UPDATEDx2: Man’s mother-in-law dies while Dallas officer detains him for running red light

burlyqueen says:

WOW. Just. WOW.

Unbelievable.

jtmbls says:

I heard the audio of this incident this morning. He was on a total power trip. I hope they can his ass.

jtmbls says:

Spot on Robert. There is no cure for this guy and if he is allowed to stay on the job his behavior will only escalate. Off with his head!

momzilla says:

Appalling. I hope that this guy is an aberration. I will say that our interactions with the DPD on the night when our daughter and her friend were the victims of an armed robbery were as good as they could be given the circumstances. The officers and detectives were sympathetic and very professional. But then, she was a pretty young white woman who was also clearly the victim.

I can understand some initial skepticism on the part of the officer. But, for Pete's sake! Pulling a gun on the women as they went into the hospital? And continuing to rag on and detain the driver AFTER the hospital staff and another officer attempted to intervene? What an ahat!

burlyqueen says:

"Great- now it's on CNN- another black eye for Big D."

It's on ESPN too.

jtmbls says:

I guess it’s true what they say about drinking and commenting. Sorry for double-dipping but I got so riled up, I posted this comment in the wrong thread.

Apologies from Chief Schmunkle after the fact are all well and good but DPD needs a serious review of their hiring policies. This guy never should have made it through the door. I suppose it’s a difficult situation because not too many people are willing to do the job but good Lord, do they hire just anybody?

I'm glad your daughter had a good experience Mom but let's just say I wouldn't want my daughter hanging out with them. It’s no fun at all when one does like the look of you and wants in your pants. Drunk, off-duty, no badge and he still thinks he’s God! Fortunately I am surprisingly spunky for my size and cuss like a sailor, so all's well that ends well, but still...That experience has completely changed the way I look at police officers. Point being is that this particular person, prior to being hired by the DPD had a low level job, bordering on seedy and imo is as dumb as a box of rocks. All I could think of after that happened was how in the world did he get this job of honor?

I think the public should really hold the Chief’s feet to the fire and find out who we are hiring to "protect" us. What procedures has he put in place to weed out the power mad before he hands them a gun and a badge? I don’t want to hear how he can’t fire anyone because of a re-hire policy. I want to know what he’s doing to prevent having these issues at the door.

wings says:

To serve and protect! That is the job description. We citizens pay for that service in this country. Every department of the court system belongs to the people of America, lock, stock, and barrel, not to the government. The government eats off our tables. The government sucks the clothes off our backs, yet we still continue to elect and hire criminals to tell us what's right and wrong. So how do we stop the injustices done to us, using our own money against us? We confront every move they make. We make them follow their own rules. We take them to court in their own system, for we own the system. We will not pay them to kill our loved ones, or let them deprive us of the protection we have already paid for. We have bought and paid for militarized task forces for police units, and we don't even know it. And, what's worse, those officers who haven't taken the job for money and power, are the ones coming back from Iraq, psychologically maimed and desensitized . How many police officers do you actually believe care about the care and protection of the human element? This is a sad situation, and like one of the posters has already mentioned, had this been just another ordinary citizen, like any of us, and not a famous ball player, none of this would have met the news.

powerpedaler says:

What the news media and Dallas PD have failed to explain is just what was a Dallas policeman doing patrolling--no, staking out an intersection--in Plano? Is Plano paying Dallas cops to patrol for them? Are the taxpayers of Dallas paying for patrols in Plano? And if so, why is this allowed to happen, when Dallas needs every cop it can get on the street. Please, someone, explain why this guy was able to work outside his jurisdiction!

Andrew says:

Powerpedaler - The Dallas-Plano city limits is George Bush. The car exited the toll road at Preston and then headed north on Preston to the Hospital. He apparently was within his jurisdiction but pursued the car outside the city limits. I am not sure what the laws are with respect to this.

chriss says:

There is so much glorification of unlimited use of official power today (shows like "Cops" and "24 Hours" and all-too-common political rhetoric about being "tough on crime" and "not tying the hands of the police" and "security ueber alles" that even those in minor positions of authority think they can do whatever they like. A friend of mine used to work for the entirely toothless Civilian Complaint Review Board and he said the worst thing you can do in an encounter with law enforcement is "challenge their authority" (i.e. assert your rights).

jtmbls says:

Wow - So this guy never made the team or what? Where did you find this story Russ?I am afraid to ask but what ethnicity was she?

This apology better not get this guy off the hook. If he doesn't get fired, there will be trouble for sure.

jtmbls says:

A trip to Lew Sterrett for an illegal u-turn? Yikes!

I wonder how long the tax payers will be paying for this officer's forced vacation time. I notice DPD statements say "on leave". Are they afraid to say "paid leave" out loud?

amcelwee says:

It's not just Dallas. Carrollton and Plano cops are the exact same same way. For whatever reason, the police force is being trained to become more militant (and in Powell's case), more belligerent towards citizens. This new direction concerns me. Be that as it may, Powell clearly abused his authority and needs to be suspended permanently.

As an afterthought, you should see how mad cops in Dallas get nowadays when you mention the Bill of Rights.

jtmbls says:

It’s nice that you can be so positive Russ. He resigned. Ultimately, this means he’s going to be able to move on to another department in another town and become someone else’s problem.

Let’s not pretend that this solves the DPD’s problem either. Powell is not an anomaly.

ch0 says:

the Dekalb County of Atlanta GA

jtmbls says:

Awww - Cheif Bolton a.k.a. Sniffles! How could we forget that guy?

I agree that it takes a very special human being to be a good police officer. But I know too that this can also be the best excuse for tolerating very bad behavior. On the job and off.

jtmbls says:

Wow, SW - That is no walk in the park division. So chris, what special quality do you think it is that your father has that enabled him to serve for so many years without turning into a Powell?

Clay213 says:

I wonder how different this story and reaction would be if Moats had run someone over running that red light.

dallas_diner says:

Perry Mason, aka Clay213, cleverly asked "I wonder how different this story and reaction would be if Moats had run someone over running that red light."

The story and reaction would have been different because the circumstances, crime, and the outcome would have been different - DUH! Gee, I wonder how the story and reaction would have been different if Oswald missed JFK?!

Moats reportedly stopped at the red light, then proceeded through the intersection.

Some cops don't get it. Authority to enforce the law isn't a right to "screw you over."

What I want to know is where are these (kinds of) cops whenever I'm sitting at a traffic light and I see some a$$hole blow through the red light big-time!