Firefighter Arrested

[LSThiker]

What is going on in California:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/cop-arrests-on-duty-firefighter-over-parking-feud-150128011.html?vp=1

[SarDragon]

Thug cop mentality. I used to live there.

[Flying Pig]

It's a non-issue now. The officer was way wrong and out of line and it's being dealt with accordingly.  Being in CA has nothing to do with it. 

[EMT-83]

Sometimes things work out in the end. We had a cop give us a hard time about traffic patterns at a crash. As soon as the patients were transported, we split.

Picture one guy trying to investigate a serious injury crash on a state highway during rush hour, while dealing with traffic. Oh well.

[Flying Pig]

Serves him right.  My role at an accident as a cop is investigative if EMS is on scene.   When the cop starts directing the actions of the EMS providers it gets silly.  Ultimately the CHP officer is actually in charge, but common sense plays a huge part.  Stay in your lane.   I've had the fire guys stay on scene for quite a while afterwards to I could do my investigation.    We all high 5'd and rolled out.  Good times.   CHP officers statewide are doing damage control in their own beats because of this incident.   

Interesting ICS lessons here even for CAP.  I've been involved in CAP missions where people were a little to caught up in their titles to listen to anyone about anything. 

[Private Investigator]

^ +1

Alpha personality + poor judgement = epic fail. A two or three day suspension will aid in his maturing.   

[Flying Pig]

^And a stint checking for contraband fruit crossing the AZ/CA border in Indio.

[Private Investigator]

Now that is funny   :clap:

[a2capt]

Ultimately CHP is the IC on scene, but yeah- this is a case of a urination column construction exercise gone too tall.

One might wonder, if he had time to hassle the fire truck, wasn't there something else he should have been doing?

Those guys confiscated fruit from the grocery store in town, and fruit salad from McDonalds, from us one day, even though we had CA plates. Just because were headed west on I-10, past Blythe. What a joke.

[RiverAux]

didn't the same thing happen in California a few years ago?

[Flying Pig]

I don't recall it in CA, but in Florida a trooper stopped and arrested a sheriffs deputy for speeding in a marked patrol car.  As a cop, I really cannot foresee allowing another cop to put handcuffs on me while I'm in uniform in my patrol car.  This particular deputy was off duty, but I would have said "we will wait for my supervisor".

[PHall]

didn't the same thing happen in California a few years ago?

No.

[ProdigalJim]

Being in CA has nothing to do with it.

Roger that. IIRC many years ago a Maryland state trooper decided a group of firefighters was taking too long working an accident scene on the Washington (DC) Beltway and cuffed the Assistant Chief running the extrication. One of our Fire Academy instructors related that story to us as a reminder to "work safely and with the victim's needs in mind first, but work quickly because you're costing everyone a lot of time and money."

[Slim]

didn't the same thing happen in California a few years ago?

No.

http://wildfiretoday.com/2010/02/23/chp-officer-arrests-battalion-chief-for-blocking-highway-at-accident-scene/ Montecito, CA, Feb 2010

It happens every couple of years or so, usually stemming from a belief that someone's stream goes farther than the others stream.  Unfortunately, in all of these cases, the first round tends to go to the guy with powers of arrest, but ultimately common sense comes in somewhere.

Here's a couple more.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130401/boerum-hill/paramedic-arrested-after-assaulting-cop-brooklyn-nypd-says On-duty paramedic arrested in Brooklyn NY, April 2013

http://www.totalcriminaldefense.com/news/articles/unusual/firefighter-arrest/  Hazelwood, MO in 2003The firefighter in this case sued in Federal court alleging his civil rights were violated.  The judge agreed.

Edit: fixed the links

[ol'fido]

Sorry, might be my computer, but none of those links worked for me.

[a2capt]

Copy / paste what you see. Leave off teh Hazelwood, MO part.

[Mitchell 1969]

As a cop, I really cannot foresee allowing another cop to put handcuffs on me while I'm in uniform in my patrol car.

I've done exactly that. But, that's because the officer would not be needing uniform or patrol car from that moment forward.

She was one of my own officers, and our chief took a dim view of cops stealing cars while on duty. (Especially when they had the combined gall/idiocy to park one in our parking lot.)

One of the easiest arrests I ever made - I called her on the radio, told her where to meet me, I gave her the news while a fellow supervisor secured her weapon. No muss, no fuss.

[PHall]

As a cop, I really cannot foresee allowing another cop to put handcuffs on me while I'm in uniform in my patrol car.

I've done exactly that. But, that's because the officer would not be needing uniform or patrol car from that moment forward.

She was one of my own officers, and our chief took a dim view of cops stealing cars while on duty. (Especially when they had the combined gall/idiocy to park one in our parking lot.)

One of the easiest arrests I ever made - I called her on the radio, told her where to meet me, I gave her the news while a fellow supervisor secured her weapon. No muss, no fuss.

Did she at least steal a "good" car?

[Mitchell 1969]

As a cop, I really cannot foresee allowing another cop to put handcuffs on me while I'm in uniform in my patrol car.

I've done exactly that. But, that's because the officer would not be needing uniform or patrol car from that moment forward.

She was one of my own officers, and our chief took a dim view of cops stealing cars while on duty. (Especially when they had the combined gall/idiocy to park one in our parking lot.)

One of the easiest arrests I ever made - I called her on the radio, told her where to meet me, I gave her the news while a fellow supervisor secured her weapon. No muss, no fuss.

Did she at least steal a "good" car?

Yes!

[Panache]

I don't recall it in CA, but in Florida a trooper stopped and arrested a sheriffs deputy for speeding in a marked patrol car.  As a cop, I really cannot foresee allowing another cop to put handcuffs on me while I'm in uniform in my patrol car.  This particular deputy was off duty, but I would have said "we will wait for my supervisor".

There has always been tension between FHP Troopers and Sheriff's Deputies / town cops in Florida.  Unlike many other states, in Florida, Highway Patrol is exactly that... strictly highway patrol and traffic enforcement across the entire state.  Many county deputies / city policy look at FHP not a "real cops" but glorified meter maids, and FHP troopers in turn at them as "ignorant locals".

Adding to that is that in many areas, not only are the sheriff deputies / town cops allowed to conduct traffic enforcement on the highways that run through their jurisdiction, they're encouraged to do so by their bosses (more ticket income).  Which just leads to more conflict.

Disclaimer:  I haven't lived in Florida or served in any sort of LEO capacity there for almost 20 years, so things may have changed.