Oklahoma cop pulls ambulance over; puts EMT in chokehold while patient lingers

[blackxpress]

Assuming the video tells the whole story (a tenuous assumption at best), and that was my mom in the ambulance, those troopers would have been so busy arresting me for assaulting a police officer they wouldn't have had time to worry about the EMTs.

Regardless of whether this is a true story, one thing's for sure. We live in a police state. Every time I hear the politicians promising to put more police officers on the street I get a real bad case of the willies.

The prison-industrial complex is in full effect in the U.S.A.

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

Assuming the video tells the whole story (a tenuous assumption at best), and that was my mom in the ambulance, those troopers would have been so busy arresting me for assaulting a police officer they wouldn't have had time to worry about the EMTs.

Regardless of whether this is a true story, one thing's for sure. We live in a police state. Every time I hear the politicians promising to put more police officers on the street I get a real bad case of the willies.

The prison-industrial complex is in full effect in the U.S.A.

Even though I'm replying to this, I'm sure that you won't get it. After all, since we live in a police state, they surely have monitored your activity, including this message, and have scooped you up already.

This is not a police state by any stretch of the imagination. If it were, this cop would not risk losing his job at all. In fact, he might be given a medal for his actions in such a "police state".

 

[Bruno@MT]

There also seems to be this tendency for some people to think that any and all disciplinary issues with an officer should result in termination.

Not 'any and all' I think it would depend on the issue at hand. However, someone with anger management issues who already lost it once (this incident) should probably no longer be placed in stress situations with legal authority.

 

[blackxpress]

Even though I'm replying to this, I'm sure that you won't get it. After all, since we live in a police state, they surely have monitored your activity, including this message, and have scooped you up already.

This is not a police state by any stretch of the imagination. If it were, this cop would not risk losing his job at all. In fact, he might be given a medal for his actions in such a "police state".

Whatever. "Police State" is not an entirely objective term. My comments may have been a little over the top but I do believe we're at least headed in that direction. Here's an excerpt from a very interesting Wiki article on the subject:

Examples of police state-like attributes



Most nations have police state-like attributes. This has led to public demonstrations in many countries.
As previously discussed, it is not possible to objectively determine whether a nation has become or is becoming a police state. As a consequence, to draw up an exhaustive list of police states would be inherently flawed. However, there are a few highly debated examples which serve to illustrate partial characteristics of a police state's structure. These examples are listed below.
The South African apartheid system is generally considered to have been a police state despite having been nominally a democracy (albeit with the native, Black African majority population excluded from the democracy).
Nazi Germany, a dictatorship, was, at least initially, brought into being through a nominal democracy, yet exerted repressive controls over its people.
In Cuba, 22 journalists who attempted to publicise non-government authorised news remain imprisoned. Arrested in March 2003, the journalists are serving prison terms of up to 27 years. It is also reported that journalists not in prison are frequently threatened with the same fate.[8]
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ranked North Korea last out of 168 countries in a test of press freedom.[9] It has been reported that the only TV channel in North Korea predominately eulogises the country's present leader Kim Jong Il and his father (and previous leader) Kim Il Sung. As a result, some locals in Pyongyang have been quoted as stating that their leaders are gods.[10]
The United Kingdom is felt by some to be moving in the direction of a police state,[11] with biometric identity cards,[12][13] mass surveillance and detention without trial all having been introduced by the government. The UK has been described as "the most surveilled country".[14] Protests within a half-mile radius of the Houses of Parliament are illegal in the UK unless authorised by the Metropolitan Police.[15] Leading politicians have been arrested under conditions of secrecy.[16] Claims of police state behaviour have been dismissed by the UK government.[17]
The United States has also been characterized as moving towards a police state. On June 27, 2002 U.S. Congressman Ron Paul said in the House of Representatives:
"...'Is America a Police State?' My answer is: 'Maybe not yet, but it is fast approaching.'"[18]
There has also been criticism of the US over the use of mass surveillance. 'Compulsory' vaccinations (not required by law but enforced as such) are also in use and it has been argued that this constitutes an infringement of individual liberties.[19][20][21]

If you interested you can read the whole article here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_state

 

[Empty Hands]

After all, since we live in a police state, they surely have monitored your activity, including this message, and have scooped you up already.

He won't be scooped up...but the message is being monitored. Not by a person reading it, but by a system flagging certain keywords for further review.

This is not a police state by any stretch of the imagination.

It all depends on how you make your definitions. The US has more of its people in prison than any other country on the planet. Your property can be confiscated without going before a judge, and without a trial. You can be detained and searched for making jokes or saying certain words. Paramilitary style police raids are being used more and more often to serve simple warrants. There is extensive surveillance and monitoring of our communications, without judicial review. The Supreme Court ruled a while back that you can be detained for refusing to show identification to the police, even if you are not in a vehicle. And so forth.

I agree that we are a long way from the classic police state - we tend to be more subtle if nothing else. There are many troubling trends in place though.

 

[kaizasosei]

I don't really think that the officer is a really evil person. I felt angered by the attitude displayed in the video, but really it's simply quite childish. Not something really so nasty i guess.
Just another example of how easy it is to loose one's cool at certain moments. I do think though that when you become a police officer, one must suppress certain natural insticts of revenge or quite meaningless engagements. An officer is not a niceness police, not a ghost hunter or a phychologist really. Why not simply flash a signal in some way. Even a look from the police makes people nervous, why should one need more than that.
Also holding up an ambulance for some petty issues is also really uncool, i guess anyone would understand that.

Sometimes one can do stupid things...one time when i was still younger, i was in some joint and i felt like one guy was staring at me the whole time. I think i was really dumb and not very perceptive when i bluntly and somewhat aggressively asked him what the hec he was looking at...turns out, i was standing right under a tv. The guy was speechless and i felt like an *** when i noticed

j

 

[5-0 Kenpo]

Whatever. "Police State" is not an entirely objective term. My comments may have been a little over the top but I do believe we're at least headed in that direction. Here's an excerpt from a very interesting Wiki article on the subject:



If you interested you can read the whole article here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_state

I actually agree that we are headed in that direction. But I think that to use this situation as an example of that is to place your position in the realm of rhetoric.

Sorry, but I believe in a serious discussion (if any internet discussion can be considered serious) we have to have a common language and definition of terms, as EH said.

Empty Hands:

Paramilitary style police raids are being used more and more often to serve simple warrants.

No disrespect, but you are incorrect. Having worked in a police department, and with several SWAT teams from different agencies (both large and small) you may be surprised at the restrictions that are placed on the use of SWAT teams to conduct various operations.