he ran the light. Also, Jaybat, you’re an idiot. I’m an Eagles fan and I remember Moats as a player and I don’t really care one way or the other. He just got crapped on and its not right.
Well at least he wasn’t at a Bart station.
Now that I’ve seen the video…that cop is so fired.
It wasn’t like Moats committed a violent crime, so the cop could have just taken his drivers license, insurance, registration, and let him go into the hospital and dealt with all this later.
If it was a white NFL player and an African-American officer, would racism even be in the picture?
he should have identified himself as a Dallas Cowboy. The cop would’ve let him go…
I’m white, I’ve gotten similarly horrid and inconsiderate treatment from white cops before. Half of the cops in the United States are complete A-holes. Blame it on whatever you want, power tripping, the brain-washing at the acadamey, whatever. Either way, it’s a pretty big stretch to claim racism every time some SOB cop treats joe citizen of another race like crap. More than likely, the guy is just doing what cops do best, which is being a completely inconsiderate A-hole regardless of who he’s doing it to.
$0.02,
–Z
Moats was obviously under duress and this fool cop had to prove something. I doubt anyone else would be any more composed than Moats was. This cop f-ed up big time, and there’s no excuse.
This is just how cops are…
i would say that most people driving with hazards flashing, that run a red light and then drive to an effin emergency room are in an extremely important (life or death) situation. moats even stated to give him a ticket quickly. he ran a light so give him a ticket or better yet notice that he drove to the effin emergency room and let it slide. i doubt hes carrying a trunkload of blow or fleein the scene of a crime with his hazards flashing on the way to an emergency room.
Police should just use common sense here, give me a break. And yeah maybe it wasn’t because moats was black, but he happens to be black and the officer happened to be white and what the officer did was in no way logical so it very well could have been racist.
And for the few that say… look at these stupid posters sayin this and that about cops being douchebags. Well for a number of police officers it happens to be completely true. Many extremely intellegent people find ignorant and shady police work far from praiseworthy. So get off your high horses and realize this cop probably acts differently if moats were white. Maybe he does not but I believe the Real Sports segment about the racist cops happened just outside of Houston. And that dude was an effin racist.
I am white and usually believe things can be construed as racism way to much. But idk about these Houston area coppers.
Wow, I’m a big supporter of what cops do, but this guy should be axed.
The car had it’s 4-ways on and pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital. This cop is a disgrace to those who wear the uniform.
It’s a tragic story, but I’m (mostly) with the cop. He can’t just allow people to talk their way out of anything. Sure, the family was in tears and heading into a hospital. That doesn’t make their story true.
What if Moats and his passengers convinced the cop to let them leave the car and head inside while he checks out the license and writes the ticket, and then he finds a body in the car, or drugs? And then he discovers that the family has escaped out another exit in the hospital? He’d lose his job for being gullible and not following procedures. Unfortunately, he did his job and this was a consequence.
Having said that, the cop handled the situation inappropriately, and he should certainly be reprimanded for his interaction with Moats. If there’s even a chance that what the driver is saying is true, he should’ve handled the situation with a large degree of understanding and less combativeness. I do understand that a single cop alone at night in a parking lot with a large man calls for precautions to be taken by the cop, but at no point did Moats show any aggressiveness. Moats would’ve gotten through it more quickly if he had remained calm and not insisted on getting the last word, but who among us remains perfectly calm when we have family dying and we’re not permitted to be with them?
It’s unfortunate, and I hate to see so many people automatically play the race card. It’s unwarranted.
And if I were the police chief, I’d be sure to reprimand the cop but I’d be more concerned about who it is in the department releasing dashboard videos to newspapers.
“Moats and his wife, who are black, believe that Powell, who is white, might have been motivated by the racial differences. Either way, Moats thinks Powell should be fired.”
The guy has every right to question whether race was a factor – it may or may not have been. You do realize why people bring up race in situations like this, right? Try hundreds of years of racism in this country. I love how people refer to “the race card,” as if a history of being enslaved, beaten, and generally treated as less than human is some kind of freakin’ advantage…
Uh no, cause blacks are allowed to be racist, and openly racist at that.
Read up on crime stats some time.
But I will say that there is sometimes a thin line between cops and criminals. Sometimes it looks like cops are cops cause they couldn’t hack it as criminals!
When u are getting a ticket, arguing doesn’t make it take less time.
At best, the officer could have excused Moats since his family was in distress. A health emergency is a legitimate reason for the driving and the officer has discretion.
At the least, the officer could have given Moats the ticket promptly without the authoritarian threats. He seemed to be using threats to aggravate the situation and flaunt power over a citizen.
That was very bad form by the officer in question. He should be disciplined.
Fire Him
Okay, I am reading these comments and am in shock. I am white and I think this very easily could have been racism. I have been all over the US and I have seen both side of racism. People like to say it is 2009 but it still exixts. There is racism everywhere. I hope this wasn’t a case of that but if I was Moats I would think that it was that as well.
As far as Moats being in the wrong… HE WASN’T!! The law allows for someone to turn thier flashers on and run red lights (yeilding for traffic first) in an emergency situation. So with that said, guess what… HE WAS IN THE RIGHT!!!
And to the guy who said people here must all be scum because we don’t like cops. There are too many cops on power trips and there are too many good people who have felt the brunt of those prick cops. So you don’t have to be a dirt bag to dislike cops.
SaintsBucsPanthersSUKK, I think I found that other K you were missing.
“Do you understand?”
“Shut yer mouth! You can cooperate and settle down, or I can just take you to jail for running a red light.”
Settle down was an interesting choice by the officer, it’s the kind of thing you say to things you think are “uppity.” Let’s just say it would be good if had a racial character witness or 2.
The interesting thing, though, is that I think with regards to the letter of the law, the officer is right. But in both the news story’s portrayal and the response here everyone seems to hold compassion above law.
To the people taking the “rule of law” and “obey all traffic laws” angle, ask yourself this question — if it was your kid, parent or sibling that was near death in the hospital and you had only minutes left to see them, would you have abided by all traffic laws on your way to the hospital?
Some guys are just dicks, doesn’t mean it’s “racially motivated”
Glad this was caught on video for those who still believe racial profiling and police harassment dont exist. Sorry to say, this is a typical experience with DPD.
/ born and raised in Dallas so I know
/ and yes, it’s happened to me
/ more than once
I’m going to be in the minority here. I started out on Moats’ side…before I saw the video. After watching the video, it is obvious that Moats could have cut, say…8 minutes…off of that 13 minutes just by not being argumentative. Every time the officer tried to say something, Moats cut him off with his bickering. I cannot know without seeing the whole video, but from noticing the editing, my feeling is that it was probably only after several minutes of constant sniping that the officer brought up the possibility of arrest. It’s obvious that the officer had no problem allowing Moats’ other family members to leave the area and go inside. Did he initially try to stop the family members? Yes, but as a cop, you can’t just let people pile out of a car you just pulled over. That’s a good way to end your day in a body bag. After assessing that they were not a threat, he said “Fine” and let them proceed. Taking this into consideration why Moats’ grandfather-in-law didn’t make it inside is beyond me. That can’t be blamed on the officer.
You can’t cry racism every time a white officer does something that a black person doesn’t like. Was the officer maybe a little overzealous? Probably. There is nothing to make me believe that he wouldn’t have been overzealous if Moats were white though. Had Moats been handcuffed, then I would feel differently, but from what I see, it is just two people getting pissy with each other and the officer lost his patience and tried to prove his point.
I understand emotions were high and my thoughts and prayers go out to Moats’ wife and her family. But accusing the officer of being racists just because I’m black, he’s white, and he did something I didn’t like isn’t going to fly with me.
BTW, do you mean all I have to do to get out of my next ticket is to drive directly to the nearest hospital? Why doesn’t everybody do that?
Daaaamn…that guy should not have any authority whatsoever…abuse like that is rediculous, period.
jimicos, when a car with flashing hazards – a car trying to attract attention, note – runs a red light and goes at full speed, ignoring a police car following with a siren, and then turns in to a hospital, there’s a pretty good chance the occupants are not criminals transporting a body. There’s an extremely good chance the occupants are in need of the hospital, one way or the other. At that point, the cop needs to exercise his public servant function, not his law enforcement one.
I’m speaking as someone who _did_ run a red and speed to get his pregnant wife to the hospital, with a cop folllowing behind me all the way. We drove up to the front, a bunch of nurses (who I’d prepped) ran out, he got out of the car and saw my wife, and immediately he asked what he could do to help. My daughter was born like 90 seconds later.
That’s what we should expect of our police. Quick assessment of the situation, then take appropriate action always respecting the rights of the citizen in front of you.
Not everyone should become police officers. Unfortunately the authority the job carries attracts many who should never hold the job. It’s like putting a drug addict in charge of a pharmacy.
Thank God that video got released. Texas’s reputation for racism certainly isn’t helped by this, but the fact it made the light of day shows there’s hope down there after all.
@TransplantedFan – The cop did try to pull Moats over before the hospital. He had his lights on…what else was the cop supposed to do, ram Moats or PIT him to get him to stop?
That royally pisses me off just thinking about it.
I hate pigs. They rarely Serve & Protect.
These days 90% of them are cash cows for their jurisdicktion with driving violations.
Dash cams should be mandatory in this day and age. They are priceless in protecting both the public and the cop.
Bubba Maximus: You must be a tremendously stupid individual. Everyone posting here does not hate cops, in fact, some us have relatives that are cops. That’s why it’s important to separate bad cops like this clown from the good cops , who would have put there listening ears on and correctly assesed the situation. This moron doesn’t have the intelligence or temperment to do the job. As you can see, Moats calmly explained the situation to this jerk multiple times and he didn’t want to hear it. Then hospital personnel tried to explain, and again he didn’t want to hear it. Maybe he’ll hear it when his chief fires him after the investigation, but I doubt it. As far as playing the race card is concerned, that’s another reason why you gotta fire this putz. All white cops aren’t racists, but Moats now thinks so, because of his negative experience with one cop. Isn’t it better to just fire the one racist cop, leaving all the non racist cops who do their job with common sense and reason? Sure it is! Then people like you won’t think all posters here are cop haters, when all they really hated was this cop. It’s like this thread: Are all posters to this thread idiots because Bubba Maximus is an idiot? Of course not!See, this way, everyone gets their due,and the world is a much better place!
Of course as always PFT gives you an incomplete account of the situation it headlines.
Even if you are a supporter of the Police this is way over the top.
Moats went to great lengths to explain his situation. At one point the hospital security guards verified that Moats mother-in-law dying. Even the nurse attending his mother-in-law came down to verify his story as well to ask the cop to allow him to see her. This along with a Plano Police Officer who also asked the Dallas cop to allow him upstairs.
But the arrogant bastard took his time. While Moats was dealing with this jerk she died.
There is absolutely no defense for this @#!?** of a cop…NONE!
My heartfelt sympathy for Moats and his family.
And I hope the cop enjoys his new position with the Vidor Texas Police Force where that type attitude belongs.
This is why I don’t trust cops. I’ll protect myself thank you very much.
There is no justification for his behavior, sorry. Having a badge and a gun doesn’t give him an automatic excuse. And rationalizing his actions using the “Moat could have been…” argument given the evidence presented to him by the hospital staff doesn’t fly. He’s why people don’t respect police. Power tripping, unaccountable, cowardly bureaucrats are exactly the type of people that should be drummed out of police and government. They’re a big reason the system breaks down and fails law-abiding citizens while enriching criminals.
hamilton, which of Moats’ family got out of the car with any physical affliction. You yourself say the officer in your case saw that your wife was pregnant and saw nurses running out to meet you. Not a difficult evaluation. Healthy people running out of a car is a bit of a different situation to evaluate.
BTW…there are several situations in which I can see somebody driving to a hospital with their flashers on and running red lights even though they do not want the attention of police. Most surround people being involved in illegal activity that resulted in the severe injury of a friend or family member. Gunshot…drug overdose…accident while drunk…
@ Hamilton:
Do you think the cop in your situation could tell that your wife was pregnant by looking at her? I’d hope so. Do you think he could tell that Moats and his family were telling the truth by looking at them? No. They were clearly crying and upset, but again that doesn’t mean their story is true.
Sure, driving with the flashers on and pulling into a hospital is not behavior exhibited by people with something to hide.. But what if I just never want to stop at another red light ever again? Then maybe I’ll do the same and pull into a hospital and start crying if a cop catches me.
The bottom line is this: It’s the officer’s DUTY to enforce the laws. It’s his DUTY to check up on people’s stories and make sure he’s not being lied to. It’s not his duty to lecture people after he’s decided they actually do have an emergency. His behavior should be addressed, but if cops just started believing every BS story they were told we’d be in a real mess.
it’s not racism. it’s just an a-hole power-tripping cop. i think that cop would have had the same dick attitude to anyone he pulled over. obviously he was picked on as a kid or something…
crappy situation. i feel for Moats & his family. he did everything right.
not racism though.
I don´t know what scares me the most. The situation itself or some of the posts.
Traffic regulation is not the Constitution – by a far margin – so, yes, in an emergency such as this, the individual need justifies the action by Moats.
Black ppl getting out of luxury SUV? Yes, I believe it had something racist to it. I doubt the same would happen if a WASP family jumped out of the car, although it very well could.
Also, if there´s a security issue among cops, to justify such aggression, MAYBE they should not patrol individually. Having a partner could/would have helped to lessen the stress and risk.
drbob1, “All white cops aren’t racists, but Moats now thinks so, because of his negative experience with one cop.”
Are you high?
I understand the outrage because the man’s mother-in-law died. But the fact is the he DID run a red light. Just because he had his hazards on doesn’t make it OK. SOMEBODY had to stay with the car because it did RUN A FREAKING RED LIGHT! Did they just expect the cop to go, “Oh, you ran a red light with your HAZARDS on…that is OK then.” Police … Read Morehave difficult and dangerous jobs and they put their lives at risk whenever they put on a badge. This cop clearly allowed the other people in the car to leave, but he could not let the entire car go. What if Moats did have outstanding warrants and he left the hospital out a back door. Then a day later he killed someone. There would be a major outrage over why the cop had not at least stopped to check him out when he had the chance. Just because the end result was that the mother-in-law died while he was giving Moats a ticket doesn’t make what the cop did wrong at all.
jimicos,
You are a complete raging idiot.
@mkuske- apparently its perspective
The cop didn’t “allow” the daughter & grandmother to leave. They went ahead and left and he consented when he came to the internal conclusion that this was a real emergency situation.
He knew there was no threat but still chose to be a d!ck.
The grandfather didnt go in because if he did- this would have probably have turned into police brutality- just off camera. It’s unfortunate he had to stay but was a good idea.
“Most people respect the badge. Everyone respects the gun.”
Only in Texas…
Watch the feed or read the transcript. The officer was informed of the situation, he was on a power trip. But I don’t believe it was racist. I am white clean cut, and respectful to officers (My father retired cop.)And I too have been treated this way. Even when I was the one who called them! I was still treated like I was the criminal!!! Some of these guys only want to be a cops so they can feed their power hungry egos.
mkuske: What part didn’t you agree with: 1)All white cops aren’t racists or 2) Now Moats thinks they are because of his experience with one cop”?
Sometimes I can not tolerate the comments from idiots on here. If anyone one of you were thrown in this situation where your wife or mother was dying in the hospital and you receive a call at night to get your ass there, will any of you obey all the traffic laws, including driving the speed limit? I think in situations as this, breaking traffic laws are justifiable. Anyone who disagrees truly is an idiot.
just another reason i cant stand punk cops…they give the good ones a bad name…these guys get that badge and think that theyre hot stuff maybe because they got picked on when they were young, i dont know but there has got to be harsher penalties for cops who abuse their power and forget the honor thats supposed to come with wearing that badge. what a disgrace! good thing for moats is he should have the money to be able to pursue pressing charges against this asshole…f’in pigs
This officer is clearly unable to handle power. IMHO, he would have acted just as inappropriately if he were dealing with whites. So let’s all hope that he is encouraged in the strongest terms to find some other line of work, not so much out of the need for vengance, but more for the safety of the public. He’s only 25, he can find another profession where he does not carry a gun and is not entrusted with power over the masses.
drbob1, the part about Moats seeing cops as racists going forward. You completely discount the probability that he saw their actions as racist before this incident.
hitdog042, already said one dude.
Wow…..in Texas they take you to jail for running a red light? No wonder the jails are overcrowded.
after watching the video, the cop needs fired…he def had a chip on his shoulder…and i hate cops that tell grown, taxpaying citizens to shut-up or to shut your mouth…who does he think he is??????? ugh i hate punkass cops!!!!!!!!!!
If you pull over right away and act politely to a cop they rarely say “I could throw you in jail for running a red light”.
The quicker people realize this, the quicker we don’t have to debate if a cop has gone “too far”.
David Chappele had a great comedey central bit on how to handle cops and it was so common sense funny that its an instant classic.
To recap. Pull over right away. Don’t get huffy. Explain things calmly.
yoyo says:
March 26th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
jimicos,
You are a complete raging idiot.
—————————-
I’ll take that under advisement.. From a self-described yoyo.
In your world, cops believe every story they’re told and listen with compassion. Honestly, I like my world better.
What an embarassment! Guys like this give police officers a bad name! They need to fire that SOB!
Dont jumped to the conclusion it was based on race, I am white and have been treated like crap by cops. There are bad cops, cops who think they can do whatever they want. Please be careful not to indict and entire workforce based on a few bad examples.
DWB…that’s a shame.
Remember this fellow PFT Planet: NEVER insult small-minded men in positions of power.
architect, “this would have probably have turned into police brutality”…and you came to this conclusion how? How many times a day do you think a white police officer pulls over a black person? Thousands? And how many times is there no incident? Thousands? And you say probably?
The biggest misconception here by a lot of people is the ability to remain calm in moments of distress. Granted, he ran a red light and broke a law (someone get me the lawbook for that county before I can confirm that, maybe there is some bylaw allowing it), but I would assume that officers are taught how to gauge situations, and realize that people, under duress, will not act the same way as people who aren’t worrying about something major. Why do you think people get trampled on when there is a fire in a nightclub and everyone is running to get out, instead of walking briskly, single file, out of the nearest exit?
What a piece of sh-t.
Seriously.
Give the guy a ticket and move on. He wasn’t trying to get out of his due punishment. He was being polite. There was no f-cking reason to keep going.
What a horrible thing to happen to, from what I read in the papers, is a great character guy.
Living in Texas, I have to say the obvious thing: this does not represent all of whites in the state. However, it’d be naive to say there’s no way race was an issue here.
However, it’s equally likely race was not a factor and that cop is an equal opportunity jackass.
lol seriously some of you posters are just as ignorant as the parties involved. i hope they disband the chat portion of this site because i normally only read stupid ass comments by small minded people.
could it have been racist? sure. but we dont know. be fair guys.
did moats blow the light or simply slow down and then cautiously drive through?
seriously, most of you are complete morons, but im sure that you aren’t aware of that, and, never will be. ever.
this is the last time i post or read comments on this site. you guys are a joke. get a hold of your life.
!@#$ The Police!
They’re all just jocks from high school who couldn’t get a a real job whos requirement wasn’t being a block head or a douchebag.
I hope that cop is fired. I mean, Jesus Christ, hazard lights on, ran a red light — after slowing down through it — and they stop at a hospital, what else could he think they were going there for. If Moats stops, does the cop let him go so he says he would who knows. This cop was on a power trip. God save him if he ever faces a similar situation.
Fire the jerk.
Well, mkuske, I believe the story said he grew up in Dallas. Maybe that wasn’t the first experience…My point is that a good cop would not have responded that way… Reports out of Dallas today say that an invetigation was launched, the ticket was dropped and Dallas police apologized to the Moats family. What does that tell you?
Besides, if this cop were racist (and some have assumed that he would have beaten Moats had there not been witnesses), wouldn’t the cop have had Moats’ car towed? I mean it was driven by somebody who had no proof of insurance and was illegally parked. If the officer was trying to make Moats’ life miserable because of his race, then having the car towed would be a no-brainer and would have been completely in his power and within the law. But he didn’t. Why? Because this has nothing to do with racism.
Interesting discussion (eye roll). No one seems to have wondered how this video got into the media’s hands to quickly. My guess is that the Dallas police are themselves upset by this officer’s actions and let the media have it, perhaps to build public support for his termination. Otherwise, there would be the usual talk of privacy concerns, ongoing investigation, and so on. The video and transcript are convincing that, at the least, this officer exercised poor judgment. The police union could face a public backlash if he is terminated and the union tries to fight it. We also don’t know whether this officer has been the subject of other complaints. This could be just the latest incident and provide the excuse for his termination.
I believe the proper action the officer should have taken would have immediately, once he heard their relative was dying, go with them in the hospital to verify it and be as helpful to them as he could. Instead he immediately started yelling at them to get back in the car and continued this attitude even after they responded that their relative was dying. The fact that, even after he was informed by the nurse and security guard that they were telling the truth, he still would not let them go is completely outrageous. Yes, the officer can’t just let anyone run off until checking for outstanding warrants and such, but in extenuating circumstances such as these the officer needs to realize that they are not trying to run away and just want to see their relative and he should take appropriate action from there such as letting them go up while checking the license because he now knows where they are going and could have even had the security guard accompany them.
As far as running the red light goes, they had their flashing lights on in order to attract attention that something was wrong and they also yielded before being waved through by the only other car at the stoplight. I understand the tough job that police have and the situations they have to deal with, but these extenuating circumstances are what they are paid to deal with and they need to have the ability to do so or they need to find a new line of work as this officer does.
As far as the racism claims, I can understand how easy it can be for officers to jump to conclusions because the truth is that they do deal with a lot of black people on a daily basis, many of whom have commited serious crimes, but part of their job is to go into every situation without prejudging it and assess it as they learn more about the situation. The reason I would believe racism in this circumstance is that if you watch the video, the officer immediately is yelling at these people and his attitude is not phased by the fact that they have a dying relative. He seems to be determined that this is a situation that needs the attitude that he brought to it.
If he is not fired, I hope he will learn from this and assess himself as an officer so this type of thing doesn’t happen again and not just become defensive and refuse to admit that he made any mistake.
Disgusting.
I feel terribly for Ryan Moats and his family.
Sickening.
Thank God the stimulus package has money earmarked to put more of these assh*les on patrol.
Imagine if this happened to Pacman Jones. Do you think he would have been so cooperative? Mad respect for Moats in this situation, even I wouldn’t have taken that $#!T and I dont have millions of dollars to pay for court fees
What a total idiot.
If someone is running red lights and has their hazard lights on enroute to a hospital, maybe they have a good reason.
And if he didn’t believe the “my step-mother is dying” story, all he had to do was say: “OK, lets go ask the admitting nurse if she’s really here.” If it was a lie, Moats would have come up with another story. Could have been taken care of in 15 seconds and the cop would still have “done his job.”
the cop was acting like a complete douche, he could have taken his info and sent him a ticket instead of arguing with ryan. really ignorant on powells part
There are some out there who wonder why cops have a bad name in some quarters….
I realize that not all cops are like this guy, and deserve our respect.
But I’d bet that this cop has had more than one incident like this. Sounds like he has the old “God Complex”
A true TOOL!!!!!
This sounds familiar, where have I heard it before?… Oh yeah, every conversation I’ve ever had with any type of sworn officer.
Absolutely no ability to have a reasonable conversation, so when they are being proven completely wrong, always go to the “you wanna go to jail?!”
@mkuske
I didn’t mean to say to it would definitely turned into police brutality, but you said- why did the grandfather miss his daughter’s passing? or something to that effect.
My point was- the grandfather was there to protect his family. he was a check on a potentially volatile situation involving an unreasonable police officer. Without that, abuses of power have no limits, on a governmental level or otherwise.
The cop must be fired. This was egregious. The cop could have checked out his story first. Sad.
This is exactly why people hate cops .
It is the type of shit like that where I have a hard time exhibiting self control. The piece of shit cop was basically goading him. I can’t help but think if I was in that situation. If I’m already emotional as it is with my girlfriends mother is dying, and the cop is telling me to shut my mouth among other things, it would have taken every fiber in my to not beat him until his brain is oozing out of his ear..The video enrages me. The cop instigates knowing that Moats can’t do anything about it. Hiding behind the badge like a pussy
LOL, I knew some f–kheads would defend the douche bag cop. If they don’t fire this creep, the CoP should be fired pronto. To those racists defending the cop, if there is a god, I hope he puts you in the same situation!!!
jimicos says:
March 26th, 2009 at 11:54 am
@ Hamilton:
Do you think the cop in your situation could tell that your wife was pregnant by looking at her? I’d hope so. Do you think he could tell that Moats and his family were telling the truth by looking at them? No. They were clearly crying and upset, but again that doesn’t mean their story is true.
Sure, driving with the flashers on and pulling into a hospital is not behavior exhibited by people with something to hide.. But what if I just never want to stop at another red light ever again? Then maybe I’ll do the same and pull into a hospital and start crying if a cop catches me.
The bottom line is this: It’s the officer’s DUTY to enforce the laws. It’s his DUTY to check up on people’s stories and make sure he’s not being lied to. It’s not his duty to lecture people after he’s decided they actually do have an emergency. His behavior should be addressed, but if cops just started believing every BS story they were told we’d be in a real mess.
__________________________________________________
I think the point is being lost in a ‘slippery slope’ discussion here. Theoretically, he could walk in the hospital and pull out sub-machine guns and kill everyone after he got the ticket. That has nothing to do with a guy getting berated outside a hospital saying that he would accept the ticket, just to get it over with. He wasn’t trying to get out of it- he was trying to get it over with and get inside.
This is a shame on several levels. First and foremost, its a terrible tragedy for the Moats family and my heart goes out to them. Second, there are a lot of good, hard-working police officers out there who do a great job in a very tough position, only to have their image tarnished by a few douchbags like this Powell meathead.
My hope for this bozo is that he gets canned from his job, ends up homeless, destitute and harrassed by police officers for sleeping on park benches.
Why does it ALWAYS have to be a racism thing? It can never be that the cop was just an ass with a power trip and would have been that way regardless of Moats’ skin color, but it OBVIOUSLY had to be a racist cop when there was nothing that idicates anything more than a typical douchebag, power-tripping cop.
They let people like this carry guns?
wow
Wow that cop is messed up. you guys should watch that video. fire that jerk
Miscommunication bigtime! Moats never reported his situation to the policeman and came across as a punk with an attitude. At that point, the policeman did the right thing and established that HE was in control not Moats. Compassion is one thing, but how often do you get an “emergency call” saying Your M-i-law is dying of Breast cancer? Yes, a heart attack, a stroke, auto accident or soem thing along those lines, but Breast cancer? USUALLY, most patients and their families know this well ahead of time and thus isn’t an “emergency” where your’re allowed to run a red light and possibly kill someone along the way. Moats should have explained the situation and the policeman once appraised of the situation should have shown more compassion. Either way, it’s a case of the citizen not explaining his situation and once explained the Policeman let him go afterall 13 minutes is NOT a dragged out amount of time. Hope the cop doesn’t get fired over this ( waiting for all the racists to come out from under their rocks and start their normal screaming).
Do you need straight “A”s to be a cop?
What’s really ludicrous about this is that the police officer ran a red light, slowing so two cars could go through the intersection, and then went way over the speed limit to catch up with Moats.
Please. Do you live in the USA? Have you ever been pulled over or have a similar interaction with an officer? 1 out of every 2 cops is a “Powell”.
Thankfully the other cop of the two is what you want in an officer – but when the chips are down and you go to the police station to complain about the “Powells”, even the good cops rally around the badge to defend the reprehensible actions of their asshole counterparts.
Look for Powell to get put on a desk job – ONLY because this was caught on video and it happened to a minor celebrity – and then watch him get slowly weaned back on traffic patrol within the year.
I’ve lived in Texas my whole life, and alot of Texas cops are like this. They take themselves way too seriously. This guy should never wear a badge again.
What a f–king dirtbag. His badge should be turned over immediately. No questions asked.
TO SERVE AND PROTECT.
Clearly this pathetic human being has no idea what serve means. No wonder Cops get a bad name its because of Losers like this.
I wonder what happens when one day he has to(or thinks he has to) fire his weapon.
What a joke
Sad. So sad. Definately watch the video this guy(the cop) has no clue about the gravity of the situation and could careless. what a worthless slimeball.
Higher Pay for Law Enforcement!
[read with sarcasm]
Each city in the United States needs a law put on the books to protect citizens from cops like this….. that when a cop clearly knows you are in destress and like this situation, and he detains you…. he forfeits his entire pension for anguish
.
You guys are right…that cop is a complete douchebag. He should definitely lose his job!
However, how was there any element of race? People can’t just be straight up mean? If it’s to a person of another color, it has to be racist?
The guys a cop…he’s a jerk to everyone! We should definitely be past that by now!
Moats was a promising young back on the Eagles. He was buried on the depth chart in ’05…and then Westbrook and Buckhalter got healthy enough. If I remember correctly, he ran all over the Giants in a game that year. You were probably watching that one in Philly, right? Give the guy a break.
This cop is a disgusting human.
Come on people, it was his MOTHER-IN-LAW.
He was under no duress…..except from the passengers in his vehicle.
I still don’t understand how enforcing the law is always labeled racist.
If these family member were so concerned about an impending death why were they not already at the hospital?
How long did Moats have to wait for his passengers to fix their hair and make up before driving them to the hospital?
The officer did not kill the woman, cancer killed the woman.
Doing a computer check on all traffic law breakers for outstanding warrants is routine not racist.
Being thorough and adhering to proceedures just may save this young officer’s life someday.
OR
you can believe:
That laws are always racist.
Those that enforce laws are always racist.
Enforcing the laws is always a racist act.
Eliminating of all laws is just another step in eliminating racism.
Some of you are just nuts bringing up racism every single time someone is inconvenienced as a consequence of their own actions.
@ Dave G….you missed some facts nurse came out and told him the lady was going code blue for the 3rd time. He had it within his power to end it right there let Moats go on his way and wait for him to come back or follow him inside to present a summons. I saw a lot of opportunity for Powell to make different choices. and the phrase “I can screw you over,” that the officer told Moats. Man if I was arrested/ticketed by this guy I would file an appeal. With that statement on tape, his effectiveness as an officer is compromised.
drbob1, It doesn’t tell me anything. It’s like somebody settling out of court. It could be because they were wrong or it could be because legal fees will be too expensive to prove they were in the right. It happens every day. In this case the cost is public opinion, deservedly or not. It doesn’t mean it has anything to do with race.
Dave G, Moats did explain the situation. A nurse explained the situation. A security guard explained the situation. The cop didn’t give a s*** because he was on a power trip and needed everyone to bow down to him. Probably would have told a gunshot victim to settle down unless he wanted to be arrested. This guy has no business walking around with a gun in a position of power. NONE,
little man’s disease. A public apology by the officer to the Moats family should be considered. Or better yet, possibly they will have him wear a placard “I’m the cop that wouldn’t let the father of his daughter be present for her final moments on earth,” and put him on the street corner.
This has nothing to do with race — Dallas cops are a-holes to everyone.
This is just how the cops are. I don’t think it’s JUST racial (sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t), it’s more that the kind of person who becomes a cop needs to be in charge and respected and flaunts that authority whenever they are challenged. I’ve been beat up by a cop for jaywalking…
What do you want? It’s TEXAS. Everyone knows the crackers are extra crispy down there.
Disgusting. Unspeakably disgusting.
Possibly even more disgusting is the apologists here. There is no excuse for this police officer’s actions. He should be fired immediately, and banned from future public service of any kind.
Think about this: your mother is in a hospital bed dying, with literally only minutes left. Would you NOT do whatever it took to be with her?
The act of restraining someone in this case is cruelty of the worst imaginable kind, bordering on torture. The lack of basic human empathy and judgement shown by this “police officer” is so extreme that it could be called sociopathic. I would be willing to bet $1000 that this officer has had previous problems.
The police department and the city should have seen previously that this officer is seriously lacking in judgement/intelligence (and character) and is in no mental condition to be a law enforcement officer. This man should be banned from ever carrying a firearm, because his lack of empathy makes clear that he is a danger to those around him. For this reason, the police department has shown a willfull negligence and should be held accountable in civil court. The family should be awarded extensive punitive damages.
@jimicos
Get a clue and read all the articles on the issue.
Moats did indeed run the light. However it was pointed out that he took precaution in proceeding through the light and made sure there was no oncoming traffic. Also, he had two nurses and security guards come out of the hospital and tell him of the dying relative. You my friend are ill informed. Read up on it…wait wait..let me guess I bet you think the BART cop in LA that shot an unarmed handcuffed 20 year old was well within his right. Did I mention the guy was handcufed when he shot and killed him! Handcuffed..laying face down and shot like a dog. Dude..where was he going to go…even his fellow officers who were there were stunned. That my friend is scary. Would you call that murder or was the officer doing his duty and following procedure??? Answer that for me??
I am not one to pull the race card on anything and I don’t think this is the case. It might be..not sure….
However…all you people who keep standing on this there is no racism and why black people always pull the race card…open up a frickin history book and read. You are talking about generations of a race that were enslaved. beaten. degraded. treated as second class citizens…did I mention this was legal at one point. I mean you do realize that it is not something you can sweep under a rug and say well it happened and it is time to move on. Yeah right….good luck with that. It won’t ever be forgotten. It is an ugly scar in american history and until some people in this country come to grips with it and sit back and have some sensitivity to it..you will always have this problem. Always.
My bad that happened in Oakland.
@ Bob Nelson..uhhh…his wife…her mother was in the car and she was indeed trying to see her MOTHER pass on. Whether they should have been at the hospital or not..what you said was pretty insensitive all the way around “how long did Moats have to wait for them to do their hair and makeup” what??? What the hell does that have to do with anything???
Somone was trying to be with a dying parent. The officer had ways to verify this. Was presented by third parties that the relative was dying and yet he still proceeded to hold him up.
Oh and by the way…all those that have forgotten…few years ago there was a black man tied to a back of a pick up truck and dragged down a road until he was completely dimembered. Yeah that happened in Texas too. But have some of you tell it…there is NO MORE racism in the country. None. Wait…when the guys were caught …know what there reasoning was for doing it….hmmm for no other reason than he was black. That is a problem people…and to think it is non existent is a joke…
mkuske, since I don’t know this officer, I don’t know whether or not he is a racist. Judging from his actions, if I had to make a bet one way or the other, I’d bet he was a racist , but I don’t know that. What I do know from the facts as presnted in the video is that the guy is a power hungry creep who is only hurting his department.I’m sure after some period of desk duty, he’ll be back on the streets since he has a union job, as opposed to an “at will” job. I don’t think he deserves to be back on the streets, but that’s what will probably happen. To DaveG: in terminal cases the cancer spreads to multiple organs, where it kills the patient eventually, but the amount of time varies, and depends on several factors. Some families can spend days in the patient’s room, some people’s lifes make that impossible. For those people, a member of the medical staff,usually a nurse, will give the family the heads up that the patient’s condition has become grave. If the person coded 3 times, like it said on someone’s post earlier, then the hospital was trying to give the family every chance to say goodbye. The fact that Moats couldn’t do so over a minor traffic violation is sad to me, and sad to most people posting here.
Unbelievable.
There’s no way this cop could have been racist. Right? Right? I mean, this is Texas and we know there are no racists there! And there is no such thing as a racist cop. Right? Right???
PS Wonder if this jackass is part of the statistic where law enforcement is one of the highest represented professions for doestic abuse? Can you just picture this guy behind closed doors if his wife or girlfriend disagrees with him?
PSS Have a cousin, an uncle and close friend who are cops and they would agree with those saying this guy’s a miserable douche.
Just imagine if Moats had of accidentally hit a car full of children as he was running that red light. It can never be worth taking the risk.
@jarrettcp:
I read the article and I watched the video, and I absolutely stand by my statements in this thread. Let’s repeat them for those with reading comprehension problems:
- The cop did his job in checking out the license and following procedures.
- The cop should be reprimanded for his insensitive handling of the situation.
- I don’t want to live in a country where cops believe everything people tell them.
By all means let’s compare this cop to one who shot an unarmed, handcuffed man in the back. Yeah, they’re equals. That sounds about right. You’re ridiculous.
Is racism still alive and well in America? Absolutely, but don’t kid yourself in thinking it only goes one way. But I saw nothing in that video that had anything to do with racism. In my experience, most cops feel a need to let you know they’re in control of the situation. Upstage them, yell at them or don’t follow their instructions and they will absolutely escalate things. That’s what I saw in the video. Moats was bickering with him and he was dismissive. It was a little bit of a pissing contest going on between the two of them. And honestly, I can’t blame Moats for that. He was under a lot of stress and I’d expect him to behave differently than normal.
But you can’t compare this cop to the murderer in Oakland. And you can’t compare him to the cop encountered by another poster in this thread on the night his wife gave birth. Very different circumstances. Too many people just jump off the handle and react angrily when they see this story. Very little regard for the cop’s duties.
It was his wifes’ mom. I know if I was married I would do anything for my wife, including going through a red light, cautiously, so that she can see her dying mother. Being in law enforcement, and in my opinion, that cop was out of line. Alls I got to say is karma is a b****. What goes around comes around, the cop will will find that out the hard way.
Charges could have includede include fleeing?!?!? You have to be kidding! It is clearly obvious Moats was NOT driving erratically or trying to lose the Powell. In fact, it appears Moats legally parked in a stall. All Powell had to do was secure his license to confirm Moat’s identity and quickly confirm the situation with someone from the hospital.
Absolutely sad!
To those of you saying that “Moats still should have obeyed the law” put yourself in the same situation. Your wife’s in the car with you and her mother could die any minute. Tell me you wouldn’t run that red light if there were no other cars in sight.
Cops like this (most cops that I’ve come in contact with in my lifetime) make me absolutely sick. You see abuse of power like this all the time, and it makes me so mad. This was DEFINITELY racially-influenced. The cop verbally demeaned Moats and did all but call him “boy.”
I know all cops are not bad people, but most cops I’ve ever met have been power-drunk biggots.
drbob1, judging from his actions, he’s a guy that got himself into a pissing match and wouldn’t back down when he probably should have. Considering there were several things that he could have done to show he was a racist, he apparently showed great restraint in hiding his true collors because he didn’t do them. Did he search Moats “for both of their safety”? No. Did he cuff Moats? No. Did he have Moats’ car towed? No. In fact you can hear the warrant being run in the background and it comes back with “Alert. Warrant hit.” Does the officer immediately apprehend Moats? No, he investigates the system further and clears Moats. All he did was get frustrated with a person who was cutting off his every sentence with bickering and made that person wait until that person stopped bickering. Watch the whole video (the site has the unedited version up now). As soon as Moats stops bickering, the officer gives him a one minute lecture then starts writing the ticket. Moats again starts to argue when the officer hands him the ticket, apparently ignoring his mother-in-law’s grave condition, and only stops when the nurse starts to pull him away. That was less than a minute after the nurse told the officer that the woman was coding. As for the security guard, she did not come from inside nor was she monitoring a radio so she really had no new information. She told the officer that Moats’ “father” was coding and that Moats needed to be there so that they could resuscitate “him”. This was only after a conversation with Moats. I do strongly encourage you to watch the whole unedited version of the tape. If it is not still up, you can find it here: http://www.dallasnews.com/video/index.html?nvid=345818&emb
PFT Reader, what video are you watching? Moats blows through 4 stop signs/lights including in the parking lot of a hospital, then parks on top of yellow stripes.
quadropheniac10, so when the officer respectfully asked Moats to get his insurance and Moats fires back “You get it!”, that’s NOT demeaning and disrespectful.
Watch the full version of the video, Moats is on very shaky footing here.
architect, watch the whole video. Not only is the grandfather specifically cleared to leave, there are two black security guards at the scene to witness anything that may happen. There is no reason for the grandfather not to go up to the room, but he still chose to stay. That was his own choice and again not the officer’s fault.
I’m not so sure I would go so far as to call what the officer did as racist, how was he supposed to know what race the driver of the car is before they exit the vehicle. However, had that been me there would be no reason for him to be fired he would have had a room right next to my mother.
jnichols777 seriously man ? Put yourself in Moat’s shoes. You can not be serious in your comment. The situation was clearly stated by the Moats’ familly anf hospital workers. You are awarded no points and may god have mercy on your soul.
Wow. Even when the NURSE says his mother in law is dying, he says – “I’m almost done”. Nothing more important than a ticket getting issued. There is a special place in hell for people like that.
It is so refreshing to hear that this animal’s superior officer is not trying to justify the ignorant behavior displayed by the coward with the badge.
I wish to know where common sense was on all of this?? Is that what they teach in police training?? To throw common sense out of the window? I do wonder if what he did was routine for him…I mean if this was not an NFL player NO ONE would have known about this. Racism?? Are you going to tell me that if he was white he wouldn’t have done something different? THAT I am not sure about…but cold hearted brainless cops like that need to be GONE!! And I agree there is a snall place in hell reserved for ones like Powell.
mkuske: even the officer’s boss said that Moats acted with restraint given the circumstances. He said the wife also acted with restraint. He said that his officer did not exercise common sense and dismissed the ticket. He said he found only his own officers behavior inappropriate. Not Moats, just the guy that works for him. Police officers will usually defend one another if they think they are in the right. He didn’t. He put the man on desk duty, something that is done after a questionable incident involving one of your officers. Look, I admit this isn’t exactly a terrible case of police brutality but post after post after post today from all kinds of people and the actions of his employer have told you he’s more in the wrong than Moats. Why can’t all of the defenders of this cop admit that? There are thousands of great cops out there. This guy isn’t one of them.
I can’t even believe some people are criticizing Moats…all you have to do is think about if this were YOU in that situation. Would you be completely patient, sit at red lights when no one was coming, and act like you had all day if a family member was dying?
This is ridiculous…
I live in Dallas just minutes from the hospital where the incident occurred. This is an affluent area so luxury vehicles like Moats’ SUV are common. Tell me: if the first person out of the car had been a young white woman followed by an older white woman, would the officer have drawn his gun…?
This is why you should have to be 30 before you’re actually let out on the ‘beat’ on your own. Even my own friends who are cops say that job is a macho-man mess. Ugh.
P.S. Phillyboltsfan said: “You are awarded no points and may god have mercy on your soul.” hahahahhahahaha. am i the only one that caught that?? hilarious
jblovein says:
March 27th, 2009 at 9:14 am
P.S. Phillyboltsfan said: “You are awarded no points and may god have mercy on your soul.” hahahahhahahaha. am i the only one that caught that?? hilarious
—————————
No, but you might be the only one who didn’t realize that’s a direct quote from “Billy Madison”. hahahahahahaha. Hilarious.
I hope this officer hears these lines (from L.A. Confidential) sometime very soon:
LOEW: “This man is a disgrace.”
CHIEF: “Your badge and gun, Officer.”
drbob1, there is little doubt that in hindsight, the officer made a bad decision and I agree with you there that this officer probably could use a suspension and some retraining (although I highly doubt that this situation was addressed in his original training). My problem is with the “cry wolf” mentality when it comes to racism. I use the term “cry wolf’” because just like the story, sooner or later people will stop listening when they hear that term being used because it is bandied about so often in situations like this where there is little or no evidence of any racism. I’ve already listed what all the officer could have done if he were a racist, but he didn’t. In fact the officer went out of his way to clear Moats when his warrant search came back positive.Yet Moats still labeled him a racist immediately. That label is dirty and, even when clearly undeserved, doesn’t wash off so quickly. So many on here, including yourself, were willing to brand this officer as a racist at the drop of a hat without ever watching the whole interaction that it was shameful.
Kilroy was here.
What the hell happened to my post? It was fun on the bun!
Kilroy was here. Don’t make me start using CAPS.
*COUGH* http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090407/ap_on_re_us/body_in_ticketed_truck;_ylt=As.9twD1a4FhUZLk2uecZK6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFlOW44cTVyBHBvcwM2NwRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3Vfc19uZXdzBHNsawNib2R5Zm91bmRpbnQ- *COUGH*