Dallas Police officer Robert Powell probably wishes he had a case of the “blue flu” instead of lurking for traffic violators in Plano, Texas the other night. He was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation over a traffic stop involving Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats and family.
Powell pulled Moats over for rolling through a traffic light while rushing to see his mother-in-law who lay dying in a Plano hospital. Powell detained Moats in the hospital parking lot with gun drawn threatening to arrest him as Moats and family members pleaded to be allowed to get into the hospital to see their dying relative before she passed away. He detained them for 13 minutes to write a traffic ticket. She died before two of the family members were able to see her.
This is despite verification from hospital employees and another police officer on the scene that Moat’s mother-in-law indeed lay dying in the hospital. She died before Moats could get to her to say goodbye. The exchange between Powell and Moats is disturbing to say the least.
Officer Powell stated “I can screw you over,” at one point in the videotaped incident. When another officer verified that Moats mother in law lay dying, Powell continued to detain him stating “All right. I’m almost done.”
The incident has garnered national attention and outrage over the conduct of officer Powell who when confronted with the police dash cam video of the stop maintained he did nothing inappropriate.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle held a news conference to apologize for the behavior of officer Powell. In announcing that Powell had been placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation Kunkle stated:
“His behavior in my opinion, did not exhibit the common sense, discretion, the compassion that we expect our officers to exhibit”
“When we in the command staff reviewed the tapes,” he said, “we were embarrassed, disappointed — it’s hard to find the right words and still be professional in my role as a police chief.”
“My understanding is that Officer Powell, even when he saw the videotape, believed he had not acted inappropriately,”
While most people agree that Officer Powell exercised poor judgment should that be the end of it? Should he be terminated? Suspended? Back to work with a reprimand? Are there racial implications? The Moats family thinks so. Members stated that they can’t help but think that race might have played a part in the white officer’s behavior. (The Moats are African-American and Powell is white.)
While it is unfortunate it happens this way, high profile incidents can be considered a necessary impetus to change in a bureaucratic organization. I decided to ask some of my 2600 plus Facebook friends what they think. Here are some of the responses:
“No I don’t think he should be fired. I think that they should admit the officer into a sensitivity class and try to help him do better. I do not believe it was the officers intention to for the man to not see his dieing mother-in-law. I think he was just being a hard-***. Many people are that way at work.”-Cathie
“I feel firing him would actually benefit the already lacking public opinion of the DPD. I think it would make a statement that they are not going to put up with the stupidity that has plagued the department for years. It’s about making the public believe you are trying to change the way they are seen!!”-Sheila
“fire him and public lynching! j/k w/ the lynching but definitely needs to be fired! Police officers are supposed to serve and protect the public…not harass them.”-Jennifer
“Fire his ass. After reviewing his own dash cam, Powell said he was doing his job. I can’t help to think that race was an issue. Aside from race, his statement indicated he will continue to show such judgement in the future. He may have been doing his job, but he is doing it poorly. Firing him is not a personal thing to do, it s the professional thing to do.”-Robert
“His job is to protect and serve. He did neither. As in any job, not abiding by the rules get you terminated. Poor judgment is a poor excuse!-Tara
“He should not be fired. he was doing his job. He exercised poor judgment but that’s about it”-Brian
What do I think ?
I initially reacted angrily and emotionally calling for Robert Powell’s head. There was no doubt in my mind he should be immediately terminated. I then calmed down. Should a person be crucified for one mistake even a tragic one such as this without considering his body of work? (Powell has been on the force for three years) Is it an isolated incident? Any other complaints against this officer? Will he learn from it? In other words, is he a good cop caught up in a terrible lapse of judgment? It happens even to those held to a higher standard. Then I watched the video again. I was again sickened. Then I heard Chief Kunkle state that Powell showed no remorse for his actions. I was again disgusted. I was once again emotional and angry.
Officer Robert Powell should be fired. He does not have the temperament for the job. This further evidenced by entries from his Xanga Site (He has taken it down but I cached it) I did not realize not having a command of the English language was a crime in Dallas. You learn something new everyday.
October 21, 2006
“You drink, You drive, You rear end another car, You don’t speak English, You smell like alcohol, You cant stand up straight, You cant walk a straight line, You go to jail!!!
As of the writing of this article, this is what officer Powell has up on his Myspace page.(3-20-09 at 3:20 pm -He has since taken down the below caption. I have therefore put the cached page up-It does not load very well)
“Blessed With Two Beautiful Children All I can do is HOLD MY HEAD UP HIGH n wait for this to blow over.Thanks to everyone that standing behind me n helping me get through this.Love U Honey!!!!
March 27th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
What a disgusting, illiterate skank! He repulses me. He is trash and can’t believe Dallas allows him to “serve and protect”. His Xanga page was absolutely foul. He is pure trash with no respect for minorities or women. He is the next Mark Fuhrman.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
If you fire him, he'll go get a job in some rural speedtrap community. If you keep him on, he'll think what he did was alright and one day he'll kill someone for being black, or he'll wipe out at 100 mph like that other Dallas officer did and stand a chance of killing a whole family on the road. I say get rid of him, we have too many young hotheads in the DPD.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Fired for doing his job? I don't think so. If police believed every excuse they would never right a ticket. Everybody would just be allowed to leave. Maybe he was not a nice cop about it but come on fired? I feel for the family but the cop had a job to do.
March 27th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I went to high school with Ryan and know his family. The whole thing is awful. I can't believe this dickhead did that to him. I'm sure he thought he was letting ryan know who was in charge because of the success ryan has had and i guarantee race played a part in it. i was pulled over in Plano FOR THE EXACT SAME THING and i told the cop i was going to my aunt's funeral-which was true-and he let me go within a few minutes. the whole thing is just beyond unacceptable behavior. For anyone to say he needs sensitivity training is so crazy. those people have no idea how traumatic this must have been for the family. imagine this had been done to a white girl, let's say she's successful-like a known model- and this was done to her. you think someone would reccommend "sensitivity training"?!!
March 27th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
The typical intimidation factor that cops definitely abuse their power. Simply pathetic !
March 27th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
This is such bullshit.
Moats ran a red light and failed to stop, then he got out of his car and made threats at the officer. He got a warrant hit as heard on the dash cam video, and they were trying to confirm if it was him or not. Obviously Moats is a racist for trying to play the race card on a white officer.
Powell needs to file a counter suit for slander against the DMN and WFAA.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Why do Brain Dead idiots always comment anonymously… That was a rhetorical statement by the way….
March 27th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Yes. Fire him. I did not know a police officer's job was to take 20 minutes to issue a ticket on a roll through a red light while hospital staff are informing him that the motorist's mother in law is dying. I did not know that it was part of the job description to threaten a man with jail on a traffic infraction because he won't stop pleading with you that his mother in law is dying. He obviously lacks the temperament to be an effective police officer. Any officer with common sense would have let Mr. Moats go once he realized that he was telling the truth. I mean, they were at a frickin' hospital! I think that suggests that someone is in need of medical attention up front. Maybe he was not a nice cop? Police officers are community servants. When a police officer is dealing with a reasonable person making a reasonable plea he should be polite while issuing a citation. Fire him, fire him, fire him.
March 27th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Fire him. He clearly has no judgement and is a hothead. Doesn't have the temperament to be a cop (either did I, that's why I got out of the biz).
March 27th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Robert.. does the DPD know you're posting on a blog?
March 27th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Here is ossfier Powell.. what a douche.. looks like a skinhead.
http://xbf.xanga.com/f30d10656763579853348/o54318...
March 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
he didn't make any threat you anonymous idiot!
March 27th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
This idea of the police policing the police is part of the problem. Let me explain that in English… Who reviews the dash cams? The police. Who let’s incidents like this pass without national coverage (this happens to regular citizens more often than what we see here) The police. There should be a third party that dash cams are monitored by…. Then MAYBE cops MIGHT think twice before they abuse their authority. They won’t be protected in secret by their brothers. Honestly, I think dash cams protect cops more than the public. Isolated incidents get national coverage, and then get forgotten. Since Rodney King, nothing has changed. Cops are still running wild. Don’t get me wrong, there are good cops out there, probably the majoity of them, but when the bad ones get away with something it gives them MORE power. Let’s figure out a way to police the bad police, and WEED THEM OUT!…. One last thing, anyone who thinks this guy was “doing his job” watch the damn tape AGAIN!
March 27th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Now let's think about this. Had this happen, they lied, and got away the cop would've been in trouble. It's a matter of judgement. I believe from the situation that the right judgement could've been made. Administrative leave is deemed, yes, but firing outrageous.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
"DId their job" is not good enough. Take all those executive financial positions who "did their job" and put the economy where we're at today. Is "bad judgement" a reason to get fired? Yes it is!
He brought shame to the city of Dallas and the law enforcement everywhere.
What happened if the wife ran into the hospital?!? I know i would of if my mom was dying. Will Powell bullrush and take her down? Pull the trigger? This guy has a POOR judgement and there's no telling what he is capable of.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
It is beyond me how so many people are still able to have compassion for this man who is obviously a terrible human being. Powell should have to suffer and pay the consequences for his actions. These people that think firing him is not appropriate and who think he was just doing his job need to look at the situation without the 'rose colored glasses'. People like Powell exist. Have we as a nation learned nothing from the past? We have to take a stand. People like this only get worse with time, just look back in histoy the evidence is there.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I also think the officer needs sensitivity training. I do think the situation is very sad. I do feel for the family.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
This cop deserves to go to jail himself for this. From personal experience I know how DPD like to abuse their power.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Brian,
I do not know if I can completely agree with the conclusion here. I listened to the tape three times and I do not see how the officer reacted in a wrong way. Moats only prolonged everything by arguing with the police officer. He also should have never left the car.
Could the officer have handled the situation better? Certainly yes! He threatened jail 3 times and never acted. He also got frustrated and started to argue with Moats. At least in this video I hear no racist comments. The other officer in the background seems to have acted in a calm manner.
I would have liked to see the earlier part of the tape but I personally don't think the public should crucify this guy. Police officers have to go by their standard operating procedure. I can't say for sure how long a normal traffic stop would be, but I would say it is in the 5-10 minute range. If the person is arguing with the officer it is obviously going to take longer so 13 minutes is not unreasonably.
Again, Powell exhibited unprofessional behavior and should not have acted the way he did even if he had a running back coming at him ready to tackle him. And Powell said some things he shouldn't have said. Yet, I don't see reason to crucify this guy.
Jeremy
March 27th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Funny how the cop at the end of the video brags about "wording a prior statement " in such a way to imply "that he felt his life was threatened" to make a car chase valid. I wonder if the other driver in that chase was black. It should be clear that Powell does not have the proper character to be a police officer.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Jeremy-I agree that in a vacuum without knowing more about what kind of officer he is and his 3 year body of work, this itself should not be enough to get him fired. Even those held to hirer standards have bad days. He is human.
When however you take this into account with the fact that he still does not feel he did anything wrong. Take this into account with blog postings and the fact that his blog postings that smack of a skewed attitudes toward non-English speaking minorities there is a major issue. When all of these things are taken as a whole, I do feel that he does not have the temperament to be in law enforcement or the ability to learn from his mistakes and this should mandate his termination.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
here's another pic of the sociopath:
http://baby-phoenix.xanga.com/photos/bff307985334...
March 27th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I agree with Jeremy Day-
“You drink, You drive, You rear end another car, You don’t speak English, You smell like alcohol, You cant stand up straight, You cant walk a straight line, You go to jail!!!
In reference to the above comment, when I read it, I interpret it as he was just implying "don't speak english" as in slurs like when you are drunk. The entire comment seems to be referring to someone who has been drinking. I don't think that post by him was implying race at all. Does anyone else read it this way? Things are misinterpreted in emails all the time. I think this is a case of that.
March 27th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Brian,
Had to comment again. I now watched the whole video. It took 8 minutes for both Powell and Moats to calm down. Only 5 minutes to write and hand him the ticket. From the beginning you see Moats "fleeing" the officer and run a stop sign with the officer following him. They then proceed to jump out of the vehicle.
Everyone mentions the part where Powell says he can screw him over, but no one mentions the "but" after that where he says "…but I dont want to do that. I want you to go upstairs."
Had Moats simply worked with the officer he could have taken upwards of 7 minutes off the 8 minutes they argued.
Did Powell have a poor choice of words? Yes! Did he do anything wrong beyond that? No!
What did Moats do wrong? He ran a red light, and a stop sign. Fleed his vehicle. Refused to provide his basic information (license, registration, insurance). Told the cop he should find the insurance himself and then said he didn't have insurance.
Luckily the other officer and Moats wife (i believe she was the lady talking in the background?) were calm enough to handle the situation. Otherwise, Powell might have taken Moats to jail.
Again, could Powell have acted better? Yes. But all of you who are so quick to crucify him put yourself in his shoes. You have no idea how hard it is to be a cop and deal with some of the worst people on the street. Cops have to be tough so you can live in relative peace.
Powell was trying to make a point. You need to respect the authority of the state enough to pull over when a cop is trying to stop you. No one knows for sure but Powell probably would have done exactly what he said he would do. Figured out the situation and would have let them go had they stopped earlier.
If you are fleeing a cop he is going to expect the worst. Don't be surprised it takes 13 minutes to do a traffic stop.
And for everyone who thinks I don't have empathy for Moats. I do. My grandma recently passed away and I would gladly take the ticket to be by her side while she was dying. This whole situation is tragic. I feel for his loss.
Jeremy
March 27th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I know for a fact he has anger problems.. and probably complaints from the public.
I myself have had a run in with Mr. Powell while he was in uniform but off duty.
He is egocentric and a bully.
He kept pointing to his uniform as if it gave him special powers to be a dickhead.
I am sure other people will come forward to tell tales of his dickheadedness.
I am in a position in my career where I cannot step into the limelight of news crews and police interviews but I bet others will.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
I could see if they bailed out at the liquor store and the women started getting an attitude or started fighting the officer but you can clearly see he is proceeding to the emergency room and the women are clearly crying and distraught.
This officer has crappy powers of observation.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I thought it was 13 minutes not 20? Anyway I did not know that you were supposed to talk back to police officers when you got pulled over. If he would have just let the officer run his license and cam down (easier said than done) he might have let him go in 2.67 minutes (or whatever the appropriate time frame is).
Is everyone angry because he didn't get to see his mother in law for the last time? Would it be different if he just missed a surgery because of this cop? I wonder if those 13 minutes cost him his last visit with her. Or was she already gone?
I sympathize more for the family that just lost a family member more than I will ever car about this cop.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
The cops a jerk and Jeremy is a jerk. Moats explaIned what was gpoing on right away and any reasonable person would have understood. We do not need cops like this. We need tot rain cops to have respect for the citiizens they are hired to protect. They do not have a license to be rude and disrespectful. He was the one with the self righteous attitude
March 27th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Jeremy…I appreciate the fact that you are trying to understand the perspective of the officer, but Officer Powell's whole demeanor is confrontational and abusive. Location is everything. Officer Powell never considered that the story he was hearing was credible. He is there to protect and serve, and put together with all the other images we have on his own websites, he should not be in the position to serve and protect the public. He gives police officers everywhere a bad name. How ironic that here in California we are honoring four police officers who paid the ultimate price for protecting and serving the public, and Officer Powell on the otherhand has brought disgrace and dishonor to those who commit themselves to serve and protect. I have confidence that Officer Powell will never again be in the position to abuse his power. The publicity from this case alone will assure that reality.
March 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
You rock Jeremy! Way to get the facts!
March 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
crap this moron lives over by me…..
March 27th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Jeremy, and the fact that he drew his gun? Did he do this or is this not accurate? I agree with individual who states there is no telling what this guy is capable of. A loose cannon taht does not belong on any police force.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Are you trying to say you hope he dies? Kill some one because they are black? You have been watching to many movies. He should be fired for not having common sense or compassion for that family. I don't think that race was a factor. Everyone did pile out of the car at once . That had to be unnerving. But he should of listened and served. If he was hell bent on the rules he should of waited. There is no cut off time for writing a ticket. This isnt a race thing. Its a power drunk cop that shouldnt be a cop. As far as his xanga page I havent read it. If he did post questionable things than that is a violation of his code of conduct and should be fired for that alone.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
If someone got out fo the car that you told not to… you would draw your gun also! Officers face situations you couldn't imagine. If someone doesn't cooperate with an officer, they should draw thier gun.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Did you watch the same dashboard cam that I watched? He took his sweet time and was trying to push Moats buttons. Even two nurses and another cop verified his mother was dying he still took his sweet time writing the ticket. You think that's a cops job to detain someone from saying good-bye to a loved one, no matter what! I would hope they would have some compasion.
March 27th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
The VERY few that are trying to justify this pricks actions, go ahead. Guarantee that this neanderthal will not be a cop for long!
March 27th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
awesome, thanks for the adress. This ass cant get enough hate mail. I sincerly ask everyone to sent at least one piece of mail to this joke of an officer
March 27th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I have removed the post with his address
March 27th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
i realize you cant be happy with the adress being posted on your site(which is great,just stumbled upon it) but he's still getting an angry postcard from minnesota with my name on it. Anyways cuban, keep up what appears to be a very informative site. And i do appreciate the sensitivity of having that assholes adress being listed for all to see.(thanks anyway joe w)
March 27th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Amazing how history repeats itself…
Go back 18 years to another incident in March where a black motorist got out of his car under a much different circumstance and was victim to a severe beating. he main villain in that incident was also an officer (Laurence) Powell!
It could be theorized that if that incident hadn't occurred 3/3/91 we may never have seen this videotape by virtue of the police cam. I give it a few more days before the people of L.A. start to rehash this still open wound.
Police officers have a job that is already tough enough. Im afraid Officer Powell just made it tougher for his comrades.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
I love how you don't know the officer and he is a prick and a neandrethal. I'm sure we all have our days where we could have made better decions. I can only imagine having to pull over people you don't know all day long. (people who carry weapons, people who do drugs, people who abuse people) Every situation they walk into they don't know what will happen. It is easy to sit back and just blame someone. It is much harder to try to look at both sides. I love how judgemental America has become! I think it was Jesus who said, " Are you the first to cast stones?" Cast aways America….. a bunch of hipocrits….
March 27th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I just watched the tape to see what all the outrage was all about. I know my blood pressure must have gone up. I cannot believe the insensitivity this cop had. He was really on a power trip. It was as though Powell was trying to goad Moats to do something stupid, like flee on foot or get more agitated. He treated Powell like a kid, even when Powell completely resigned himself to the officer's insensitivity; he kept saying "yes, sir" to the officer, who was oblivious to Moats' pressing desire to get to the hospital before his mother-in-law died. In the end it was too late. What a sad story. I hope they fire that cop.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Well Mr. Robert Thomas,you are in the minority, as most , (including the administration of the DPD) do not hold your views. My only hope is that you are not, or ever will be, a police officer! Use common sense man!
March 27th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Let me tell you Mr Powell does not represent the majority of police officers I have worked alongside in 3 states, and in 32 years. We have used this incident and it's videotape already in a Q&A and found that not one single officer from probation officers, to multi decade veterans, can get beyond where Mr Powell has confirmation of the imposing death to a family member in an emergency parking lot of a hospital. The correct method of operation in a situation like this is to escort the individual into the hospital to verify the life and death circumstances, then let it go. Mr Moats handled himself in a way constant with almost any human being faced with the same set of facts and in fact acted more respectful than most officers I know would have including myself. This type of egregious behavior on the part of a police officer cannot be counseled away, cannot be reprimanded away, and cannot be overlooked as a danger to himself, the public, and fellow officers. Compassion for Mr Powell is misplaced and we always use life and death circumstances to make that judgement. Mr Powell must never wear a badge or carry a weapon with any authority over another human being ever again. To allow Mr Powell to return to the streets of Dallas would be a clear and present danger to his life and the lives of his fellow officers.
March 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Mike, I don't appreciate your condesending remarks. Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't make them unqualified to hold certain positions- ie- police officer. It's funny you talk about the majority holding "your opinion". Many years ago the majority believed slavery was right. However, it was wrong- completely wrong! So, Mr. Mike, I don't go with the majority. I make my own decisions. I am a 47 year old African American man who just believes in doing what I think it right. Good luck to you Mike. I suggest you open your mind a little bit. It's fine that you don't agree with me. However, it is sad that you are so hateful about it. I will also remind you of something else Jesus said, "Do not judge, for you to will be judged- for in the same way you judge others- you will be judged." I hope you really evaluate that and broaden your perspective a little bit. It is okay to stand up for what you believe, even if you are the only one!
March 28th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Pretty elaborate lie, to have the wife in tears, rushing into the hospital, sending security guards and nurses out to validate their claims…*gasp* you're right! This is going to create an utter PANDEMIC of people trying to get out of traffic violations by speeding to the nearest emergency room!
Powell had no reason to treat them the way he did after certain FACTS came to light. Firing is totally within the realm of reasonable consequences.
March 28th, 2009 at 12:11 am
what is moderation for on these comments?
March 28th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Because I want to
Sent from my iPhone
March 28th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Robert, we can agree to disagree. Did not mean to get under your skin perhaps I feel a little too strong about this situation. What I do like however, is how far we have come as a nation in race relations. Still a long way to go though. I,m a white male ,(military brat), without a single racist bone in my body. ANY racist views here and we both would have opposing views. Go figure. That this man and his grandfather in law did not get to see the woman before she died makes my blood boil. I still believe this cop has no business being in law enforcement. I have three good friends in law enforcement and I feel most do a good job. Again, no ill will toward you my good man!
March 28th, 2009 at 1:39 am
On that same Xanga site he said
"Monday, August 28, 2006
The count downs begin:
18 days of work then the real work starts and I can shoot people
I took a screenshot.
<a href=”http://mountainsageblog.com” target=”_blank”>http://mountainsageblog.com
March 28th, 2009 at 1:45 am
I totally tink he is talking about race.
March 28th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Powell is on administrative leave, "Paid Vacation" . If you think his judgement is impaired what about the Chief that still has powell on the force?
March 28th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Fire him. This is a typical case of a cop–and there are way too many of them like this–with an inflated sense of self-importance. Being a cop is a tough job, but it is also a magnet for academic underachievers who think highly of themselves without any actual basis for their conceit. These are guys that generally didn't go to college, or at least not a real college, and walk around with chips on their shoulder when it comes to everyone else, thinking their badge is proof of some inherent superiority they possess, the job some anointing based upon unique merit. And they unquestionably think the rest of the population should be subject to their authority, regardless of how capriciously it is exercised. I say this having been a federal agent who worked routinely with a number of major metropolitan departments.
Fire him. It's the only way to send a message that this won't be tolerated. And the only way to reward the good cops who don't deserve to be painted with the same brush.
March 28th, 2009 at 3:35 am
You need to send that screenshot to every major media station. Although, they probably already leeched it off your blog.
March 28th, 2009 at 4:53 am
Not all cops in Texas are bad. I was flown to San Antonio by helicopter when I was in labor with my very premature son and my husband had to drive there and yes he was hauling a$$. He got pulled over by a state trooper and after telling the trooper what was going on and why he was speeding he put on his lights and told my husband to follow right behind him. Because of that trooper that day my husband was there to witness the birth of his child. Officer Powell and those like him shouldn't be in the Police force. They are not mature enough to handle the badge.
March 28th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I was a 9 year officer with Austin Police, I'm african american and yes I'm pissed about the incident. Robert other than being a dumb ass with the lack of good judgment, committed no wrong other than being very insensitive. Is he a racist??? hard to say, but his post on non english speaking citizens sure raise concern. Common since and good judgment is drilled into academy cadets, but as you can see some lack both. I don't know Roberts short history as a police officer, but IA should investigate any trends ie complaints and issues during his academy training and make a determination on keeping him on patrol. cont-
March 28th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
cont – Will he loose his job, I doubt it…civil service protection won't allow even if the department fires him..he will be rehired after a legal hearing. If I were the chief based on Robert's lack of remorse for the incident, I would remove him from patrol and put him on a detail that reduced his interaction with the public..such as the abandoned vehicles unit etc….I know you all think cops all think alike and stick together, but I'm here to tell you that he will get just as much shit inside his department as he has outside of it. Good Officers don't like dumb asses putting them in a bad light, so trust me when I tell you that he will feel this in more ways than you know.
March 28th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Seriously Mark? They all piled out of the car AT A HOSPITAL! It's not like they were jumping out at TGI Fridays or a Liquor Store. They tried to explain what was going on and all he kept telling them to do was shut up and how he could screw them by putting them in Jail. Maybe if they were all 22 year old single white girls in Daisy Dukes he would have been more compassionate. "Hey, His mother in law is dying inside…… It's okay I'm almost done" Ha. You must have never been to the south buddy. This guy made one mistake I bet he's kicking himself for: Pulling this crap with a Black Man who's an NFL Player. Probably the only thing he thinks he did wrong….. it does make you wonder though…. How many everyday Joe's he has done this to?
March 28th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
The reason Powell is on Administrative Leave is probably because they are following proper protocol in dealing with the steps of discipline outlined in their policies. Failure to follow proper protocol allows the person being disciplined to sue for wrongful termination, etc., The same thing happens in a number of environments (education for one). They will do their investigation, make their determination, and then take action. I am not defending Powell's actions, nor do I believe the police department will try to brush this under the rug. It's too high profile, and I expect Powell to be terminated in due time.
March 29th, 2009 at 1:06 am
The only reason why this is news is because of the video. Thank Gawd, there are some people at the DPD with a moral compass. Who knows the next time they will either hold, lose, or destroy the evidence. It would get back to Victim vs DPD statements and we know with out video cops always win. Maybe the Victim might not be so lucky as Moats and be able to walk away.
Cops and the courts are given latitude in the enforcement of law. They consider the state of mind of the accused as well as the circumstances of the violation. Cop are not in the business of pulling guns on 5 year olds just because they make threats with their body language.
March 29th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Darren C if you spent most of your day jailing people and citing them you would be hitting the bricks. You were hired not only to enforce the law but also use reasonable judgment in it’s enforcement. Other wise you should be at Walmart pushing carts
March 29th, 2009 at 5:58 am
Cody, Read…. Then Post, Buddy. She was dying inside the Hospital…. Getting to Surgery or Seeing his Mother-in-Law for the last time…. Are you seriously comparing the 2 of them? I mean, you have got to have lost more than just common sense if that's your reasoning. Last time I checked you could reschedule surgery… When is the last time someone rescheduled death? If you seriously think they even come close to the same thing, you and Officer Powell should get together sometime and make mud pies. Oh, and even when the officer found out his mother in law was inside taking her last breaths… HE HAD TO FINISH WRITING A TICKET AND TOOK THE TIME TO GIVE HIM A LECTURE. You want to argue semantics? 13 Minutes, 20 Minutes. Well try and argue life and death.
March 29th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Instead of installing televisions in cars, citizens should install videos cameras in the rear of their cars to get a good mug shot of all the Mark Fuhrman prototypes lurking in the shadow s of police deparments around the country. Stopping a person for running a red light is doing your job. Antagonizing citizens and abusing your authority is not! You don't need to raise Albert Einstein from the dead to figure this one out. Powell is in the incubation stage of becoming a bad cop. To allow him to remain a police officer, will only fuel his ego. In only three years, this how he has learn to serve and protect the citizens of Dallas? I would hate to cross him on a dark street in Dallas. He a racist. A cracker with a gun and authority to go along with it. Whitey was out of control, without of question. He is an embarassment to his family, the citizens of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department. I don't believe is apology at all. The cracker is trying to keep is job and reduce the feeling of embarassment from being America Most Exposed Idiot of The Month!
March 29th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Unfortunalety what statrted ot as a routine traffic stop escalated into a nightmare for both sides. I don't see the justification for the officer to draw his weapon??? Once they explained thier situation the officer should have let them proceed into the Hospital. If he felt that that Moats deserved the ticket under the cirmumstances he certainly had the right to issue one. In my opinon he should be reprimanded, but if there is a history of this type of behavior he should be fired, and hopefully never be able to get a job as a police officer again
March 29th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
Let me enlighten you friend. John Locke, a great man which we took a great deal of modern philosophy on government. Locke wrote about a natural law that states that man should love and care for each other. It is a natural duty of all human beings to love and care for one another because we have sympathy, empathy, pity, and we don't like to see ourselves suffer or anyone that looks like us. He said,
"The like natural inducement hath brought men to know that it is no less their duty, to love others than themselves; for seeing those things which are equal, must needs all have one measure; if I cannot but wish to receive good, even as much at every man's hands, as any man can wish unto his own soul, how should I look to have any part of my desire herein satisfied, unless myself be careful to satisfy the like desire, which is undoubtedly in other men, being of one and the same nature? To have any thing offered them repugnant to this desire, must needs in all respects grieve them as much as me; so that if I do harm, I must look to suffer, there being no reason that others should shew greater measure of love to me, than they have by me shewed unto them: my desire therefore to be loved of my equals in nature as much as possible may be, imposeth upon me a natural duty of bearing to them-ward fully the like affection; from which relation of equality between ourselves and them that are as ourselves, what several rules and canons natural reason hath drawn, for direction of life, no man is ignorant,
My point here. Human beings deserve to be treated as human beings. My second point is that cops have a duty to serve and protect and they puty this public service and decency to protect above their own lives. This guy looks, smells, and all evidence shows that he is a public avenger.
Only 41 cops died all last year. People overestimate it. The publics freedom and respect and decency come before a police officer. Police are paid by the public. And as you can see, the media polices the police. And the public enforces the policing of the police. This guy is not human, can not be trusted, and does not have a good heart. If he isn't fired. The government should receive as John Locke said, "revoltution".
March 29th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I understand the pulling people over and not sure what is going to happen but when these people pull into a hospital parking lot and they get out of the car yelling that someone is dying and they have to get inside that would tell me maybe this is not one of those types of stops that I need to pull a gun and threaten to kill someone. Maybe I should use some common sense and listen to what these people are saying and check out the situation and go from there. No not his guy. He does not have it in him to have compassion or to think outside the box he thinks one way and you cannot do that. Yes be careful but when you see that its ok you can let up a little. You dont have to be such a hard ass to everyone. Not everyone cares that you have a badge and is impressed by it.
March 29th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Sensitivity training is not going to help him. He needs to grow up. He has control issues. He obviously thinks he is better than some and wants to make sure they know it.
March 30th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Absolutely Powell should be fired. His immaturity is evident. If Ryan Moats hadn't remained calm and had chose to follow his wife into the hospital Powell would have probably shot him for leaving the scene. And all this over a red light? Moats had his hazard lights on, he pulled into a hospital parking lot . Did Powell really have to ask why he went through a red light? It's a miracle he didn't shoot someone. If he doesn't get fired the entire police department condones this behavior. His actions proove he isn't fit for the force. If he can't respond correctly over a traffic violation how on earth could he handle anything more difficult? All of us might have a bad day and not handle things the best on our jobs, but we aren't police officers. I expect more maturity from someone who goes through police training. Anyone allowed to carry a gun should be required to have more commonn sense. Especially after he watched his own video and stood by his actions. He obviously has no business on the force.
March 30th, 2009 at 6:37 am
I agree that America is too quick to judge. However with Powell this is a police officer. He isn't an average person on an average job. He should be trained to be able to add up what is happening and make judgements. Otherwise he will either kill someone or get killed himself because he can't process information correctly. Would you give a pilot license to someone who couldn't fly? Why let a police officer continue in his job when something as simple as a traffic stop is so misjudged.
March 30th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
They just said today or so…that he had another incident with Zach Thomas' wife months ago where he gave her 5 tickets and detained her in handcuffs for 3 hours for an illegal U-turn. Obviously this guy has a problem with control.
March 30th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Thanks for your comment, FtwPdOfcr.
March 30th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
They need to fire Powell and make sure he’ll never put on a police uniform anywhere. He's in the DPD for the wrong reason. He's on a power trip and I bet in time, he's going to kill someone. I also think all the blame shouldn't be on just Powell. The DPD should take what they learn here and "re-educate" their officers. Lets be for real, there are hundreds just like Powell working the streets. He just happen to get caught in the act. Unless they (DPD) do something about it, sadly, we’re going to have more of these discussions.
April 1st, 2009 at 5:03 pm
First of all, you’re a cop or a cop supporter. You can’t be that stupid. This is one of the most discussing police actions I have ever seen. Was he pulling into a shopping mall…NO! Was he pulling into a strip club…NO! That a pretty strong ruse he pulled on the cop. Pulling into a hospital and making up a story about HIS DYING MOTHER-IN-LAW just so he could run a few red lights. To protect and serve has become protect you own ass and serve your own needs. This cop is the criminal!
April 1st, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Nicely put FtwPdOfcr.
I have several friends who are police officers, and none of them would have acted the way Officer Powell did. It is a fact that police officers face danger every single time they are on duty. They face hardened criminals, and there are times they have to make split second decisions between life and death.
However, in a well-lit, hospital parking lot, and the vehicle's occupants not showing any kind of threat, the proper protocol is to escort Mr. Moats to the hospital to confirm the situation. Once confirmed, Officer Powell, in his discretion, could have chosen to bypass the citation as my friends would have done (it was still within Officer Powell's right to issue the citation, but it would have been insensitive to say the least).
I would say that most police officers I know are good, and they are out there facing danger to make sure we and our families are safe. But, there are a few (in my opinion) like Officer Powell who make bad judgments and cause negative public opinion for the good majority (again, in my opinion).
April 1st, 2009 at 10:43 pm
1ST! HE WASN'T JUST "RUNNING" THE INFORMATION…IF "YOU" PAID ATTENTION, HE WAS LECTURING AND LECTURING AND LECTURING. THAT IS WHY IT TOOK SO LONG. THEY GAVE HIM THE D/L, THE PROOF OF INSURANCE, AND THE CRITICAL CARE DUTY NURSE CAME OUT AND VERIFIED THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION…NOT TO MENTION TWO OTHER OFFICERS…GET REAL. SAW BLACK MAN IN EXPENSIVE BLACK VEHICLE SPEAKING "PROPER ENGLISH…HE WAS DEAF TO ANY EXPLANATION…AND OBVIOUSLY BLIND, SINCE HE WAS POSITIONED SMACK-DEAD IN THE HOSPITAL EMERGENY PARKING LOT!
April 1st, 2009 at 10:48 pm
HE NOR HIS FAMILY MADE ANY THREATS… HE HAD HIS HAZARDS ON, JUST LOOK AT THE VIDEO ITS ON EVERY BLOG AND OR YOUTUBE SITE! SECOND THEY FLAGGED DOWN THE ONLY OTHER TWO CARS WHO HAD THE GREEN LIGHT AND ASKED COULD THEY GO THROUGH…NO OTHER CARS MOVED THEY BOTH WAITED UNTILL HE DROVE THROUGH…NOT FAST BUT SLOWLY AND HAZARDS FLASHING ALL THE WAY…FROM THE HIGHWAY TO THE HOSPITAL…QUIT TRYING TO COVER THE OBVIOUS…HE WAS WRONG AS TWO LEFT SHOES
April 6th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Someone posted at the bottom of one of the stories regarding this matter on the NBC5 website that Powell is now with the Plano PD. Do you know if there is any truth to this?