update: Police chief says Sgt. Raul Ramirez “somewhat overreacted”. The investigation is continuing while the officer is on desk duty and because apparently some idiots nearby support the cop’s actions!!
The chief says he’s concerned of the cop’s selective enforcement because all other bystanders were not told to move!
Belligerent cop arrests KVIA reporter Darren Hunt AND the photog Ric Dupont for doing what he told them.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_12187667?source=most_viewed
press that trigger boy!
Since when is getting a story against the law? That crew did absolutely nothing wrong. The officer was accusing the reporter and the photog. of resisting arrest, and they weren’t! Plus, that officer was taking away the first amendment from that news crew, “Freedom of the Press.”
What a fucking DICK! I usually defend the cops but this guy makes it too hard!
As a former Law Enforcement officer and as a current broadcaster, the police officer was in the right. The news crew did not follow a lawful order given by the Sergeant. End of story the Sergeant gave the crew several warnings. This officers job was to clear traffic as much as possible, from what I could tell in the video and the crew was in the way. I’m sure had they moved across the street to get the shot there would be no problem, however the reporter just had to keep on pushing the officer on why he had to move. News Flash for lack of a better term a police officer does not have to explain him or her self to you. When a police officer tells you to do something you do it, unless they are telling you to break the law what they say goes especially at an accident scene. The officer was not trying to stop them from getting the story, he was trying to prevent them from being the story. Little did they know someone paying attention to the accident on the other side of the highway isn’t paying attention and slams into the back of their van pinning them against the center divider. Next at six our own news crew is dead covering an accident and the police could have prevented it….It could happen. I know its hard for broadcasters to think like this but the cops arn’t always the bad guys… stop and think
Well you might want to speak with the Chief in El Paso on that before you pass judgment, Jim. You can see an interview and video on the station’s website.
And by the way, just because a law enforcement officer tell you to do something doesn’t mean you have to do it. It doesn’t make it a “lawful order.” They don’t have to tell you to break the law, they can be telling you to do something that isn’t REQUIRED by the law.
Glad you aren’t a cop anymore. Maybe you got bounced like this guy will.
First off if you are referring to the man in the shirt and tie commenting on the investigation he is not the Chief rather the Public information officer, However if you are referring to the comments the “Chief” maid that were not in the video he stated “The officer might have over reacted a little” meaning the officer did not legally overstep his bounds. Listen if I were in the officers shoes I would have told the crew to move on the other side of the highway where the accident occurred in the tape and get your interview. The point is it was to dangerous for them to be on that side and the were creating more of a traffic back up. Could the officer have taken care of the situation more professionally yes. But just like if I pull you over for a traffic infraction lets just say 90mph in a posted 50mph I have whats called officer digression to take you to jail, write you a ticket, give you a written warning, or a verbal warning and in my career 90% of those cases were based on the other persons attitude. However I will not debate the law with you I know the law all I will say is the next time a police officer tells you to do something I would suggest you do it or…..
You are assuming the crew was impeding traffic, causing danger, etc. You and I don’t know if that is the case or not. My point, which you avoid, is that too many times officers use the “lawful order” excuse (lawful order isn’t even recognized, per se, by the courts) to have people to what they want them to do, regardless if there is a basis in the law for it.
It also appears that the crew parked in FRONT of several police and emergency vehicles…no way they would have been rear-ended by someone, as you wrote, Jim. Read this:
http://newspapertree.com/news/3710-expert-officer-displayed-contempt-of-cop-reaction-internal-affairs-record-shows-12-disciplinary-actions
Jim,
Where do you live? Russia? Iran? Get a grip. This cop wasn’t clearing anyone else from the scene and the crew was on their way to the truck. They just didn’t step and fetch fast enough for your superiority complex cop and so he had to beat his chest and arrest them. Just because you have a badge (of course you dont need no stinking badges) doesn’t mean you can trample on peoples rights. This crew did nothing wrong.
First you or I do not know who or else he was clearing because the video only started with him telling the news crew to move also by his tome at the beginning I would say that wasn’t the first time he asked them to move, lets be real everyone who works in the media has been pushed back by the police several times before they actually move. So lets just talk about what we see in the video. I was only speaking from experience when I said that’s what he was probably doing. As far as them not “stepping and fetching”fast enough you are right when a police officer gives you a lawful order he or she only has to tell you once anything extra is for your benefit like I said in the reply to “hi” above would I have handled it the same way absolutely not, however as unprofessional as the officer acted he was still within his rights. He had a job to do he did not have time to babysit a news crew who refused to move.
@Jim
Let’s speak about what’s in the video then. The Police Officer told them to stop filming and move their truck. However, you can clearly see a large line of cars parked on the median including about three guys that are next to a grey colored honda civic standing less than two feet away from the police officer. Every police officer is told very early on about the media and peoples rights to film, photograph or document anything that goes on in public. The police officer clearly abused the badge here.
This reminds me of Miami Native Carlos Miller’s case.
You are 100% correct there are others there…but lets not get into the whole ” what about them” we don’t know who or what they are they might have witnessed the accident we don’t know its not about them… again were the officers actions unprofessional YES! but did he have a right to arrest them YES! the media has the right to film anything as long as they are not putting themselves or others in danger by being there…
This officer opened himself up now by acting in this fashion. Now they’ve started digging in this officers record and he does have positive things but, has a laundry list of complaints including excessive force whic was the more recent one. He has been getting away with it and he finally was caught on camera. And, if he acts like this with a camera on him. Imagine you. If he asked everyone to leave (people there watching) and the news crew then I would understand. But, he asked only the news crew and not the bystanders that pulled off of the road.
The Miami Dade Schools police should hire that cop. He’d fit in perfectly!
Jeff… I respect you…what was done to you was wrong that Miami Dade school cop was out of line and he had no reason to ask you to leave… also you showed all your raw footage this news crew did not the video starts as the police officer is already yelling at them… There is no way he just started yelling they must have been asked several times at least… This is not some rookie cop this is a Sergeant with several years on the job.
Jeff, don’t take it personally. The School Board PD is like, oh, a Double A baseball team. Now will someone explain to me why, in these times of tight budgets, why a school system needs to have its own police? Wasteful, stupid and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. Here endeth the rant.
Doubt thats really Jeff.