For people saying, "blah...blah... Oh, he was in the right because she broke law...blah...blah...", you are either intentionally blurring the facts, or you're just stupid. Since when does speeding mean "go to jai"l? Answer: it DOESN'T. And this deputy didn't take this woman to jail for speeding. Essentially, he took her to jail because when he told her to "jump", so to speak, she did not respond with "Sir, yes, sir... how high, sir?" It's that simple.

Captain Reder says this deputy is "a good deputy, but he just lost his temper.." That's a lie. GOOD deputies might "lose it" when they are threatened with physical harm or death, but GOOD deputies DON'T go ballistic just because they THINK someone has failed to "respect their authority." I'm a former Bay Area resident, and have never had an encounter with local law enforcement. However, I have been pulled over by some adrenaline-fueled F.H.P. officer who threatened to take me to jail just because I waited until there was a safe opening on a busy streatch of I-95 to pull onto the shoulder so he could write his speeding ticket. JAIL!! Over a speeding ticket! Women can't even get jail time in Florida for ****ing their pubescent students, but Florida law enforcement will throw people over speeding tickets!! And some people wonder why other people don't respect our system of law enforcement and legal system...  

Ultimately, the problem is quality of people we have in law enforcement. Many are amazing people who are in the job because they truly want to protect and serve. Many, however --- WAYYYY too many --- are real-life "Eric Cartmans". (For those not familiar with the "South Park" cartoon, Cartman was an 8-year-old character who, when handed an honorary deputy's badge, donned sunglasses and a uniform and began whacking people with his night-stick and threatening them with jail if they did not obey him or otherwise did not "respect my authority!!" And this is the way many real officers think. They're not there to serve or protect. They're in the job because they voraciously lust for power. They're addicted to the rush that comes with being able to MAKE people do WHATEVER they tell them to do. Their night-stick and pepper spray and gun and ability to haul distraught daughters off to jail feeds that addicition. It's their fix. They're the kind of people that if they didn't have a Badge Number, they'd most likely have an Inmate Number. 

 

check florida statutes yes you can go to jail for speeding :)  btw i belive she was arrested for attmting to elude a police officer which is a felony and will get you arrested anywhere every time

This Deputy is abusive. He should be fired and not ever allowed to be with any type of law enforcement. How many times has he done things like this and not been repremended for it. He is a bad reflection upon his fellow officers.

There should be no excuses for who you really are....No way could this be a good deputy. If this is what we consider good, then we need a new law enforcement system.

I agree with the officer doing his job as far as citing this women with a moving violation. . But, hearing this women clearly state that her father was having a heart attact and assess what was happening is abuse of power. This man is dangerous, and should fired.

I have a young daughter and when she sees this kind of abuse from our law inforcement how do I tell her they are here to SERVE & PROTECT. There was no service. I hope you never are never put in a sistuation where one of your loved family member is facing an emergancy crisis and all you can think of is getting to them. This women was reacting out of instinc, and that is where this officer should have used his law enforcement training to help her. That is where the SERVE come into their training............It is pretty bad that we have to fear our Police because they "lose it".

What a shame.      

Nobody is questioning the how and what with regards to the citation. The women may not have reacted in the best way, but under the condition she was frantic and this officer should have made an attemp to verify her information. I believe in laymens terms under the law-enforcemnet code, it is called "To Serve". When an officer takes information from a citizen and does not assess the situation before taking personal action to me that is abuse.

As far as aluding, she never left the parking lot. And clearly stated what she was attemping to do.     

I just viewed the video for the first time. It infuriates me to think this jerk, yes he is a typical badge toting jerk, didn't have the descency to check with the ER. He was only a 100 yards away from it. Now granted the girl did the wrong thing by driving off but then " Prince Charming"  gets to verbally abuse her like she was one of his "regulars". Then to give him a slap on the wrist with a 5day suspenscion? PLEASE !!!!!

He needs at least a reduction in rank and mandatory ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT !!!

Ok. We see things like this and wonder why people in America have such distaste for Police officers. We are taught growing up that the police are the good guys they will always help you, but that isn't always true. I have had good and bad dealings with police officers. I try to teach my three year old daughter that the police are the good people, but sometimes, especially when I see things like this, it makes it really hard.

This officer should have confirmed her story, and telling her your not going to see your dad cause your going to jail, is just hateful. Did anyone else notice that right after she was PULLED out of the car and said her father is having a heart attack he said good. Thats just cold and heartless. How would he feel in the same situation. I'm not saying she was totally in the right because she wasn't she was speeding and did drive away from him, but there was no need for him to pull her out of the car that way then throw her up against her car.

Things like this just proves that a false sense of power can make a person snap. I'm sure that the officer in this story didn't realize what he was doing or even that he was being this forcefull, but he was and now this poor woman has to see this incident repeatedaly not only on local news but national websites like CNN.com

 

We seem to be missing the point of the discussion. There is no question that the woman was speeding, or that she left the scene. Did the deputy use excessive force in his handling of the situation? Abraham Lincoln once said, "Nearly all men can withstand adversity; if you want to test a man´s character, give him power." The deputy had the power of his badge. Did he uphold the letter of the law and forget the spirit? Were his recorded actions and language those of  a disciplined police officer or of a man who had lost his temper. Shouldn't he have asked her to step out of the car and put her hands behind her back before touching her at all? Were handcuffs really necessary? Did the deputy pass the character test? Is he fit to wear that badge?

 

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veritas

One week seems TOO short.  Is this with or with out pay?  For some reason THAT point was left out of your article which leads me to believe he's RECEIVING HIS PAYCHECK which really means this suspension is merely a FORCED vacation. 

VACATION is the key word here.

WHo is this cop?  Dirty HARRY?

NO one is ABOVE THE LAW.  Excessive force = ASSUALT.  HE should be charged with ASSUALT.

Take his BADGE and his GUN.

Tampa COPS...gimme a break.

GO SKINS Crush the bucanneers!

But he did not attempt to verify her story. When she was sitting in the back of his car, all he had to do is pick up the radio and call the ER. If I had been the woman, my attorney would make sure I recived 75% of all of his future income and the police department would write me an eight figure check. And I am so happy that I do not live in this community. What kind of egocentric police officer do you have down there who won't check facts?

actulay if he was going to arresst her the hand cuffs were manadtory...once the arrest was made she had to be taken for processing the time to do anything else was negated when she decided the laws did not apply to her and attempted to elude the police 2x a felony

 

fault no one but her for this

I think foxman is a cop.

I think that the Officer should be fired and never allowed to work in a law-enforcement area nation wide.

I agree "a good deputy, but he just lost his temper.."  - NO - a good deputy does not loose his temper.  He should be fired.  At least he should have to go to anger management classes. How sad for the lady that she is force to go to jail because of this ill-tempered deputy that does not have the common sense to at least check out that someone pulling into a hospital could be telling the truth about a sick father.  So he lost his temper and is a bad judge of information.  So, anger management classes and a class on common sense.  I think you should fire him.  I saw this story on CNN and now everyone thinks this is what goes on in Tampa.  How sad.

What is wrong with you people who believe this was excessive force?    

 

For starters the lady was going nearly 2 times the speed limit.  What if she hit someone, or caused another accident?  I’m sorry my dads in the hospital I have the right to break laws.  Is that how it works?  

 

Secondly after she was pulled over the 1st time the officer had absolutely no time to check anything because she drove off before he even got back to his car.  Now if I was an officer dealing with the scum of society on a daily basis would you believe a person who evades then runs from you? 

 

What is wrong with you people?   He had every right to pull her from the car and pin her to the back of her car.  As you can see by the car moving forward she did not at any point listen to the officer when he got to her door the 2nd time.  She was not injured by the officer’s actions. 

 

The lady absolutely refused to listen to the officers commands.  He had every right to use force to take control of the situation.  You know its what the police are supposed to do when someone is breaking the law.  It helps to protect others.  DUH!!!  

 

This is ridiculous.  The officer was doing nothing but upholding the law and safety of those in the public.  Yet I bet this lady will sue the police department and the officer will loose his job over this.  What has our society come too when a police officer cannot do anything to uphold law and safety...

 

 

Where is it said that you have the right to run from an officer.  Last I checked when a officer turns his lights and sirens on you are supposed to stop and listen to the officers reasonable commands.  Thats why she was getting arrested.