I heard about that story on the way to work this morning over the radio... I agree completely with what his wife did, and that cop can just try and shoot me for resisting. I'm already at the hospital, maybe we could share a room!
But really, I see a civil suit in this police force's future.
Global- @SailorET, Justice Server
Sheryl Fiero, 50 AR/Devices Blaster
Louise Fiero, 50 Merc/Traps MM
Various assorted alts
Proudly serving in our military so you don't have to.
As someone that works in Law Enforcement I can see both sides of the story here.
I can see why the officer was frustrated as he was just trying to get control of the situation, but all he really had to do was take a deep breath and listen to the drivers situation and make a judgement call there.
Yes he made a mistake, but I personally don't think he should be fired over it if he doesn't have a track record of making bad decisions.
@Radmind - Justice Server
ClintarCOH - Twitter
ClintarCOH - Twitter
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Agreed, Rad. The officer didn't appear to have broken any regulations that I'm aware of (though I don't work in that field.) The officer said he drew his weapon but didn't point it, but Ryan's wife had her hands up as if it were pointed at her. That might be the only procedural point he could be in trouble for -- though I can understand the officer drawing his weapon when four or five people jump out of a car during a traffic stop.
Were I in the officer's place, I would have gone into the hospital with them to verify their story. I probably would have then given him a warning about running red lights and not stopping immediately when pursued, but agreed that the circumstances this time made his actions understandable.
(Edit: The officer has issued a public apology. )
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Officer apologizes after delaying Texans' Moats as mother-in-law died
Associated Press
DALLAS -- A Dallas police officer who drew his gun after pulling over an NFL player rushing to a hospital to see his dying mother-in-law apologized Friday for his actions.
The statement from officer Robert Powell was released through his attorneys and referred to his March 18 traffic stop of Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats in a hospital parking lot.
"I wish to publicly and sincerely apologize to the Moats family, my colleagues in the Dallas Police Department and to all those who have been rightfully angered by my actions," Powell said in the statement. "After stopping Mr. Moats' vehicle, I showed poor judgment and insensitivity to Mr. Moats and his family by my words and actions."
In the statement, Powell also said he has attempted to reach Moats but without success.
"Again, I am very sorry for what I did and ask for the forgiveness of all those touched by these unfortunate events," Powell said.
Powell, a three-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, was placed on paid administrative leave Thursday pending results of an internal investigation into the incident. Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle said he was "embarrassed" and "disappointed" after viewing video taken by a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle.
Powell stopped Moats outside Baylor Regional Medical Center in the Dallas suburb of Plano after Moats rolled his sport-utility vehicle through a red light. By the time Moats received a ticket and a lecture from Powell, the player's mother-in-law had died.
"I can screw you over," Powell, 25, said at one point in the videotaped incident. When another officer came with word that Moats' mother-in-law was indeed dying, Powell's response was: "All right. I'm almost done."
Police officials said Powell told his commanders he believed he was doing his job and that he drew his gun but didn't point it. Kunkle said Powell wasn't necessarily acting improperly when he pulled out his weapon, but that once he realized what was happening he should have put the gun back, apologized and offered to help the family in any way.
"His behavior, in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, the discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit," Kunkle said.
Moats' wife, who was in the car along with other relatives, said Powell pointed his weapon at her.
"He was pointing a gun at me as soon as I got out of the car," Tamishia Moats told The Dallas Morning News.
Ryan Moats told KRLD-FM in Dallas in a phone interview Thursday that after the officer pointed the gun at his wife, he pointed it at him.
"I just tried to stay as still as possible to not scare him or do anything to make him react," he said.
Moats earlier told the newspaper he believed Powell should be fired but backed off that statement in his radio interview.
"All I know is what he did was wrong," Moats said. "He stole a moment away from me that I can never get back. I'm really not the judge on what should happen to him."
Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle, obtained by Dallas-Fort Worth station WFAA-TV, revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.
Powell ordered Tamishia Moats, 27, to get back in the SUV, but after pausing for a few seconds, she and another woman rushed into the hospital. She was by the side of her mother, 45-year-old Jonetta Collinsworth, when she died a short time later from breast cancer.
"Get in there," said Powell, yelling at Tamishia Moats as she exited the vehicle. "Let me see your hands!"
DeMaurice Smith, who was elected as the NFLPA's executive director earlier this month, issued a statement Friday about Ryan Moats' recent run-in with a Dallas police officer. Here is a portion of that statement:
"I expressed my condolences to Ryan's family and I am very sorry for their loss. I have also spoken with the Dallas Police Dept. about their continued investigation of this matter and appreciated their swift reaction with respect to this incident. We stand by to offer any assistance asked of us and Mr. Moats' family." More ...
"Excuse me, my mom is dying," Tamishia Moats said. "Do you understand?"
Ryan Moats explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light. When Powell asked for proof of insurance, Moats grew more agitated and told the officer to go find it.
"My mother-in-law is dying! Right now! You're wasting my time!" Moats yelled. "I don't understand why you can't understand that."
As they argued, the officer grew irritated.
"Shut your mouth," the officer said. "You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."
By the time Moats, 26, received a ticket and a lecture from Powell, about 13 minutes had passed. When Moats and Collinsworth's father entered the hospital, they learned Collinsworth was dead.
Earl Jackson, Collinsworth's father, said he knew what Powell was doing was wrong.
"This guy, he wouldn't listen to nobody," Jackson said in an interview with Dallas-Fort Worth station KDFW-TV.
Moats said he wouldn't have had a problem with the officer giving him a ticket after letting him go into the hospital.
"I don't know what he was thinking," he told KRLD-FM. "Basically, I was just shocked. I was very shocked that he wasn't budging on it. I even said I can't believe that this was happening."
Kunkle said the video showed that Moats and his wife "exercised extraordinary patience, restraint in dealing with the behavior of our officer."
"At no time did Mr. Moats identify himself as an NFL football player or expect any kind of special consideration," Kunkle said. "He handled himself very, very well."
The Moats family, who are black, said they can't help but think that race might have played a part in the white officer's behavior.
When the exchange was at its most contentious, Powell said he could tow Moats' SUV if he didn't have insurance and that he could arrest him for fleeing because he didn't immediately stop when Powell turned on his sirens. The pursuit lasted a little more than a minute.
"I can screw you over," Powell said. "I'd rather not do that. Your attitude will dictate everything that happens."
The ticket issued to Moats was dismissed, Dallas police spokesman Lt. Andy Harvey said.
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As someone that works in Law Enforcement I can see both sides of the story here.
I can see why the officer was frustrated as he was just trying to get control of the situation, but all he really had to do was take a deep breath and listen to the drivers situation and make a judgement call there.
Yes he made a mistake, but I personally don't think he should be fired over it if he doesn't have a track record of making bad decisions.
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Rad, are you *sure* he was just "frustrated as he was just trying to get control of the situation?" I usually give officers the benefit of the doubt...but having seen the video, I honestly think that there's a bit more to it than an officer trying to gain control over an uncontrolled situation. The situation was pretty much under control after the first minute or two. During the time of the traffic stop, nurses were sent down *twice* to verify the situation plus a Plano officer arrived on the scene to see if he could help get Moats to his mother-in-law's bedside. There is no reason it should take around 20 minutes for a traffic ticket. It honestly felt like most of it was the officer abusing his power to purposefully delay Moats and his father-and-law...although I will not speculate on what the reasons may be here.
Moats is a good kid, let me just say that first.
Second, that officer should have known that the situation was going to be an emotional one having followed the suv into the hospital.
He should have just flowed with it.
Even his police chief is saying he doesnt understand why this doodie headed cop didnt have any compassion or understanding.
Chief said that he handled the situation completely wrong, and that it simply required common sense and a little empathy both of which the officer on the scene showed none of...
And again, the cop isn't going to know this...but Ryan Moats is a good kid. One of the very few in the NFL that gets it, imo.
I spoke with a friend of mine today who is a police officer about this incident, and he had seen the video and read an article about it. He said that, going strictly by the book, the officer didn't break any rules in how he dealt with Moats, but he agreed that considering they were right in the hospital parking lot, it would have taken no time at all to verify Moats' story before getting into an argument with him. Had he pulled over before arriving at the hospital, he (my friend) may have been more skeptical (people will say damn near anything to avoid a ticket sometimes.) But given where they were it would have taken such a small amount of effort to confirm his story that he agreed it was a poor judgment call not to go ahead and do that. It may or may not have gotten the guy out of a ticket (Moats agreed he ran the light), but it would have avoided him not being with a relative as she passed away.
If the officer loses his job, it will likely be to try to prevent a civil suit against the police department.
So lets see .. a person runs a red light, an officer pulls up behind them flashing lights, they don't pull over for close to a minute and then pull into a Hospital lot. When the officer approaches the car the subject starts blurting out that his step-mother is dying inside. What is the officer to do?
First, you cannot let the subject out of the car and into a public area. IF the person is someone who is wanted or dangerous, letting them out of the car or area next to the car, and into a public area like a hospital is a nightmare. They would now have easy access to civilians to grab as hostages. And if they are packing a weapon, the odds of members of the public being hurt or killed go way up. Until you have enough information you CANNOT let that person leave the car.
Second, you need to control the situation so you can then verify what the heck is going on. And that means having people stay in the vehicle, or wherever you order them to be. Only then can you call in to do computer searches, contact the hospital via the radio (you cannot leave the scene to go into the hospital to ask anything unless enough back-up arrives to support the situation), etcetera...
If anything, Moats aggravated the whole situation by not cooperating. I know, it was an emotional time for him, so he made some bad judgement calls. So it's not really his fault. But for people to be picking on this officer, that's the real shame here.
Can you just imagine what would happen if the officer had let a person go into the hospital and later it turns out they were a drug dealer or felon? The media would crucify the poor man for believing such a lame story as "My step mom is dying" and letting them into the hospital, violating every police procedure in the book.
It's such a shame people are getting upset at this officer for doing his job. A job done with a little attitude, but well within what the job allows and requires. If anything, I'd recommend the officer should have pulled out mace or a taser, and zapped / blasted the wife who refused to remain in the car and exitted running. I mean that could have been letting someone into a public area with a purse containing a gun or other weapon. So perhaps a slap on the wrist is called for, for letting the situation get out of control and allowing a person to "escape" in an unknown situation. Just so he will react with more force, proper force, in the future.
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So lets see .. a person runs a red light, an officer pulls up behind them flashing lights, they don't pull over for close to a minute and then pull into a Hospital lot. When the officer approaches the car the subject starts blurting out that his step-mother is dying inside. What is the officer to do?
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It wasn't a high-speed chase and the people in the vehicle were not armed, had their hands up, were not threatening the officer in any manner and were crying and frantically telling him that their mother/mother-in-law was dying. Given the circumstances, it would have been completely reasonable for the officer to use his best judgment and accompany the family into the hospital to verify the situation.
People aren't mad at the officer for trying his best to gain control of the situation (BTW, it was under control pretty darn quickly)...people are upset that the officer that once the situation was under control, he needlessly delayed Moats and his father-in-law for *20 minutes* (even after nurses came from the hospital and verified his story *twice*) by taking his dear sweet time to write the ticket while lecturing him and threatening to make things more difficult for them.
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If anything, I'd recommend the officer should have pulled out mace or a taser, and zapped / blasted the wife who refused to remain in the car and exitted running.
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It's pretty obvious that you haven't seen the video. If you had, you would know that such a use of force was completely unnecessary.
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It's such a shame people are getting upset at this officer for doing his job. A job done with a little attitude, but well within what the job allows and requires. If anything, I'd recommend the officer should have pulled out mace or a taser, and zapped / blasted the wife who refused to remain in the car and exitted running. I mean that could have been letting someone into a public area with a purse containing a gun or other weapon. So perhaps a slap on the wrist is called for, for letting the situation get out of control and allowing a person to "escape" in an unknown situation. Just so he will react with more force, proper force, in the future.
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I'm not exactly sure what civilian officers use, but according to military use of force protocol, the officer in question would have had to at least attempt to use verbal and soft controls before moving to hard controls (pepper spray) or, heaven forbid, intermediate weapons (tazer). Also, after the hospital staff confirmed the story, he could easily have authorized for hospital security to maintain custody while Mr. & Mrs. Moats took the time to see her mother and write the ticket in the mean time. PPR's exist for unkown situations, and the entire scenario was quite clear pretty quickly. Remember that the police are there to protect and serve, not to harass and detain.
Global- @SailorET, Justice Server
Sheryl Fiero, 50 AR/Devices Blaster
Louise Fiero, 50 Merc/Traps MM
Various assorted alts
Proudly serving in our military so you don't have to.
I've seen some good Police point of view posts and some posts that have some phrases that make me sick like "Harass and Detain, and abusing power" which wasn't a factor at all in this case.
Yes BOTH sides could have better communicated in the beginning, not just the Officer, even though he should have known a little better. But the gross reality of this situation is that the MEDIA got the footage and completely blew it out of purportion to get a public outcry.
If the media wasn't there to make this a national travesty the Police service and the family would have worked things out behind closed doors. But no, they had to more than likely ruin the life and career of probably a fine officer who just had an off day.
@Radmind - Justice Server
ClintarCOH - Twitter
ClintarCOH - Twitter
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I'd like to point out that I have no problem with the officer initially drawing his weapon as the family got out of the vehicle. It was an unknown situation and he had no idea what to expect. If the video showed him drawing his weapon, hearing what the family had to say and then subsequently accompanied them into the hospital, I would *not* have had a problem with the officer's actions. I also have no problem with the officer ticketing Moats...he took a risk when he ran the red light and I'm sure that anyone in that situation would feel that getting to a dying family member's bedside is more than worth the risk of a ticket.
However, I personally have a difficult time believing that delaying Moats and his father-in-law for *13 minutes* after he was made aware of the urgency of the situation was anything but an abuse of power. Sure the officer may have been having an off day, but it shouldn't take 13 minutes to write a ticket. I don't feel that having a bad day is any excuse for causing such a severe delay when he knew that the mother/mother-in-law was coding and all the family was trying do was to get to her bedside before she died. Perhaps I could understand your point of view better if you could give a little insight on how such a delay could be seen as necessary.
TL;DR version - It's the unnecessary delay that pisses Manoa off, not the officer drawing his weapon or ticketing Moats.
EDIT - I saw an earlier report that said that the delay was 20 minutes...I didn't time the actual dash cam footage, but most reports are saying the delay was actually 13 minutes. Edited to correct the duration of the delay. Still feel that the duration of the delay was unnecessarily lengthy given the extraordinary circumstances.
EDIT #2 - As a follow-up, this isn't the first time this officer has had an incident of being "excessive"... linkie
In other news...
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$206 Ticket Paid With Urine-Soaked Coins
Man Didn't Break Postal Laws With Package
http://www.kptv.com
UPDATED: 7:41 am PDT March 26, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Washington man tried to pay a more than $200 traffic ticket by sending a plastic bag filled with coins and urine to a county billing office, deputies said.
"That's something I can't wrap my mind around," said Sgt. Phil Anderchuk, of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "The thought process of acting consciously -- consummating the act of urinating in a box full of coins that someone is going to receive."
The man didn't break any postal laws by mailing the combination of urine and change to the Multnomah County court, reported television station KPTV in Portland. Postal officials said it is legal to mail urine or other bodily fluids as long as they are packaged properly in a way that doesn't leak or smell. County employees said the package was wrapped tightly until it reached the courthouse mailroom and didn't smell until it was opened.
Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due.
"It would be better if the gentlemen had done something that defused the situation and maybe mitigated it, rather than adding fuel to the fire," said Jason Posner, who was visiting the courthouse Wednesday.
The county doesn't intend to pursue the matter, as long as the man pays the $271 in charges that now include late fees.
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Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due.
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Collection Office: 1
Angry Man: 0
What's to stop him from sending in 271 urine-soaked dollar bills?
Some kind of harassment charge I'd imagine.
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Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due.
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And he is now off the hook for any penalties or fines for nonpayment. Policy or not, coins are legal tender for all debts public or private. Failure to accept legal tender disallows the recipient to sue for nonpayment, or charge penalties or fees for same.
I know the policy exists so angry people won't pay in pennies, but that guy may still have the last laugh, if he can hold his water.
--NT
They all laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a comedian.
But I showed them, and nobody's laughing at me now!
If I became a red name, I would be all "and what would you mere mortals like to entertain me with today, mu hu ha ha ha!" ~Arcanaville
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Because of a policy of only accepting up to $20 in change, court workers returned his money -- postage due.
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And he is now off the hook for any penalties or fines for nonpayment. Policy or not, coins are legal tender for all debts public or private. Failure to accept legal tender disallows the recipient to sue for nonpayment, or charge penalties or fees for same.
I know the policy exists so angry people won't pay in pennies, but that guy may still have the last laugh, if he can hold his water.
--NT
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nope.
As always in these cases, the state will have the last laugh.
He is still on the hook for non payment since he technically has not paid yet, and he can be held responsible for that non payment especially since the money is returned with a nice little note that tells him why and how much he still owes.
In a few months if he does not pay he will be assessed a fine, and then his license will be suspended.
If he tried to pay with change alone he may have had a leg to stand on since it is legal tender. Since he urinated on the change he has nothing to stand on since he turned it from a legal tender to a potential health risk.
long story short. he is still very much on the hook.
If you say so. My readings of tendered payments say otherwise, but I pay my bills without peeing on them, so I have no experience to go on here.
--NT
They all laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a comedian.
But I showed them, and nobody's laughing at me now!
If I became a red name, I would be all "and what would you mere mortals like to entertain me with today, mu hu ha ha ha!" ~Arcanaville
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If you say so. My readings of tendered payments say otherwise, but I pay my bills without peeing on them, so I have no experience to go on here.
--NT
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And that is the big difference.
Like I said, dry coins are legal tender, coins with various bodily fluids on them are a health risk. He would have a case with dry coins, he has no case with urine coins.
There have been court cases in the past where agitated citizens have paid their taxes or power bills in pennies and they had to take it as legal tender. However none of those coins were packed in urine. I am willing to bet that no court would force an agency private or public, to accept urine coins, otherwise we will have people wheeling 55 gallon drums of coins and excrement to the local DMV to pay their registration with.
My favorite part..."I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful."
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Miss Universe 2008's blog
March 27, 2009
Guantanamo Bay
This week, Guantanamo!!! It was an incredible experience.
We arrived in Gitmo on Friday and stared going around the town, everybody knew Crystle and I were coming so the first thing we did was attend a big lunch and then we visited one of the bars they have in the base. We talked about Gitmo and what is was like living there. The next days we had a wonderful time, this truly was a memorable trip! We hung out with the guys from the East Coast and they showed us the boat inside and out, how they work and what they do, we took a ride around the land and it was a loooot of fun!
We also met the Military dogs, and they did a very nice demonstration of their skills. All the guys from the Army were amazing with us.
We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting.
We took a ride with the Marines around the land to see the division of Gitmo and Cuba while they were informed us with a little bit of history.
The water in Guantanamo Bay is soooo beautiful! It was unbelievable, we were able to enjoy it for at least an hour. We went to the glass beach, and realized the name of it comes from the little pieces of broken glass from hundred of years ago. It is pretty to see all the colors shining with the sun. That day we met a beautiful lady named Rebeca who does wonders with the glasses from the beach. She creates jewelry with it and of course I bought a necklace from her that will remind me off Guantanamo Bay 
I didn't want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful.
I was back in NY on Wednesday and on Thursday I did some paper work at the office and went out for dinner. On Friday I flew to Miami for the weekend because I had a photo shoot for the magazine People en Espanol. So hopefully I might be a little lucky and have some time off to take the sun for a while
The Hanoi Hilton is a nice day trip as well, I hear.
I want one!! 
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Lingerie firm offers women "liberating" loincloths
Reuters
Mon Mar 30, 1:01 pm ET
KYOTO, Japan (Reuters) Whether you're a g-string girl or prefer granny-style knickers, a Japanese lingerie maker is inviting women to liberate themselves from conventional, body-hugging underwear and don loincloths instead.
Loincloths, called "fundoshi" in Japanese, were worn by adult men in the past, but they are now a rarity.
Kyoto-based lingerie firm Wacoal, however, has brought them back into fashion, this time for women seeking "emancipation" from the tightness of conventional underwear.
"We wanted young women to have a more sense of freedom and release. And as we tried to come up with the ultimate liberation item for women, we thought of a fundoshi," said Tomoka Okamura, merchandise director for Wacoal's Nanafun female loincloths.
The loincloths for women come in seven different colors and two designs -- plain and chequered. Prices are about 1,260 yen ($13).
Wacoal has sold more than 5,000 since December, three times more than it had expected, officials said, and the company now plans to start selling them in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
"It's easy to wear and is quite nice. It's also good for summer. And since it's getting warmer, I figured it would be good for that," said Hiromi Iwamura, a 28-year-old shopper who was buying a patterned loincloth and matching bra.
($1=97.74 Yen)
(Reporting by Toshi Maeda, editing by Miral Fahmy)
I KNEW IT!
EXERCISE WILL KILL YOU!
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25 year old man dies after playing Wii Fit
Collapsed "completely out of the blue"
By Mike Smith
Nintendo smash hit Wii Fit is usually associated with improved health, but for one fit and healthy British man, the opposite proved true, with tragic results.
Tim Eves, who was a keen fisherman, musician, and scout leader from the Norfolk area of eastern England, collapsed and died shortly after playing Wii Fit's jogging minigame -- and just moments after talking to his mother by telephone.
"We spoke to him on the phone when he was playing on the Wii machine. He told us he had just ordered himself a kebab and was sitting there with a glass of port. But a little while after he had put the phone down, he collapsed for no reason. It was completely out of the blue," Eves' mother told the Daily Telegraph.
A cause of death has not yet been established, but early reports suggest Eves may have been a victim of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, a condition whereby apparently fit and healthy adults can suffer cardiac arrests with no warning. There's no indication Wii Fit was to blame.
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There's no indication Wii Fit was to blame.
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I'd certainly hope not considering that the jogging game on Wii Fit is far less intensive than if you were to go on a jog in the real world.
Fire that kid. That's just horrible.
"His Imperial Majesty's Minister of Restraints and Leather" -LHF
Two naughty acronym teams / Ascension / Convenient / Artic and the Chillz / Fap / Other teams I can't remember (sorry.. mind is goin')