The following clip involves Ryan Moats, a running back for the Houston Texans, and his wife in an altercation with a Dallas police officer. He is trying to do his duty as an officer but in this case he takes things too far and does not not use the wisest judgment when considering Moats and his wife's situation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctGKwQ3fUDw
In my opinion, the police officer was doing his job but he did take his job a little too far. Taking out a gun was not necessary in this situation, I think the better idea would have been for him to follow the vehicle to the hospital so he was sure that the couple was not lying to get out of a ticket. I am sure he has heard many excuses before but in this case something terrible was going on and since he was on a power trip he did not consider that they were telling the truth. I think this will serve as a warning to other officers in the future but I do not beleive it was necessary for him to resign. There was a lot of press because the suspect was a football player and I am sure this problem happens more often than we know.
ReplyDeleteIf I've learned anything so far in life, it's that cops love power and want to feel like their authority is understood and respected at all times. Thus, when the wife flipped out and ignored the cops instructions, it doesn't surprise me that the cop wasn't happy. Never mess with a cops sense of authority.
ReplyDeleteThat youtube video is very inspiring. Ryan Moats and his wife seem like the most humble couple I have seen. They reacted in such an intricate way to the situation. I think Robert Powell was wrong. I don't think I have ever encountered a cop that would do that... and as soon as Ryan Moats explained his mother-in-law was dying, I think Powell should have let him go. There were so many alternatives to the situation in which Powell could have reacted...
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the clip you posted, I feel a lot more compassion towards the couple. I think it is terrible that Mrs. Moats' mother died in the process of the officer writing a ticket to Ryan Moats. I can only imagine how resentful Ryan is towards the police officer, but was able to keep his composure during the interview. After your presentation, I didn't understand why the police officer resigned, but now that I have seen the clip, I do agree that he was completely out of line. Even the chief of police recognized how inappropriately the cop had acted. Although I disagree with the way the police officer acted, I do understand that he was trying to do his job to uphold and enforce the law. It's a tough situation that could have been handled better, but hindsight is always 20/20.
ReplyDeleteI think that cops hear so many excuses from people for why they were speeding or why they ran a red light, that its hard for these propositions to be taken seriously. This cop has probably heard every excuse in the book. Let's face it, when people are pulled over they are going to do everything in their power to try and get out of paying fines or going to jail. Some times people will use more subtle approaches and other times people will make-up anything in the world, no matter how bs it is.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the way this cop handled the situation was still inappropriate. He could have called the hospital to verify their story or even followed them to the hospital to make sure they were not lying. Either of those would have been better solutions to this incident.
I did like that it was very noble that Moats did not try and pull the sports star card on the cop. I think most people in his position would.
Finally, I think that it was a bit unnecessary for Roberts to retire from his position. While this is an embarrassing situation for him as well as his police division, I think that a simple apology and explanation would suffice and perhaps some sort of reprimanding (maybe probation or a temporary leave). I am sure this sort of stuff happens all the time (police abuse of authority if you want to call it that). The only reason this really got any publicity is because Moats is a sports star, so it is hard to justify him stepping down from his position in my opinion.
I feel like the story is missing some information. Why would this officer retire after a few months? I really don't think this was a big deal because i'm sure incidents like this happen every now and then. Also, the officer was wrong (in my opinion), I think some officers feel like they are the law (which they are) but they use their badge of a way to control people and use it as a way of higher power or abuse it. Drawing a weapon was not necessary.
ReplyDeleteif I learn anything some people want forget things but it important it remember it anyway because it could help inform a future choice. I feel like messing with people memories could be dangerous
ReplyDeleteI think the officer made a mistake, a big one, but a forgivable one. People don't know how they will react under pressure like that until they have been there. I think the officer's resignation was a good move because in order to be a police officer, you need to work well in incredibly stressful situations, which seemingly is not his forte. The police force is not the right place for someone who will speak that way or draw a gun in a situation like that. Unfortunately, Tamishia Moats' mother died when Ryan was outside, making the police officer seem even more villainous, but in reality, I think the press should lay off the officer and trust that it was an honest mistake.
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