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.
“Just when you thought gumshoes couldnt get any dumber. soon they will be shooting and arresting each other”
I’ve always wanted to find a way to set up an undercover “John” with an undercover “Hooker” and see what happened.
“Maybe so in this case, but I can’t tell you how many times I come across an accident scene, after 1+ hour in traffic only to see extra lanes blocked off for no reason. I understand the desire to make the scene safe, but there are times I can’t help but wonder if there is ego involved.”
I’ve worked a few of those scenes. It’s not that simple. If there is a chance of a fatality then the State guys want to investigate.
If you’ve got an injury, it might take an hour to get the victims out of the cars and into the ambulance or helicopter.
I also know that fire and police usually have a rivalry, fueled by testosterone and fights over budgets. The fire people get to see the cops do their jobs, and therefore see their mistakes. Ditto for the cops — they see the fire people, and think that their job is simple by comparison.
They would have undercover sex.
‘Many cops paint all non-cops with a broad brush. We’re just criminals they haven’t arrested yet.
That is your opinion.”
Yes it is my opinion. Its one thats considered everytime I get called for the police charity fund and every time I vote.
“Of course a bad anybody who turns a blind eye to illegal/unethical behavior is bad themselves, regardless of line of work.”
There is a vast difference poor conduct in an office and a cop planting drugs on a suspect. Cops want to be treated as a higher class citizen and given special privileges. When cops do illegal things they ruin other peoples lives.
In this case the cops supervisor appears to have good judgement as he ordered the fireman released. The department also hung the officer out to dry.
“Maybe so in this case, but I can’t tell you how many times I come across an accident scene, after 1+ hour in traffic only to see extra lanes blocked off for no reason. I understand the desire to make the scene safe, but there are times I can’t help but wonder if there is ego involved.”
I’ve seen that too and sometimes its to preserve evidence. Other times there isn’t an obvious answer. In this area they are pretty quick about opening lanes unless theres a fatality. If that happens the road will be closed for hours.
But instead you choose to focus on the one bad seed in this matter, not the far greater number of good seeds who did not condone this action. That's the only point I'm trying to make, but you did a nice job of making it for me.
I knew immediately you were a newbie, and immediately confirmed it. Stories of police stupidity and malfeasance, often much worse than this, are far too common.
Here, go read up here for a while:
Botched Paramilitary Police Raids: An Epidemic of “Isolated Incidents”
http://www.cato.org/raidmap/
We’d like to be blindly supportive of the police. Between the chiefs stopping CCW in many locales, stories like this one, and stories like the ones at the link, it is foolish to do so.
“Some of these cops act like supreme demi-gods.”
How many times have we seen someone here say that the cop can order you to do anything and if you don’t comply they are justified to do anything they see fit?
ping
“But instead you choose to focus on the one bad seed in this matter, not the far greater number of good seeds who did not condone this action. That’s the only point I’m trying to make, but you did a nice job of making it for me.”
Not really but nice try. They haven’t fired this guy when he obviously doesn’t have the judgment to be a cop. They are probably afraid of the union or something.
When cops ticket other cops for speeding then I’ll reconsider. When they stop other cops who are abusing their authority I’ll reconsider.
“In most places it’s the county coroner....”
Damn, that would have made an interesting episode of “Quincy.”
And we’re not supposed to notice when our law enforcement officers are criminally stupid?
Are there any reports that show the number of times a swat team is used? it would be interesting to compare the budgets of these paramilitary groups to the number of times they are used.
My point has been made. You clearly have a negative and judgemental opinion of police officers, despite saying yourself that the whole department in question here shunned this one bad cop’s behavior.
With convoluted thinking like that, it’s hard to find common ground here.
Have a happy afternoon/evening!
Also, if you go into any DPS office and look at the troopers killed in the line of duty, well over half are either in wrecks or struck by drivers during traffic stops.
I'm amazed at how many cops are ignorant of the requirements for securing a roadway. As the responding emergency service, we can be held liable if an accident occurs that further injures one of the individuals involved in the original accident and we haven't adequately secured the roadway.
‘My point has been made. You clearly have a negative and judgemental opinion of police officers, despite saying yourself that the whole department in question here shunned this one bad cop’s behavior.”
I said the department left him hanging. Thats different than saying everyone in his department left him hanging. It was a political decision made by those in charge.
And yes I have an overall negative view of police due to their abuse of force and expectation of being above the law.
Curious.
Do you think that Ruby Ridge was a communist propoganda ploy to distroy the United States?
The issue isn’t law enforcement vs emergency services. Most states have laws and regulations, as well as county ordinances establishing a chain of command amongst First Responders. Those rules clearly define who has explicit authority during an emergency situation. This is commonly trained amongst firefighters, especially when multiple units respond to a large fire. It also effects jurisdictional issues when law enforcement is required in numbers larger than the first responder.
The first issue I’d think the locals would inquire upon would be who was the Scene Commander or had senior authority at the scene. Frequently, highway patrol is tasked to ensure the public safety of highway drivers and the emergency personnel on the scene, but no to interfere with the emergency personnel in the immediate performance of their duties.
Likewise, the Fire truck arriving, will generally adhere to the scene commander and park appropriately per his direction, however, if the command had not yet been shifted to a Fire Chief or to a police chief, then that command might be challenged.
It really depends upon the situation and the local chain of commands in the county, municipality and state, effecting both law enforcement and other emergency service first responders.
Same thing happens on military bases between senior officers and emergency personnel. It’s always fun to watch a bird Colonel barking orders at a GS Fire Chief who barks back that he has no authority at the scene, at least when no life threatening emergency is really in effect, but both have responded to the call.
A person posts a negative opinion of cops and you respond with some accusation that I’m a druggie? I would have said “innuendo” but you might be a cop and, thus, not smart enough to understand a word like that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.