Author Topic: I laughed so hard I almost hyperventilated. (Read 1979 times)

VOR · « **Reply #30 on:** June 18, 2005, 08:41:45 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by midnight Target
Typical

Another perpetrator of DWB.

You can see the full vid series here along with a dept. training officer's commentary.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/video/taser_video3a.html

lazs2 · « **Reply #31 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:01:01 AM »

mt.. no matter what her color...

those violations were bad but... the "no seatbelt"... it's time we started shooting people over that. Taser isn't enough to save lives... need to shoot some folks.

lazs

Curval · « **Reply #32 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:12:21 AM »

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Originally posted by SaburoS
Take everything that she did/said but make it a _____(<---insert race/ethnicity of choice) woman instead and I'd bet the she'd still get tazed.

Had this woman obeyed the officer's requests in a friendly manner instead of the beligerent, combative, and insulting way she did, not only would she not have gotten tazed, she might well have gotten off with a warning instead.

Conjecture, of course.

Edit: oops, forgot the suspended license bit. Not going to get just a warning then.

Possibly...but would it been as "funny"?...or been funny enough to cause hyperventilation?

Dunno.

Maybe it is just the liberal Euro (but not really Euro) in me, but I didn't even crack a smile. If she had been yellow, purple or white I wouldn't think it was that funny.

Seems to me the cop didn't even try to actually get her out of the car other than to say "get out". He went from saying something to puling the tazer rather quickly IMHO...but perhaps this is SOP..I don't know.

There seems to be some concern in the US now that cops are using those tazers more than they should. When I was in NM recently some guy was tazed a bunch of times and was in hospital after his heart stopped a few times and there was going to be an investigation about it.

She was really stupid though. If a cops says get out...you just get out.

culero · « **Reply #33 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:15:13 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by beet1e
I thought US cops saved the tazer for zapping elderly ladies for sounding the horn.

I've had roadside dealings with US cops, and it never occurred to me to withhold any documents they were asking for. And once we started actually talking about what had happened, any of their remaining hostility seemed to evaporate. They wuz like putty in mi hands! Got away with 2 out of 4, and had I known the system could have got away with a third.

Jeebus, I agree with Beetle, I need to go take a bath!

Seriously, once I grew up and realized a snotty attitude wasn't getting me anywhere, I never got cited for a traffic violation again. The few times I've been pulled over in the last 20 years or so I've always been guilty of something or other (rolling through a stop sign at a time of day the sidewalks are rolled up, speeding on a lonely rural highway, etc) and have always simply admitted it to the cop and apologized. That approach seems to prompt them to say "OK, please watch it in future" and wave me on without a writeup.

culero

Sandman · « **Reply #34 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:21:23 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by beet1e
I thought US cops saved the tazer for zapping elderly ladies for sounding the horn.

I've had roadside dealings with US cops, and it never occurred to me to withhold any documents they were asking for. And once we started actually talking about what had happened, any of their remaining hostility seemed to evaporate. They wuz like putty in mi hands! Got away with 2 out of 4, and had I known the system could have got away with a third.

No kidding. The last time I got stopped, I had turned left from a right-turn only lane. Yeah, I knew it when I did it. Said as much to the cop, but in my defense, I made certain there were no other cars around and that I could do it safely. He let me go.

Of course, I didn't fail the "attitude test" as miserably as this woman.

Oh... and I should add. It wasn't PD that pulled me over. It was a Sheriff. Yeah, I know they don't typically do traffic stops in this state, but I pulled this little stunt damn near in front of their station.

Goth · « **Reply #35 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:27:46 AM »

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Originally posted by midnight Target
Typical

Another perpetrator of DWB.

Not to hijack, but attitudes like this suck.

Sandman · « **Reply #36 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:29:03 AM »

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Originally posted by Goth
Not to hijack, but attitudes like this suck.

Well... it was Florida after all.

culero · « **Reply #37 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:33:41 AM »

Well, I disagree there's any evidence here of a racist attitude on the part of the cops.

I would say that the cop handling this incident was woefully inadequate in terms of his people skills and confrontation management. He wasn't hostile (hence why I deny racism as a factor) but he was very brusque, and IMO unneccessarily so.

Don't misunderstand, this isn't a defense of this woman's actions. But, when you are dealing with people and your aim is to manage them, its usually more productive to be over the top in terms of courtesy. Taking a moment to understand their lack of understanding and explain things to them is important.

This cop was great at some points (for instance, not allowing her remarks to upset him or distract him into useless discussion) but I believe if he'd invested a little in conversation he wouldn't have had to forcibly remove her from the vehicle.

culero

Sandman · « **Reply #38 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:37:47 AM »

On the other hand, if she had done as she was directed, he may have been more inclined to talk.

culero · « **Reply #39 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:43:45 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sandman
On the other hand, if she had done as she was directed, he may have been more inclined to talk.

Like I said, I wasn't defending her actions. She was out of line, no doubt.

Think of it like this. You are a manager dealing with a disgruntled employee or contractor (something I do a lot on the job, BTW). Or you are a company representative dealing with a disgruntled customer (also something I do a lot on the job).

Are you going to catch more flies with honey or vinegar?

What is more productive, having to impose your will and leaving the person you're dealing with unhappy, or convincing them that they should cooperate?

I know its impossible to prove, but if we had the chance I'd cover any bet you wanted to make that I could have talked that lady out of that car and had her under arrest peacefully, and in very little more time (if more at all) than this cop expended.

A little "yes ma'am" and "please allow me to explain" etc etc sprinkled in with "just the facts" goes a long way toward de-fusing hostile attitudes.

culero

Sandman · « **Reply #40 on:** June 18, 2005, 09:53:13 AM »

I'd say the woman set the tone from the start... asking for his name, ID#, telling him that he couldn't clock a car, etc. The moment she started telling him about the law, she was doomed.

culero · « **Reply #41 on:** June 18, 2005, 10:03:12 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sandman
I'd say the woman set the tone from the start... asking for his name, ID#, telling him that he couldn't clock a car, etc. The moment she started telling him about the law, she was doomed.

I agree its pretty stupid to act that way if a cop stops you.

But who's supposed to be the professional in this scenario? Should a cop who wants to be the most effective peace officer possible allow a hostile attitude to cause him to be less effective in his people management skills?

In my experience, when confronted by a hostile attitude on the part of a person I need to manage, its far more effective and productive to start laying the courtesies on, perhaps even a bit more than normal. Every time I've allowed a person's attitude to cause me to become impatient, the results I've achieved have been less satisfactory than I desired. I've learned from that.

Would you agree that even though this woman was in the wrong, it still would have been preferable for the cop to have been able to secure her peaceful cooperation? That's where I'm coming from here, and her attitude is really irrelevant in that sense.

culero

BlueJ1 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 18, 2005, 10:06:18 AM »

Boy she got out of the car fast. Sounded like a wolf eating a dozen owls.

P.S. You can not get AIDs from someone biting you unless their gums are bleeding or another part of their mouth, or if you left them hang on for awhile and pump gallons of saliva into your arm.

AmRaaM · « **Reply #43 on:** June 18, 2005, 10:15:38 AM »

Working with the public for better than 26 years, some people just CANNOT be reasoned with, lets face the facts ..anyone that drives without a liscense, no belt, speeds with officer there, resists arrest, takes a swipe at an officer , starts the whole thing with basically i'm gonna tell on you officer and sue you, is just a low life POS. Only thing the officer did wrong was not setting the tazer barbs into her forhead and quite possible the electo shock treatment might have corrected her stupidity and make her a real member of society instead of just another maggot.

Thrawn · « **Reply #44 on:** June 18, 2005, 10:22:57 AM »

Hey MT, there was a guy that had a dream that his children would be judged by the content of thier character and not the colour of thier skin. I am curious as to why you did the exact opposite in this case.