Um, the officer WAS completely within his rights. Was it shitty? Yeah. Could he have let the guy go? Sure. Could he have written the ticket while was with his mother-in-law?

Was it his job to detain and ticket a driver for failing to stop at a red light? Yes, it was. The officer performed his duties by the book. The only thing you can fault him on is being calloused.

So the guy didn't get to see his MIL before she died. What if due to his negligence and carelessness, he caused an accident, resulting in the death of someone else's MIL? What if he got his SUV T-Boned by a semi and killed all three of his passengers? Would this have even made the news if he wasn't an NFL player? Probably not.

^What if? What if? You seem to live in a world of prevention through preemption. If Moats didn't T-Bone anyone that doesn't matter to you, because he could've right? The fact is he didn't hurt anyone, and his mother was dying in the hospital. If that was your mother, mg, would you not do the same?

If the cop was right in this case, then maybe that's the problem. Maybe they have too much "right" and not enough wrong. Maybe they have too much authority.

And it most likely wouldn't make the news if he wasn't an NFL player, but that's part of the problem, right? If it happened to Joe-Blow it probably would not be deemed newsworthy. That's sad, because a lot of people think this is an atrocious abuse of power, and whether or not the officer was within his municipally defined rights is irrelevant, because this is the very definition of authoritarian tyranny. This is the opposite of what a free country should be about, mg.

In absolute honesty, if it was my mother, I would stop at all the lights just so I wouldn't have to worry about getting pulled over and wasting what precious time I had left.

^You have a very cool head in times of crisis. I wish we all did, but we don't. If only we weren't punished for not being as clear and calm during a crisis as those who can be.

You have to stop villainizing police and refrain from seeing it as punishing you for not having a clear and cakm head. You would be getting punished for breaking the law. Yes, it is always at the officer's discretion of whether or not to issue a citation, and yes, he should have let the guy go, but that doesn't mean he's some totalitarian or communist hell bent on world domination like people seem to believe.

I agree the police are merely bureaucrats, but they're not hapless, ignorant automatons. When you say "it's always at the officer's discretion," wouldn't you agree giving this much determining responsibility to a bureaucrat enables abuse of power? I blame more the legislators and the politicians who create this sort of abuse.

It reminds me of what happened in Peru years back when they wiped out the Shining Path terrorist group. The Shining Path started as a working class movement that evolved into violent terrorism. When Alberto Fujimori became president, he exercised strong, decisive authoritarian military might to go after terrorists, and in a short period of time terrorism was all but completely wiped out. The streets were safer. The economy stabilized.

How did he do it? He gave his death squads the responsibility to determine who was or was not a terrorist, so without trial people would be shot in the streets if suspected of being a terrorist. Many innocent civilians were killed or jailed as a result. But, hey, you can't make a safe world omelet without breaking a few eggs, right?

I don't understand why he couldn't let him go and wait and or give him a ticket given the circumstances. Even then though. Come on.

I, for one, don't expect the next cop that pulls me over to be an expert in moral values, or go out of his way to be a friend to me.

I have a lot to say here, but it should be clear to people that this officer isn't being a bad cop. Officers have duty, and that duty doesn't have a lot of exceptions. Am I wrong?

Police procedure helps citizens and officer and I can't understand why people want officers to throw it out (correct procedure) the instant someone says "I gotta see my momma."

Hell you people would have officers keep guns in the back seat just in case the criminals needed to use them too.

eheheh, I go to far....

This is one of those tragedies where nobody is right because everyone only sees their piece of the puzzle.

The dumbfuck, soulless, racist, sack of shit cop in question is named Robert Powell.

If Robert Powell sees traffic tickets as more important than a man being with his mother during the last few minutes of her life, then he doesn't deserve to wear a badge. Law enforcement without humanity and respect for human life is dangerous. If this incident had not happened to a celebrity, it would have been completely swept under the rug, and this asshole, Robert Powell, would still be on the loose.

Fuck you, Robert Powell.

(OH, and MG, why are you always such a toady for law enforcement? Is a bare modicum of intelligence, wisdom and good judgment too much to ask from our armed protectors?)

MG, this is definitely not a case of anybody trying to pass off all police as bad people who abuse their powers, but in this particular incident, it was absolutely obvious to ANYONE with any goddamn brain or human heart that what the officer did was wrong.

Fuck you, Robert Powell.

Fuck you, Robert Powell.

Powell Robert, you Fuck.

Fuck you, socialized medicine!

Socialized medicine, you fuck!

Fuck fuck, fuck fuck!

I was going to make a silly joke about trying pell mell to the hospital, but then I read the actual article - held at gunpoint in the hospital parking lot? Completely insane.

Oh my goodness, I hope someone gets fired for this.

Out of a cannon.

Into the sun.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Fuck you, fuckers.

^Downvote party on dag's comment for making this personal.

[edit] Aw, dft, you counteracted my downvote! I was only having a bit of fun, is all. What was this blog originally about? Meh, who cares. Fuck fuck, fuck fuck.

I have opinions as well!

Can we get back to the naming and shaming?

I disagree. I would argue that this is a violation of human rights.

>> ^MarineGunrock:
Um, the officer WAS completely within his rights.

Blank, give up man. You can rail, but no one with a need for governance will ever capitulate. I have yet to meet a person 'on the fence' that has ever swayed. It's a matter of philosophy. You first have to tackle that, then the reason you speak will be heard.

^Thanks. Your argument is soooo genius. I will give up now.