Posted on 02/17/2008 2:39:24 PM PST by Mr. Brightside
Missouri police officer fined $18,000 for arresting firefighter on emergency call
03:59 PM MST on Friday, February 15, 2008
(KMOV) -- A police officer in Hazelwood will have to pay thousands of dollars for getting into it with a firefighter while he was trying to help an accident victim.
News 4 obtained police video that shows the Hazelwood police officer arresting a fire captain while he's trying to move an injured driver.
It happened on Interstate 270 back in May of 2003.
Officer Todd Greeves wanted a fire truck moved to open up another lane of traffic.
The Robertson Fire Protection District Captain wanted the truck there to protect emergency workers.
Officer Greeves has been ordered to pay $18,000.
His attorney says he's disappointed and that his client's conduct was not malicious in any way.
The Coroner because he is elected.
You really didn’t have to post that family picture twice.
“Oh dear, not THAT old urban legend AGAIN?”
Oh I dunno, they’ve done it in every communist state that has ever existed. /sarc
Do police officers have jurisdiction in the freeways?
“where did you get your information re “federal case”? All I saw at the link was a brief article saying he had to pay $18K. I didn’t see where that was an administrative penalty from his employer or what.”
Civil rights lawsuit, the cops supervisor made him take the cuffs off and no charges were ever filed.
Still, isn't it interesting that the sheriff assigned himself to administrative duties.
Hmmmm ~ sounds pretty medieval to me!
Wilson’s suit, filed in 2006, seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages on claims of false arrest, battery and violation of his civil rights. He also seeks attorneys’ fees and costs.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Ann Medler has already ruled that Greeves did not have probable cause to arrest Wilson, and that under state law, “Captain Wilson and his crew were entitled to park their fire engine irrespective of the traffic laws and/or city ordinances.”
But her ruling also says that “reasonable minds could differ as to whether” Greeves should have known that he was violating Wilson’s rights.
Examples of the results of morons with a little authority and no common sense.
For what it’s worth, you aren’t the only one tired of stories about individual bad cops being used to paint all cops as stupid or worse.
There are bad seeds in every profession, meaning every profession the bashers themselves are in. I guess that means they’re all bad seeds too. Everybody is a bad seed by association, how fun! LOL.
“Do police officers have jurisdiction in the freeways?”
Depends, the judge has ruled the fire dept can determine what space they need to make an accident scene safe.
Pretty stupid to pull a guy away from the accident victim because he wasn’t moving the firetruck.
“The Coroner because he is elected.”
So is the Sheriff.
‘There are bad seeds in every profession, meaning every profession the bashers themselves are in. I guess that means they’re all bad seeds too. Everybody is a bad seed by association, how fun! LOL.”
Many cops paint all non-cops with a broad brush. We’re just criminals they haven’t arrested yet.
When a good cop ignores a bad cop breaking the law is that just a side benefit? No, its two bad cops.
Yep, that is what makes them balance out.
Jury awards $17,500 to fireman arrested at scene of accident
By Robert Patrick
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/14/2008
Hazelwood — Federal court jurors awarded $17,500 on Wednesday to a fire captain arrested by a Hazelwood police officer in a dispute over where a firetruck was parked during a 2003 car crash rescue.
Juror Betsy Vennemann said after the verdict, “We wanted to make a statement that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”
Capt. David Wilson won $7,500 in compensatory damages and $10,000 in punitive damages. Jurors, including a nun, said they went easy on the defendant, Officer Todd Greeves, because he has a family and they weren’t sure who would pay the bill.
Wilson testified that the Robertson Fire Protection District truck was parked in a way to protect rescuers working to free a victim from wreckage along Interstate 270 at McDonnell Boulevard.
Greeves ordered that the truck be moved to accommodate passing traffic and arrested Wilson for ignoring him. Wilson was released after 23 minutes and never charged. He sued, claiming civil rights violations that opened him to anxiety and humiliation.
Greeves told the court the truck was creating a hazard and not adding to safety at the scene.
Jurors interviewed after the verdict said their feeling about Greeves was reinforced during the punitive phase of the trial, when they heard there had been other complaints about him. An internal affairs investigation determined that Greeves used excessive force in a 2002 arrest, court documents show, and was the subject of several other complaints.
Before Wednesday’s deliberations, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Ann Medler had already ruled that Greeves had no probable cause to arrest Wilson, who she said had state law on his side. She also dismissed the city of Hazelwood as a defendant.
“The whole police and fire communities have been watching this case,” said Bevis Schock, one of Wilson’s lawyers. “Everybody wanted to know who controls the fire scene.”
Greeves’ lawyer, Peter Dunne, said he was disappointed in the verdict and the discussion of the other complaints against Greeves. Dunne also said it was unfair to suggest that Greeves did not care about the firefighters’ safety.
Dunne said that the city’s insurance would not pay for the costs and that the issue is “complicated.” Schock said he thinks the insurance probably would pay the compensatory damages, and possibly the punitive. Also at issue is payment of unspecified lawyers’ fees.
Spokespersons for the fire district and Hazelwood police could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
That is your opinion.
When a good cop ignores a bad cop breaking the law is that just a side benefit? No, its two bad cops.
Of course a bad anybody who turns a blind eye to illegal/unethical behavior is bad themselves, regardless of line of work.
That’s the best you can do?
What about this stupid cop arresting a firefighter? Anything to say about that, or doesn’t that fit in with your JBT derierre-kissing viewpoint?
This happens way to often anymore to be any grand conspiracy. Wear your tinfoil hat.
Some of these cops act like supreme demi-gods.
You might have a point if things such as this werent becomming commonplace...
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