Dallas Police officer resigns........

[waterboy]

The Dallas Police officer who stopped Texan running back Moats resigns! Yippee! I guess he could read the writing on the wall after all. Good luck to him in his NEW line of work.;)

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040209dnmetmoats.919caed3.html

[kaorder1999]

he will get a job somewhere as a police officer I am assuming...

[waterboy]

Probably. He SHOULD have been FIRED!:mad:




There....I'm all better now.:)

[kaorder1999]

the best thing for him was to resign before the investigation concluded....

[waterboy]

Yeah......looks better on a resume' to resign than to get fired. I wonder how he will explain it......you know......when asked WHY he resigned? Will he lie, or tell the truth?

[kaorder1999]

im sure he will have to be honest....police departments have polygraph and extensive background checks

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
im sure he will have to be honest....police departments have polygraph and extensive background checks

It made national news....I would think that would be easy to track!

[jason]

mall's gotta have security...

[waterboy]

Originally posted by jason
mall's gotta have security...
:spitlol: Now that's funny!:D

I'll be waiting on the movie: "Robert Powell: Mall Cop".:D

[Emerson1]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
he will get a job somewhere as a police officer I am assuming...
My friend who works for DPD said he will either go somewhere else, or just go through training again and get re-hired.

[kaorder1999]

Originally posted by Emerson1
My friend who works for DPD said he will either go somewhere else, or just go through training again and get re-hired.
article I read today says that if an officer resigns while under investigation then they cannot ever work for that department again...

[LH Panther Mom]

I'm sure we have, or can create, an opening. :rolleyes:





(Oops! Did I just say that? :devil: )

[PHS Wildcats]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
article I read today says that if an officer resigns while under investigation then they cannot ever work for that department again...

That's true

[neck_94]

Why wouldn't he get another job? He did nothing illegal... poor judgment, yes but broke no laws (unlike the football player he pulled over)

And yes, I agree, he should have taken his license and sent him in to do his business, wrote him a ticket and left it on the windshield.

How many football players do ILLEGAL things and get to keep their jobs...

THINK ABOUT IT

[buffalo2006]

I agree with Neck. If it would've been anyone else but a professional player it would've never had this much publicity.

And what were they not doing at her bedside to begin with???????

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by neck_94
Why wouldn't he get another job? He did nothing illegal... poor judgment, yes but broke no laws (unlike the football player he pulled over)...

THINK ABOUT IT
Actually, Moats didn't do anything illegal. Moats could've beat that ticket with an attorney from Mexico whose law degree reads "Hard Knocks University-Matamoros" in fifth-grade-level handwriting.

It was an emergency situation, he had his flashers on, and he wasn't endangering any other cars. Open and shut case.

[piratebg]

I try to tell people that just because you put your hazard lights on it doesn't make your car an emergency vehicle. It doesn't give you permission to speed. It doesn't give you permission to run red light and stop signs. You still have to follow all of the same traffic laws as every other vehicle on the road.

[KingRob]

I can't believe some of you are actually taking up for this sorry excuse for a cop. The daughter, her husband, the daughters father, and her aunt, went to their house to get some rest. They were called by the hospital due to the lady dying of breast cancer going into code blue.

NFL players doing wrong things and keeping their jobs, is totally different from police officers making mistakes and keeping their jobs (which a large majority do keep their jobs). Moats stopped at both red lights with his flashers on, and was waved through the intersections by the other drivers. He was not driving reckless.

Did you see Powell's web page? He was counting down the days back in 2006 to become a police officer. He said something like - 6 more days and I can start shooting people! Yea, real mature. He has had numerous complaints, but no video proof. like we have now. Who knows how long this guy has been acting like this.

I tell you what, I bet if it happened to you, you wouldn't be taking up for this sorry excuse of a cop.!

I feel better now!:)

[piratebg]

I'm not sticking up for him, but this is one of my pet peeves. People are always calling saying, "Hey, there is something wrong with my mother. She's having trouble breathing. I'm gonna be hauling butt through your city with my emergency lights so don't pull me over."

My response is always, "Sir, I can have an ambulance meet you somewhere to transport your mother, but I cannot give you permission to do that. You are not driving an emergency vehicle and you could be endangering others on the road."

[wtfootball]

Next time I get pulled over, I plan to start screaming and behaving like an idiot as I'm sure the media will call for the police officers head. An ill family member does not excuse breaking the laws of our great State. You calmly talk to the police officer and explain what is going on, not scream and yell at him. I think it is a disgrace that this officer resigned, I'm sure the agency wanted the publicity to die.

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by wtfootball
Next time I get pulled over, I plan to start screaming and behaving like an idiot as I'm sure the media will call for the police officers head. An ill family member does not excuse breaking the laws of our great State. You calmly talk to the police officer and explain what is going on, not scream and yell at him. I think it is a disgrace that this officer resigned, I'm sure the agency wanted the publicity to die.


So your ok with a cop saying things like I have the power to ruin your night?

Or a cop not listening to a nurse and other hospital personell when they tell him this guy has a legit reason?

[garciap77]

Originally posted by Emerson1
My friend who works for DPD said he will either go somewhere else, or just go through training again and get re-hired.

:thinking:



:eek:

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
So your ok with a cop saying things like I have the power to ruin your night?

Or a cop not listening to a nurse and other hospital personell when they tell him this guy has a legit reason?




This cop was a total jerk and needs to find a different line of work. But the facts are that he did nothing WRONG as far as the laws and the dept. S.O.P.. He was trained to do just what he did. In almost every single situation like this the response of the cop is dicated by the response of the crimminal. (yes, I said crimminal). This was no different. In the first place Moats should have stopped IMMEDIATELY when he saw the lights. Moats does not have the power or authority to decide that he will ignore the cop until he gets to the hospital. If he had stopped and explained it Powell most likley would have escorted him the rest of the way. Secondly the family bailed out of the vehicle when it stopped even though they were being tracked by a police cruiser with lights on. For those of you not living in the real world, that means stop and stay where you are at with your hands in plan view. Of course the cop will pull his weapon and demand they return to the vehicle. (S.O.P.) Moats then proceeded to demonstrate to the cop a total disregard for the authoritiy granted to that cop by the city of Dallas and the State of Texas. Powell's reaction to Moats was unprofessional and un-called for but it was in response to being screamed at and told to go find Moats insurance himself. And take note that Moats did not become cooperative until Powell made the statements about ruining his night and taking him to jail. A cop is trained to be forceful in order to get people to shut up and be cooperative.
IMHO Powell's resignation was in response to a deal made by the City of Dallas to attempt to passify all the bleeding hearts in the public who are convicting Powell without the slightest idea of what is real and what is fantasy. Powell would get a huge settlement from the City if he were fired for this one event.
In the last week we have had a man rape and burn a 78 year old woman and another kill a crossing guard while drunk just a few months after being let out of prison and yet everyone is over-heated about this. Typical America!

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
This is a big part of the issue. Police are used to being lied to and tend to expect it. My dad was a police officer for 30 years before he became a DA investigator, and it was impossible for me to explain anything to him growing up b/c he was so used to being lied to.
Also, Moats shouldn't have gotten out of the car. #1 rule when you get pulled over. That being said, this police officer was known for excessive force and just general douchebaggery. He obviously thought he was John Wayne and definately needed some reeducation. Had this incident not been so publicized, that's probably what would have happened. The fact is that the Moats' family wanted their pound of flesh, so they went to the media. Not a good precident to set.

Where did you hear that the Moats family went to the media?? From all I have seen and read, the Plano policeman who saw what was going on reported it to his police chief. I didn't think the Moats family had anything to do with it being publicized.

Everyone is WELL AWARE that he rolled through a red light. I just don't think it takes much common sense to see that he pulled up VERY CLOSE to the Emergency Room entrance, the ladies ran in the hospital, even while a gun was being pointed at them......chances were REAL GOOD that this was an emergency.

Cops get a bad rap, I will agree with that and I wouldn't want their job, but a power hungry officer with ZERO common sense has no business being in that line of work.....I'm glad he's gone.

That being said...I want to take this time to say THANK YOU to the two officers (one around Abilene and the other around Colorado City) who pulled me over in 2002 on my way home from the State Championship. I was driving home with NO taillights, flashlights taped to my bumpers....and both times I was let go without even a warning. The 2nd officer is the one who told me to turn my flashers on because "it was an emergency." Thank you both for not taking me to jail since I was breaking the law!!!!!!"

[garciap77]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
This is a big part of the issue. Police are used to being lied to and tend to expect it. My dad was a police officer for 30 years before he became a DA investigator, and it was impossible for me to explain anything to him growing up b/c he was so used to being lied to.
Also, Moats shouldn't have gotten out of the car. #1 rule when you get pulled over. That being said, this police officer was known for excessive force and just general douchebaggery. He obviously thought he was John Wayne and definately needed some reeducation. Had this incident not been so publicized, that's probably what would have happened. The fact is that the Moats' family wanted their pound of flesh, so they went to the media. Not a good precident to set.

I thought the Plano Police office was the one to report the incident to his supervisior, who then call the Dallas police Dept!

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by Ranger Mom
Where did you hear that the Moats family went to the media?? From all I have seen and read, the Plano policeman who saw what was going on reported it to his police chief. I didn't think the Moats family had anything to do with it being publicized.

Everyone is WELL AWARE that he rolled through a red light. I just don't think it takes much common sense to see that he pulled up VERY CLOSE to the Emergency Room entrance, the ladies ran in the hospital, even while a gun was being pointed at them......chances were REAL GOOD that this was an emergency.

Cops get a bad rap, I will agree with that and I wouldn't want their job, but a power hungry officer with ZERO common sense has no business being in that line of work.....I'm glad he's gone.

That being said...I want to take this time to say THANK YOU to the two officers (one around Abilene and the other around Colorado City) who pulled me over in 2002 on my way home from the State Championship. I was driving home with NO taillights, flashlights taped to my bumpers....and both times I was let go without even a warning. The 2nd officer is the one who told me to turn my flashers on because "it was an emergency." Thank you both for not taking me to jail since I was breaking the law!!!!!!"


Did you jump out of your vehicle and start yelling at the officers???

[jason]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Did you jump out of your vehicle and start yelling at the officers??? she probably threw the leftover condoms at them...

[garciap77]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Did you jump out of your vehicle and start yelling at the officers???

It is hard to say what any one person will say or do during an emergency! But, police are trained to handle these types of situations and office Powell did not do a good job of handling this situation. In my opinion he is a hazard to the public and is better off doing some other type of work! I would not have a problem him working in a prison.

[garciap77]

Originally posted by jason
she probably threw the leftover condoms at them...

:tisk:

[DDBooger]

Originally posted by garciap77
It is hard to say what any one person will say or do during an emergency! But, police are trained to handle these types of situations and office Powell did not do a good job of handling this situation. In my opinion he is a hazard to the public and is better off doing some other type of work! I would not have a problem him working in a prison. rest assured, he wouldn't act so high and mighty there!! No matter how secure a prison, the inmates run it, unfortunately, a guy with an attitude like that would get smacked around and likely p*ss his pants when confronted by someone with nothing to lose.

[Farmersfan]

It's now being reported that Powells attorney attempted to get Powell and the Moats together for an apology but wanted it to be private and the Moats refused. Apparently they wanted it public. I think we can all see what is going on. If they truly only wanted Powells job they could have contacted the Dallas PD in private and gotten him reassigned with just the threat of going public. The Dallas PD released the video in an attempt to head off the public outrage before it got nuts. Without the video there is no telling what kind of stories the Moats would be telling right now.

[DDBooger]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Without the video there is no telling what kind of stories the Moats would be telling right now. Or what the Officer would be fabricating!

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by DDBooger
Or what the Officer would be fabricating!


Surely you are not insinuating that Powell would actually "LIE"???????? Say it ain't so!!! :D :D

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Did you jump out of your vehicle and start yelling at the officers???

I didn't yell, but I got out of the car both times and met them at the back of the Suburban.

If I had stayed in the Suburban I would have had to open the door because the power windows were tied into the problem with the taillights.

I didn't feel that Moats was yelling at the officer. His voice was raised, but I took that more to be the stress of the whole situation rather than "yelling."

[DDBooger]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
I think you're mistaken there. I spent a 1 1/2 years working as a correctional officer during college. It's much worse as far as people being on a power trip. I hated every minute of it b/c I had to become a different person at work, but there were many there that loved being there. Powell's behavior would be considered tame in a state prison. Besides, he has a college degree, so he'd be taking about a 25K pay cut to be a CO. I did qualitative interviews with them (maintaining anonymous interviews to assure they felt at ease). ALL stated to me that unless respect was shown to them, no matter how tough, you would not last, if not physically the criminals would wear you down mentally! Stern but respectful was the most frequent response and that came from the experienced individuals. It was always the young bucks who didn't last long. I'm not talking minimum or small prisons, I was speaking in terms of max security. I imagine there is differences in WHO is in your prison. Many of these guys dealt with huge prison gang problems

[kaorder1999]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
I think you're mistaken there. I spent a 1 1/2 years working as a correctional officer during college. It's much worse as far as people being on a power trip. I hated every minute of it b/c I had to become a different person at work, but there were many there that loved being there. Powell's behavior would be considered tame in a state prison. Besides, he has a college degree, so he'd be taking about a 25K pay cut to be a CO.

how do you know he has a college degree?

[DDBooger]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
Probably a big difference in what is said and what actually happens. I was in Madisonville(Ferguson), Huntsville(Walls), and Palestine(Tennesse Colony),all maximum security, and I didn't see much of this respect you talk about. We were taught exactly what you said, but I never saw it in practice.
Besides, I honestly feel sorry for anyone who does "last". It's not a very promising career. I guess everyone's experience is different

[Ingleside Fan]

Wow! It is funny how we hold our police to a higher standard than ourselves. Politcians do much more damage to our country and we don't ask them to resign. These people (police officers) observe and filter the worst of our society daily and do a pretty good job at making the right decision. This Officer had no idea what was going on and has to make decisions to keep himself and the public safe. Maybe instead of focusing all our anger at people that try to protect and serve the community, we should focus our anger at the criminals that cause the problems.

Dang the guy just made a mistake, he didn't beat, shot or kill anyboby. But it is alright for a criminal to kill three Police Officers and we give him a break, it was our societies fault, not the criminals. :mad:

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by Ingleside Fan
Wow! It is funny how we hold our police to a higher standard than ourselves. Politcians do much more damage to our country and we don't ask them to resign. These people (police officers) observe and filter the worst of our society daily and do a pretty good job at making the right decision. This Officer had no idea what was going on and has to make decisions to keep himself and the public safe. Maybe instead of focusing all our anger at people that try to protect and serve the community, we should focus our anger at the criminals that cause the problems.

Dang the guy just made a mistake, he didn't beat, shot or kill anyboby. But it is alright for a criminal to kill three Police Officers and we give him a break, it was our societies fault, not the criminals. :mad:



We pay them 40K a year to take daily abuse from the worst kind of people. We make them go through training to keep themselves alive in this screwed up society that values crimminal's rights over obeying the law. And we put them under constant surveillance with cameras to make sure they don't screw up. And then when one does demonstrate a little unpopular attitude towards a law breaker we go high and mighty on him and demand his scalp. It was reported that in Atlanta the PD is forced to hire people with known felony records because they just can't get enough applicants. Dallas will soon follow. I hope everyone is ok with that.

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
We pay them 40K a year to take daily abuse from the worst kind of people. We make them go through training to keep themselves alive in this screwed up society that values crimminal's rights over obeying the law. And we put them under constant surveillance with cameras to make sure they don't screw up. And then when one does demonstrate a little unpopular attitude towards a law breaker we go high and mighty on him and demand his scalp. It was reported that in Atlanta the PD is forced to hire people with known felony records because they just can't get enough applicants. Dallas will soon follow. I hope everyone is ok with that. We don't make them do squat! They CHOSE their profession. Take the good with the bad.

[Emerson1]

Some bad luck on his part. If he had done this to a white guy it wouldn't be news. He got the double whammy when it was a black guy AND a NFLl player.

[navscanmaster]

I have been quiet up until now, but this is too much! This officer was put in a position where he had to be defensive and forceful by citizens who chose not only to break traffic laws and endanger the other motorists, but also berated and yelled at him, not to mention ignoring directions and bolting to the hospital during a tense traffic stop. They are extremely lucky that they were not all detained, or worse yet, arrested. Bottom line is, HE SHOULD HAVE STOPPED OR OBEYED TRAFFIC LAWS IN THE FIRST PLACE! This whole ordeal would have been over before it started had they done so. Officers KNOW that people have family emergencies and no matter what you THINK about this one, the chances are extremely high that he would have continued on as an escort to the hospital. This whole situation makes me sick, especially since the only REAL mistake this officer made was pulling over a mouthy member of the NFL that our screwed up society idolizes, no matter how trashy some of them are. WHY is it not blatantly obvious to people here and around the nation that there was a criminal in this situation, and it was not Officer Powell. Now this man will probably not get another job in that area in the profession he has trained and lived for, and his young family will have to pull up stakes and move to somewhere far away from DFW in order for him to continue being a police officer. All because of who he pulled over and the bleeding heart media.:mad: :mad: :mad: :thmbdwn:

[Bull Butter]

Originally posted by navscanmaster
I have been quiet up until now, but this is too much! This officer was put in a position where he had to be defensive and forceful by citizens who chose not only to break traffic laws and endanger the other motorists, but also berated and yelled at him, not to mention ignoring directions and bolting to the hospital during a tense traffic stop. They are extremely lucky that they were not all detained, or worse yet, arrested. Bottom line is, HE SHOULD HAVE STOPPED OR OBEYED TRAFFIC LAWS IN THE FIRST PLACE! This whole ordeal would have been over before it started had they done so. Officers KNOW that people have family emergencies and no matter what you THINK about this one, the chances are extremely high that he would have continued on as an escort to the hospital. This whole situation makes me sick, especially since the only REAL mistake this officer made was pulling over a mouthy member of the NFL that our screwed up society idolizes, no matter how trashy some of them are. WHY is it not blatantly obvious to people here and around the nation that there was a criminal in this situation, and it was not Officer Powell. Now this man will probably not get another job in that area in the profession he has trained and lived for, and his young family will have to pull up stakes and move to somewhere far away from DFW in order for him to continue being a police officer. All because of who he pulled over and the bleeding heart media.:mad: :mad: :mad: :thmbdwn:

Yeah, Ryan Moats is such a menace to society. Mouthy? You know absolutely nothing about Moats but yet you lump him in the same category with some lowlifes that have given the NFL a bad reputation. God forbid he should want to rush to the hospital to be with a gravely ill family member. How dare he run a red light WITH HIS EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON!!!

You say this man may never find another job in that profession. I say THANK GOD!!! There are thousands of police officers out there who put their lives on the line every single day and never make headlines. They simply do their jobs the way it's supposed to be done. Not by ignoring the pleas of a frantic family. This "officer" gave his profession a black eye by pulling a "Barney Fife" (I wonder if he only had one bullet in his gun?)

[garciap77]

Originally posted by Bull Butter
Yeah, Ryan Moats is such a menace to society. Mouthy? You know absolutely nothing about Moats but yet you lump him in the same category with some lowlifes that have given the NFL a bad reputation. God forbid he should want to rush to the hospital to be with a gravely ill family member. How dare he run a red light WITH HIS EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON!!!

You say this man may never find another job in that profession. I say THANK GOD!!! There are thousands of police officers out there who put their lives on the line every single day and never make headlines. They simply do their jobs the way it's supposed to be done. Not by ignoring the pleas of a frantic family. This "officer" gave his profession a black eye by pulling a "Barney Fife" (I wonder if he only had one bullet in his gun?)

:iagree:

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by Bull Butter
Yeah, Ryan Moats is such a menace to society. Mouthy? You know absolutely nothing about Moats but yet you lump him in the same category with some lowlifes that have given the NFL a bad reputation. God forbid he should want to rush to the hospital to be with a gravely ill family member. How dare he run a red light WITH HIS EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON!!!

You say this man may never find another job in that profession. I say THANK GOD!!! There are thousands of police officers out there who put their lives on the line every single day and never make headlines. They simply do their jobs the way it's supposed to be done. Not by ignoring the pleas of a frantic family. This "officer" gave his profession a black eye by pulling a "Barney Fife" (I wonder if he only had one bullet in his gun?)


A cop pulls over a man and his wife on the interstate. When the vehicle stops the passengers of the vehicle bail out and start fleeing the scene. The cop pulls his weapon and demands they get back in the vehicle. The drive also bails out of the vehicle and starts yelling to the cop about how he has a sick child and they are in a hurry. The cop has heard this story a million times so he is cautious. He asks for ID and proof of insurance and the driver tells him 1st he doesn't have any and then to go get it himself. The cop must be very forceful and aggressive to keep control of the situation. After calling for some backup the cop discovers a ton of cocaine in the back of the vehicle and some kidnapped children. The cop is a hero. We are all singing his praises for being a great asset to our society.
Powell made a mistake when he didn't release Moats to go into the hospital once he found out the truth. It was a judgment mistake-not a policy mistake. But everyone needs to understand that the bottom line in this entire thing is: MOATS BROKE THE LAW. If you want to give Cops the ability to interpret the laws according to their own judgment then so be it. But remember, you will have to live with the consequences.

[garciap77]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
A cop pulls over a man and his wife on the interstate. When the vehicle stops the passengers of the vehicle bail out and start fleeing the scene. The cop pulls his weapon and demands they get back in the vehicle. The drive also bails out of the vehicle and starts yelling to the cop about how he has a sick child and they are in a hurry. The cop has heard this story a million times so he is cautious. He asks for ID and proof of insurance and the driver tells him 1st he doesn't have any and then to go get it himself. The cop must be very forceful and aggressive to keep control of the situation. After calling for some backup the cop discovers a ton of cocaine in the back of the vehicle and some kidnapped children. The cop is a hero. We are all singing his praises for being a great asset to our society.
Powell made a mistake when he didn't release Moats to go into the hospital once he found out the truth. It was a judgment mistake-not a policy mistake. But everyone needs to understand that the bottom line in this entire thing is: MOATS BROKE THE LAW. If you want to give Cops the ability to interpret the laws according to their own judgment then so be it. But remember, you will have to live with the consequences.

Clue # 1 Moats parked right outside the Emergency Room! Follow him into the hospital and give him a ticket. I've worked with officers like Powell. Every police department has one. That's one of the reason I decided not to stay with that profession.

[navscanmaster]

Originally posted by garciap77
Clue # 1 Moats parked right outside the Emergency Room! Follow him into the hospital and give him a ticket. I've worked with officers like Powell. Every police department has one. That's one of the reason I decided not to stay with that profession.

I forgot to include in my anger toward the situation as a whole, that yes, he had bad judgement at that point in the incident. I stand behind my assessment of the rest of the situation though. I think this officer got hung out to dry by the media and this family. People in this country seem to generally hate authority figures, whether it is their boss or the police, and that is sad, sad, sad...:(

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
Guess we should say the same thing when a police officer is killed in the line of duty? Sorry, just saw this.

I don't know about "we", but I would. They know the risks, their families know the risk, they CHOSE to continue to go out there to "protect & serve".

[Bullaholic]

IMO, there are a lot more good cops out there serving and protecting everyday than bad cops. We, in Bridgeport, are greatly saddened by the first loss in the line of duty of one of our officers last week.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/040309dntexofficerdead.98298c3f.html

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by Bullaholic
IMO, there are a lot more good cops out there serving and protecting everyday than bad cops. We, in Bridgeport, are greatly saddened by the first loss in the line of duty of one of our officers last week.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/040309dntexofficerdead.98298c3f.html

True, but only the bad ones make the news. Sad, but true. And it seems that the "good" ones only make the news when they die. :(

[Txbroadcaster]

Originally posted by navscanmaster
I forgot to include in my anger toward the situation as a whole, that yes, he had bad judgement at that point in the incident. I stand behind my assessment of the rest of the situation though. I think this officer got hung out to dry by the media and this family. People in this country seem to generally hate authority figures, whether it is their boss or the police, and that is sad, sad, sad...:(


The problem IMO began when the officer started saying things like I HAVE THE POWER to ruin your night...and then when a NURSE and OTHER hospital officals come out to tell the cop that the driver is being truthful, the cop still decides he needs to lecture Moats which in turn is keeping him from being with the famly.

if the cop would have reacted like he did, but then shown concern when hospital officals confirmed the story I think things might be different.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

The NFL player did make a mistake by not stopping and explaining the situation. The mistake is a minor criminal violation that almost all of us would not label him as a criminal. The use of flashing lights does not make it legal but also it was a warning to the police officer that something is indeed wrong. It doesn't seem like the player was being reckless rather he ran a red light when no cars were coming. Nevertheless it is a violation and the officer had every right to stop and issue him a ticket. However, the officer did use poor judgment when it was obvious this was a real situation. Maybe he needed better training in that these situations actually do happen. We have a saying if you write a ticket do not lecture the driver. Well he broke that rule. If they could both go back and do it over both would do it different knowing what they know now. The officer did make a poor judgment call and he paid for that. The problem in policing is that in a second your world can change (that is in many different ways).

Remember that in policing they only take the best of the best, they give applicants a 40 page personal history to complete, then give them a lie detector to make sure they are truthful, then make them run and jump over a course to make sure that can perform the job, then they make them take a psychological exam and a medical exam, they run a credit check on them and then put them through a grueling interview session only to take the best. Even then we still get people who make bad judgment calls. What else can we do as a profession?

This is a sad deal for all parties.

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
The problem IMO began when the officer started saying things like I HAVE THE POWER to ruin your night...and then when a NURSE and OTHER hospital officals come out to tell the cop that the driver is being truthful, the cop still decides he needs to lecture Moats which in turn is keeping him from being with the famly.

if the cop would have reacted like he did, but then shown concern when hospital officals confirmed the story I think things might be different.

Yes that was bad and he shouldn't have said that.

[Ranger Mom]

Originally posted by Txbroadcaster
The problem IMO began when the officer started saying things like I HAVE THE POWER to ruin your night...and then when a NURSE and OTHER hospital officals come out to tell the cop that the driver is being truthful, the cop still decides he needs to lecture Moats which in turn is keeping him from being with the famly.

if the cop would have reacted like he did, but then shown concern when hospital officals confirmed the story I think things might be different.

A WHOLE lot different. Everyone that is siding with the officer keep reiterating the point that Moats "broke the law" when he rolled through the red light. What they can't seem to understand is that no one is disputing that!! It was the actions AFTERWARDS of the officer that got us to this point.

Did Moats "break the law"...yeah, he did. Did the officer have a right to be "nervous" when he first got out of his care and the Moats family exited theirs...yeah, he did. Do officers hear these "sob stories" everyday...yeah, they do.

But I would bet my last nickle that another police office and a nurse don't come to the aid of these people who are just trying to get out of a ticket.

The officer used ZERO common sense, went on a power trip, and ultimately paid the price.

How ANYONE can defend his behavior is beyond me.

My step-dad works in law enforcement in the Dallas area, evidently this guy is notorious for being cocky and trying to throw his weight around.