The Supreme Court decision forbidding unwarranted blood collection is a year old.
Shall we ease into our Labor Day weekend with an absolutely repulsive video of a police detective abusing his authority against a completely innocent person for no real justifiable reason? Oh, why not?
Behold, Salt Lake City Police Det. Jeff Payne arresting Nurse Alex Wubbels in July for refusing to violate an unconscious—comatose, actually—man's rights by drawing his blood for the police without any sort of warrant whatsoever.What Payne did here is patently, inescapably wrong in just about every possible way. Just one year ago the Supreme Court ruled that police must get a warrant or consent in order to draw a person's blood. It's utterly inconceivable that Payne, who is a trained phlebotomist with the police, did not know this. According to coverage from the Salt Lake Tribune, Payne acknowledged that he didn't have probable cause to get a warrant, but nevertheless insisted he had the authority to demand Wubbels draw blood.
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While I am a strong supporter of our police. Continuing issues like this are a serious problem. Police need to be held to a higher standard. As do all leaders. One thing I learned in 30-years of management, “The least you will do, is the most your workers will do.” I am deeply troubled, every time some officer is caught doing wrong, then they are covered and protected.
ReplyDeleteHaving police in my family, I agree they do a very difficult, dangerous, and thankless job. However, when one does wrong, they need to be held accountable. And accountable publicly. Is firing the solution? I’m smart enough to know, I don’t have the answer. But, whatever the punishment, it need to be severe, and the entire process must be open and public. This double-standard is much of the reason police are viewed as they are in many areas. How can they be trusted, if they are not held to the same standards as those they police?
I am not talked about mistakes, the kind that officers make in a life or death spit second decision. If you’re in a dark alley, tell someone to stop, and instead they spin around and put their hand in their pocket. Officers simply do not have time to stop and ponder their next move. But this was not that case. The officer’s life was not in jeopardy. There was time to seek advice from supervisors. No, this was a case where the officer’s ego run the show. I’m a policeman, and you do as I say…right or wrong.
In police departments across America, those in charge need to wake-up. The poor police on the streets are without leadership or guidelines. Half the departments throw the officer to the wolves if they make an honest mistake, while the other half cover deliberate misdeeds and misconduct by giving officers a pass. And we citizens are watching and wondering WTF is going on. Good police are being railroaded for mistakes. While criminal officers are being protected and coddled. Unfortunately, these are 100% local issues and I don’t see any solution. I sure as hell don’t want a national police department. Just look toward the TSA is you want an idea how bad that would be. So, sorry, no answers, just observations.
Badger
I sure as hell don’t want a national police department.
DeleteAmen. If they could be held personally responsible, then that should do a lot of good.
Along those lines, twice now juries have sent STRONG messages of Gov't police mistrust and lack of credibility.....witness the recent Bundy verdicts! Cops are largely now perceived as "Gov't" and lack of govt trust is now running at 80% and better. This idiot cop certainly do their cause any good. COPS are mistrusted for good reason!
ReplyDeleteBundy, Waco, Ruby Ridge........
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