Re: LAPD caught beating a woman
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: LoneWolfUSMC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One of the reasons it's so difficult to find people willing to become police officers is because the public is willing to crucify them (or threaten physical harm) over a grainy security camera video without hearing both sides of the story.
I am absolutely willing to admit that there are officers who use excessive force under color of law. They can and should be dealt with severely by their department, local and Federal courts.
However as I watched the surveillance video with a trained eye (because I have done more than a couple car stops) I have to wonder what prompted the actions. There are a number of situations that would make what occurred absolutely justified.
I am on the other side of the country, so I have absolutely no internal knowledge of this. My wife is a Nurse and about the same age, so I have absolutely no bias to this.
The young woman "admits through her lawyers" that "she yelled and cursed at the officers". Now THAT is most certainly no reason to apply physical force other than handcuffing. I don't know how California Law reads for Disorderly Conduct. However she was still at the open door to the vehicle. That is enemy held territory. Many of us on this board carry a range of weapons in our vehicles. So do criminals. I can't see on the video where her hands are or what she was doing. If you are going to take it upon yourself to "yell and curse at officers" then you need to do so in the most non-threatening way possible. I can tell you that I have taken guns and knives off of smaller women that this. If she failed to obey lawful orders (because she was under "arrest" for Fourth Amendment purposes) and began reaching (can't tell you how many have reached into their purse for whatever) while she was acting in a loud and unreasonable manner, it would have been reasonable to control her movements and handcuff her. If she attempted to pull away, then the level of force would have escalated. Very often it is easier to control someone after they are placed on the ground. 99% of our fights turn into ground fights. It's just a matter of gravity. While the injuries look nasty, pavement does that if you are thrashing about. It does not do that if you fully comply.
The last part where they went down by the police car, I can only guess at what happened. It did not look controlled at all. I have had to put handcuffed suspects on the ground. When you do it intentionally it looks a little different than that. But again, it's a poor quality video. (why don't restaurants get HD cameras
)
Now I may have it all wrong. The Officer(s) in question may have had a bad day, kicked their dog, and went to work with some anger to vent. You never know. However if the average citizen was given the same "benefit of the doubt" that these officers are getting, we would have a whole lot more prisons to build.
Now I fully understand that it's a right under common law and affirmed in many different codes that you may resist unlawful arrest. However I would highly suggest that if you are stopped by Police, conduct yourself in a calm and reserved manner. You would be amazed at how far that gets you. If you are placed under arrest, pay attention. Take mental notes. SHUT UP, and contact your attorney as soon as possible. If you truly have been unlawfully arrested, you have a pile of Federal and State remedies at your disposal.
Many of us on this board work in Law Enforcement. It's a job that has to be done. It's nothing personal. I have made hundreds of arrests. The vast majority are nothing more than a set of handcuffs, a ride to jail and a pile of paperwork. My voice is usually the only level of force required.
Just my take on it. I much prefer to end a night without a fight, but that choice is not up to me.
Also, this kind of stuff is why I carry a video camera on my body and use it frequently. Video cuts both ways.
I would love to see how the arrest affidavit read. That is where you will find most of the facts as the Officer chose to articulate them. </div></div>
Its really kind of dificult to deny the "fist pump" at the end. They enjoyed what they did. Fuck them.
