Utah hospital nurse roughed up, arrested by cop for doing her job

[mapuc]

It's an international story now. Have just read about it in a Danish news paper.

Markus

[STEED]

People like that are a disgrace and should be kicked out of the job and forced to walk around with a billboard stating they are a moron.

[Gargamel]

Originally Posted by Dowly

Slightly OT, but how do the different "branches" (police, firefighters, EMTs etc.) see each other over in the US? Is there mutual respect between all parties, if they happen to be on scene at the same time?

Asking because I recall seeing few videos over the years where the police have been quite aggressive towards (IIRC) firefighters on scene, one I believe was even cuffed in one instance over seemingly small issue.

Most of the time we were very respectful of each other, as we often needed support from each other in a variety of situations.

But, sometimes it does not go so well......

I was on a call once, don't remember the nature, but we pulled up at an apartment building. Gentle summer rain falling. PD pulled right in right behind us. We started unloading our gear to head inside, when one of the cops told us we can park there, it was a fire lane. We looked at him like he was crazy, maybe even joking, and proceeded to head inside, when he told us he would write a ticket if we left the truck there. We weren't sure if he was kidding or not, so we radioed for our supervisor to swing by to cover our butts if necessary.

We went in, and treated the patient, who refused transport and signed off. We went back out side, and sure enough, there was a ticket under our wipers. Now note, it was raining, and we had left our wipers on, so the ticket was slowly getting destroyed as the wipers went back and forth.

That's what caused me to laugh at the cop, and apparently he didn't like that. So it quickly started into a yelling match between me and the cop. My partner and his partner were standing on the curb staring at us like they couldn't believe this was happening, I couldn't either.

At this point our Supe rolled in and happened to park between the cop and I, so we were now screaming at each other through the Supe's open windows. He had no idea what he rolled into. Lot's of yelling, and the word arrest was mentioned. That's when I really lost it.

At that point, our parnters got smart. Mine said I was diabetic and was in need of a snack, I almost lost it (laughing) at that, as I knew what he was trying. The cop's partner just pulled the guy away gently.

Threw what was left of the ticket, now just a gooey paper wad, on the ground, got in the squad, and drove off. Never heard anything from it.


Another event happened to a guy a used to work with.

They had dropped off a patient at an ER, and were inside finishing up their paperwork, when their squad decided to drive off without them in it. Apparently a psych patient had walked out the door of the ED, and hopped in the truck.

The cops were called,, and shortly there after, somebody called the cops to say there was a running ambulance parked in their front yard a few blocks from the hospital. So the cops gave the medics a ride over to the their truck. The psych patient got arrested and all was good. Truck was fine, nothing missing.

Until they gave the cop their names for his report. For some reason he decided to run their names over the radio with them standing right there. Turns out one of the medics had an outstanding warrant for something stupid. And he got arrested for it.

Now that case is a cop doing his job too well, he could have just assumed the medics were clean and didn't need to run their names. But instead he chose to do so, in front of them, insulting them (I know I would be). Yes he was correct in doing it, and arresting the guy, but it was bad form.

The first case was just a (young) cop trying to be macho and throw his weight around. He also didn't know when to realize he was in the wrong and back down. I know I worked the guy up by arguing with him, but I was having a rough day and I just didn't want to deal with BS like this, so I vented on him.

That's the problem cops face. They think if they show weakness, people won't respect them, and minor scenarios like this one (and the OP) can snowball into something horrible. In my opinion, law enforcement should start in the field, and if a cop realizes he's made the wrong call, he should be smart enough to admit it, apologize if necessary, and move on.

[vienna]

Here's the latest on the rogue cop and the fallout from his idiocy:

The Latest: Officer who arrested Utah nurse put on leave --

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...953_story.html

4:30 p.m.
An Idaho police department is thanking a Utah nurse for stopping a Salt Lake City officer from obtaining a blood sample from one of their reserve officers who was unconscious in a hospital.


Police in the eastern Idaho town of Rigby said Friday that William Gray was severely injured in a Utah crash in July when the semi-truck he was driving for work was hit by another car.


Rigby police said in a statement they didn’t know until Thursday that the nurse was arrested after refusing to allow blood to be drawn from Gray.
The department thanked the nurse, Alex Wubbels, and hospital “for standing firm” and protecting the Gray’s rights.


It says he is still hospitalized.

I don't know what the law is in Utah, but here in California, there are statutes providing for the criminal prosecution of law enforcement officers who exceed the scope of their duties and physically assault a citizen; attached to the the basic assault charge is a special circumstance of assault under cover of authority, resulting in some heavyweight time...

I don't know if someone has better ears than mine, but at the end of the video, the officer who was wearing the body cam (good on him for not turning it off) approaches Payne and says, softly, to him something starting with "just a 10-14", police jargon for a piece of information, and then he says, "I'm not going...", and the rest I couldn't make out. As the officer turns away, the camera catches a security guard looking at the body cam officer with a strange expression on his face...




<O>

[Platapus]

I am sure that in addition to criminal proceedings, there will be civil actions taken.
Since, according to reporting, the police officer Lieutenant authorized the officer to arrest the nurse, this goes beyond a single officer making a mistake. There seems to be problems at the departmental level.

[vienna]

The cop in the video now has the Feds taking a look at his actions:

FBI probing Utah cop who arrested nurse for refusing to draw blood --

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKCN1BJ2D0





<O>

[Jimbuna]

I've certainly no sympathy for him.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

Officer Payne is also in trouble for his on video remark about 'bringing 'good' patients elsewhere and 'the transients' to this facility' in the news report-implying less than equal treatment based on perceived economic status??!!

Payne, who is currently on administrative leave from the police force, was fired on Tuesday from his second job as a part-time ambulance driver.
Gold Cross Ambulance service President Mike Moffitt told Reuters that Payne’s termination followed comments he made on the video suggesting that he would bring transients to University of Utah Hospital, while transporting “good” patients to another facility.

“Those remarks are just not reflective of our company’s philosophy and the service we provide, and because of that behavior we felt we had to separate ways,” Moffitt said. “Those remarks are just not reflective of our company’s philosophy and the service we provide, and because of that behavior we felt we had to separate ways,” Moffitt said

WHA....!!! MR Moffitt reads my posts??!!

[vienna]

^ Well, someone has to...


I heard on the local radio there is audio of Payne being told by his colleagues prior to his meltdown and arrest of the nurse to "let it go" and that some means other than an immediate blood draw would be found/used to accomplish the task...





<O>

[vienna]

An update on the story; sometimes justice is served:

Cop who forcibly arrested nurse for refusing to draw blood is fired --

http://nypost.com/2017/10/10/cop-who...lood-is-fired/

It is pleasing to see appropriate action was taken and the matter was not just swept under the rug; of particular note is the mention of the demotion of the officer's supervisor down to officer; you don't often see discipline extended above the lower ranks...






<O>

[Platapus]

Fired is a good first step. Will he be charged?

I also don't want him to go to another state and get another LE job.

[vienna]

Good point. The last I heard, the local DA was mulling charges and the FBI was involved over possible civil rights and other issues...






<O>

[Eichhörnchen]

Another Police Department trying to self-destruct?

[Dowly]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

Another Police Department trying to self-destruct?

That's from 2014.

[Eichhörnchen]

Oh, okay... I was just sent it as current. Can't trust my sources I'll go and see what the latest is...