Chief Apologizes For Officer's Actions At Hospital

[Lucky3623]

This just pisses me off, but doesn't supprise me in the least. A lot of the police around here are on SuperCop power trips. I have worked with many officers who are not, but there seems to be a large number of them around my parts who are. Don't know how long the link will be good, so I pasted the entire article:


PLANO (AP / CBS 11 NEWS) ―
A Dallas police officer who detained an NFL player in a Plano hospital parking lot--despite the player's pleas that his mother-in-law was dying inside--has been placed on administrative leave.

Police Chief David Kunkle said Thursday that Officer Robert Powell will be placed on leave with pay pending an internal investigation over the March 18 incident with Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats.

Kunkle said the department is "embarrassed and disappointed" by Powell's actions during the stop. "This is more embarrassing and troublesome because it seems to be so unreasonable based on the circumstances," he said.

Powell stopped Moats' SUV outside Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano during the early hours of March 18 after Moats rolled through a red light. Moats and his family had gotten a call saying his mother-in-law was dying.

Video from a dashboard camera inside the officer's vehicle revealed an intense exchange in which the officer threatened to jail Moats.

He ordered Moats' wife, Tamishia Moats, to get back in the SUV, but she ignored him and rushed inside the hospital to see her mother, Jonetta Collinsworth, 45, and was by her side when she died a short time later. She had breast cancer.

"Get in there," said Powell, yelling at 27-year-old Tamishia Moats, as she exited the car. "Let me see your hands!"

"Excuse me, my mom is dying," Tamishia Moats said. "Do you understand?"

Moats explained that he waited until there was no traffic before proceeding through the red light and that his mother-in-law was dying, right then.

Moats couldn't find his insurance paperwork, and was desperate to leave.

"Listen, if I can't verify you have insurance...," Officer Powell said. "My mother-in-law is dying," Moats interrupted.

As they argued, the officer got irritated. "Shut your mouth," the officer said. "You can either settle down and cooperate or I can just take you to jail for running a red light."

By the time the 26-year-old NFL player received a ticket and a lecture from Powell, 25, at least 13 minutes had passed.

When he and Collinsworth's father entered the hospital, they learned Collinsworth was dead.

Moats' spoke at the incident with Kevin Scott and Greg Hill from 105.3 The Fan.

"He stole a moment away from me I can never get back," he said. "I'm really not the judge on what should happen to him. I think maybe his superiors at the Dallas Police Department should handle what should happen to him."

Listen to the entire interview here

The Moatses, who are black, said they can't help but think that race might have played a part in how Powell, who is white, treated them.

Powell was placed on disptach duty pending an investigation. The ticket issued to Moats was dismissed.

Powell told police officials he believed he was doing his job, said Dallas Police Assistant Chief Floyd Simpson.

The Dallas Police Department released the following official response late Thursday afternoon:

In light of Officer Robert Powell's recent actions, the Dallas Police Department shares your feelings of disappointment and outrage. The behavior exhibited by Officer Powell does not reflect the professionalism expected from our officers. When the department became aware of this incident, we contacted the Moats family to express our deepest sympathy for their loss and apologized for the actions made by Officer Powell.

This officer has been placed on Administrative Leave while an Internal Affairs investigation is being conducted. In keeping with our mission, the men and women of the Dallas Police Department will treat our citizens with the same amount of dignity and respect with which they expect to be treated themselves.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)