He must have still had his jackboots on. Swampy
An emergency medical technician is speaking out following an alleged incident involving Oklahoma Highway Patrol which nearly resulted in his being arrested.
Maurice White Jr. is a critical care paramedic with Creek Nation EMS. On May 24, he was one of two EMTs transporting a patient to a local hospital by ambulance. He was in the patient compartment; his partner Paul Franks was driving the vehicle.
White’s report states that while passing through the small town of Paden a state trooper approached the ambulance from behind at a high rate of speed, lights flashing but with no siren. Franks had been focused on the car in front of him. At White’s instruction Franks pulled onto the shoulder to allow the trooper to go by, but as the latter passed he heard over his radio on the emergency frequency that “you should consider checking your rearview mirrors.” Allegedly this was when Franks threw up his hands in a universal gesture of, “What did I do?” White recalled being stunned at the trooper’s lack of professionalism.
Three blocks later, White reports, a trooper made a wild left turn from a side street in front of them, cutting off a car driven by a family member of the woman they were transporting. A trooper approached the ambulance from the rear and gestured to pull over. At that point, White reports that he noticed a woman in the front seat of the police vehicle. Thinking she might need medical attention and that this explained the troopers’ erratic driving, he leaped out to assess the situation, as did the driver.
To his surprise, the trooper was enraged, having misinterpreted Franks’ gesture as “flipping him off.” White informed the trooper that they were transporting a woman to the hospital and asked if they might continue. He was told he was “under arrest for obstructing a police officer” and grabbed by the right arm. White asked the officer if he knew he was committing a felony by interfering with a paramedic in the line of duty.
This only enraged the trooper further. A minor struggle ensued, after which he was able to return to the patient compartment. Both the patient and a family member who had been riding in the passenger seat were praying. Other family members who had been following the ambulance in a caravan had stopped and were looking on with mounting alarm.
Moments later, a loud knock sounded on the side door. Here we have a video of the officer, whose badge number was 606, restraining White with a hand around his neck for 10 to 15 seconds. Afterwards, Officer 606 released White, told him he could continue with the transport, but also told him he would be arrested at the hospital.
While attempting to deal with the police, White was also dealing with distraught family members, telling them to “stay out of the situation.” Not once, he reports, did any police officer show the slightest interest in the patient or her condition.
At the hospital, White filled out the routine report releasing the patient to the hospital and then walked outside to submit himself for arrest. He was told he would not be arrested at this time but to be prepared to respond when a warrant was issued. He gave his contact information, but received “nonresponse responses” when asked who he should speak to in order to report the conduct of Officer 606, who he alleged had assaulted him and prevented him from maintaining patient care. “It is not our job to receive criminal complaints against another officer,” he was told.
It began with the officer who claimed to have been “flipped off.” White reported what Paul Franks had been told, that Officer 606 “had determined in his mind to escalate to pulling his service revolver and using deadly force…. I find it very disconcerting to know that a person of this temperament is allowed to patrol our streets while possessing the profound responsibility of having the use of deadly force at his disposal.”
My generation was taught that police were our friends. But over the past couple of decades and especially since 9/11 we have encountered numerous accounts of police, FBI personnel, security guards, and others involved in one way or another with law enforcement abusing and sometimes using Tasers against citizens not accused of crimes or offering physical resistance. Such occupations have long attracted authoritarian personalities, but with the number of cases since 9/11 one must wonder if the federalization of police forces is slowly changing the psychology of the police. The bullies may be a small minority of all police officers, of course. But that such cases as this occur at all is troubling. As the power of government officials grows and their accountability lessens, law-abiding citizens—in this case two men involved with a critical-care situation—are expected to cease their work and display the mindless obedience one would expect in a country under the heels of totalitarianism.
If this isn't a call to roll back the federalization of police and the centralization of power, then I don't know what is.
Steven Yates earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1987. He is the author of one book, Civil Wrongs: What Went Wrong With Affirmative Action (San Francisco: ICS Press, 1994) and numerous articles both in academic journals and elsewhere. He has taught philosophy at Clemson University, Auburn University, Wofford College, the University of South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan University--Columbia, and Midlands Technical College, and has held fellowships with or worked on projects with the Institute for Humane Studies, the Heritage Foundation, the Heartland Institute, and the Acton Institute for Religion
An emergency medical technician is speaking out following an alleged incident involving Oklahoma Highway Patrol which nearly resulted in his being arrested.
Maurice White Jr. is a critical care paramedic with Creek Nation EMS. On May 24, he was one of two EMTs transporting a patient to a local hospital by ambulance. He was in the patient compartment; his partner Paul Franks was driving the vehicle.
White’s report states that while passing through the small town of Paden a state trooper approached the ambulance from behind at a high rate of speed, lights flashing but with no siren. Franks had been focused on the car in front of him. At White’s instruction Franks pulled onto the shoulder to allow the trooper to go by, but as the latter passed he heard over his radio on the emergency frequency that “you should consider checking your rearview mirrors.” Allegedly this was when Franks threw up his hands in a universal gesture of, “What did I do?” White recalled being stunned at the trooper’s lack of professionalism.
Three blocks later, White reports, a trooper made a wild left turn from a side street in front of them, cutting off a car driven by a family member of the woman they were transporting. A trooper approached the ambulance from the rear and gestured to pull over. At that point, White reports that he noticed a woman in the front seat of the police vehicle. Thinking she might need medical attention and that this explained the troopers’ erratic driving, he leaped out to assess the situation, as did the driver.
To his surprise, the trooper was enraged, having misinterpreted Franks’ gesture as “flipping him off.” White informed the trooper that they were transporting a woman to the hospital and asked if they might continue. He was told he was “under arrest for obstructing a police officer” and grabbed by the right arm. White asked the officer if he knew he was committing a felony by interfering with a paramedic in the line of duty.
This only enraged the trooper further. A minor struggle ensued, after which he was able to return to the patient compartment. Both the patient and a family member who had been riding in the passenger seat were praying. Other family members who had been following the ambulance in a caravan had stopped and were looking on with mounting alarm.
Moments later, a loud knock sounded on the side door. Here we have a video of the officer, whose badge number was 606, restraining White with a hand around his neck for 10 to 15 seconds. Afterwards, Officer 606 released White, told him he could continue with the transport, but also told him he would be arrested at the hospital.
While attempting to deal with the police, White was also dealing with distraught family members, telling them to “stay out of the situation.” Not once, he reports, did any police officer show the slightest interest in the patient or her condition.
At the hospital, White filled out the routine report releasing the patient to the hospital and then walked outside to submit himself for arrest. He was told he would not be arrested at this time but to be prepared to respond when a warrant was issued. He gave his contact information, but received “nonresponse responses” when asked who he should speak to in order to report the conduct of Officer 606, who he alleged had assaulted him and prevented him from maintaining patient care. “It is not our job to receive criminal complaints against another officer,” he was told.
It began with the officer who claimed to have been “flipped off.” White reported what Paul Franks had been told, that Officer 606 “had determined in his mind to escalate to pulling his service revolver and using deadly force…. I find it very disconcerting to know that a person of this temperament is allowed to patrol our streets while possessing the profound responsibility of having the use of deadly force at his disposal.”
My generation was taught that police were our friends. But over the past couple of decades and especially since 9/11 we have encountered numerous accounts of police, FBI personnel, security guards, and others involved in one way or another with law enforcement abusing and sometimes using Tasers against citizens not accused of crimes or offering physical resistance. Such occupations have long attracted authoritarian personalities, but with the number of cases since 9/11 one must wonder if the federalization of police forces is slowly changing the psychology of the police. The bullies may be a small minority of all police officers, of course. But that such cases as this occur at all is troubling. As the power of government officials grows and their accountability lessens, law-abiding citizens—in this case two men involved with a critical-care situation—are expected to cease their work and display the mindless obedience one would expect in a country under the heels of totalitarianism.
If this isn't a call to roll back the federalization of police and the centralization of power, then I don't know what is.
Steven Yates earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1987. He is the author of one book, Civil Wrongs: What Went Wrong With Affirmative Action (San Francisco: ICS Press, 1994) and numerous articles both in academic journals and elsewhere. He has taught philosophy at Clemson University, Auburn University, Wofford College, the University of South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan University--Columbia, and Midlands Technical College, and has held fellowships with or worked on projects with the Institute for Humane Studies, the Heritage Foundation, the Heartland Institute, and the Acton Institute for Religion
