Without evidence of benefit, an intervention should not be presumed to be beneficial or safe.

- Rogue Medic

Maurice White Arrested

Unlike the previous incident with Daniel Martin, Maurice White, Jr. actually was arrested, this time.

Daniel Martin is the Oklahoma State Police Trooper, who claimed that he may arrest the only paramedic taking care of a patient, without making any arrangements to continue the care of the patient.

Why?

Some police have defended the actions of Daniel Martin, or have claimed that it is acceptable, based on their extensive knowledge of patient care delusions of grandeur,[1] for them to make patient care decisions.

Why?

I will avoid the psychological/psychiatric explanations for this desire to practice medicine without a license. I think that the main reason is ignorance. They do not know what is going on with patient care, but rather than admit that ignorance, they decide that something must be done.

I agree that there are times when something must be done. In the absence of any immediate threat, that something should only be done after the transfer of patient care. If not, after first arranging for someone to care for the patient, the police officer/trooper should also be arrested.

Would the police go into surgery and arrest a surgeon during the middle of an operation? I hope not. So why do some feel it is acceptable for the police to make medical decisions about how sick/injured this patient is compared to a patient in surgery? Some of my patients will be more unstable than surgical patients, but a person with no training/minimal training in emergency medical assessment/treatment is not someone who has the competence to make these decisions.

We should hope that people, not trained/educated to the level to understand the medical care a patient is receiving, would seek expert advice prior to taking actions to discontinue that patient care. Even if most of the time, this police misconduct might not result in harm to the patient, that does not excuse the behavior.

Why do I bring this up now?

Maurice White Jr., 56, was booked into the Sequoyah County jail on complaints of resisting arrest, failure to obey a lawful order, speeding and failure to comply with the compulsory insurance law, Vian Assistant Police Chief Brian Chandler said.[2]

While I would like to see the dashboard cam video of this, Assistant Police Chief Chandler does seem to present the events objectively. Objectivity is an important part of professionalism that was lacking in the behavior of Trooper Daniel Martin on May 24, 2009.

Driving his personal vehicle, White was stopped for allegedly speeding around 9:15 a.m., Chandler said. While Chandler was completing a citation, White approached the police car and was asked to return to his vehicle, police said.

“I asked him again to go back to his vehicle, and he said, `What was I going to do’ if he didn’t?” Chandler said. “It went downhill from there.”[2]

Chandler said, “I treat everyone the same. The way I want to be treated. It didn’t matter who he was, he was simply not complying with me.”[3]

Which is exactly what we should expect from the police. The police should be treated with respect, even if writing a ticket that we might feel is unjustified. The time to dispute this is in court. The police should not put up with abusive treatment (and I am only going by the statements from Chandler in connecting this to the arrest of Maurice White).

For those who think that I am lacking objectivity in criticizing Daniel Martin (and those who think that Daniel Martin was correct in attempting to make patient care decisions, I have written a lot about this. Even in my original post, I stated that Maurice White contributed to the escalation that was not in the best interest of the patient.

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

Footnotes:

^ 1 Grandiose delusions
Wikipedia
Redirected from Delusions of grandeur
Article

Grandiose delusions are distinct from grandiosity, in that the sufferer does not have insight into his loss of touch with reality.

In colloquial usage, one who is said to have ‘delusions of grandeur’ is considered to be one who overestimates ones own abilities, talents or situation. This is generally due to excessive pride, rather than any actual delusions.

^ 2 Paramedic involved in OHP incident arrested
By Rhett Morgan World Staff Writer
Published: 1/11/2010 2:18 PM
Last Modified: 1/11/2010 4:05 PM
Tulsa World
Article

^ 3 EMT Arrested
By Sally Maxwell
Sequoyah County Times
Article

.

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again

It will be interesting to see if this is just a case of some people, who recognized Daniel Martin, and decided to claim that he was the problem. Or whether this is evidence that Daniel Martin saw the handling of his earlier 15 minutes of fame as support from OHP (Oklahoma Highway Patrol).

One good thing. OHP has stated that they will release the dashboard cam, once their investigation is complete. Both troopers are on paid administrative leave. These are both good moves. OHP appears to have improved their understanding of supervision.

Thanks to PJ Geraghty for sending me a link to the video.

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

.

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case

A few days ago, Maurice White, Jr. filed a complaint for damages for a violation of civil rights against Daniel Martin in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.[1]

5150Wife posted a link to this in the comments to Assaulted Paramedic Wants Oklahoma DPS Trooper’s Badge. I have been putting off reading the document, but some of the information is a bit of a shock.

11. Trooper Martin was speeding in the same direction as the ambulance on Highway 62 in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma. Martin claimed he had an emergency which required him to run both his emergency lights and siren; however, Martin took no action when he arrived at his destination, and he only remained at his destination for less than a minute;

12. The only action taken by Martin at his destination, which was supposedly a crime scene, was that Martin took a female passenger onboard his official vehicle;

13. Before reaching his destination for a supposed crime, Martin sped up to the rear of the ambulance that was transporting the ill patient;

14. A car in front of the ambulance was pulling to the shoulder of the road, preventing the ambulance from being able to immediately pull over without risking harm to all concerned;

15. After Martin passed the ambulance, he became frustrated, got on his radio, and chastised the ambulance driver, Mr. Franks, for not pulling over quickly enough to suit Martin;

16. Martin proceeded to his destination where he did nothing other thanpick up a female passenger. Martin then immediately returned to Highway 62 with his lights on, ran a stop sign while accessing the highway, and pulled over the ambulance, which was still transporting the patient, to the side of the road;

Failure to yield immediately to a trooper on his way, with lights and sirens on, to pick up his wife.

Apparently, I have not understood the gravity of the heinous act of making a trooper late to pick up the wife at the auto repair shop, where she seems to have dropped off her car. Mea culpa.

As for a discussion of stopping the ambulance immediately, I wrote about the recklessness of that claim, at length, a couple of days ago.[2]

Honey, sorry I’m late, but I tried to get here on time. I even ran an ambulance off the road on the way here.

They had a patient on board and everything. If it will make you feel better, I can go arrest them for having the temerity to be travelling legally, and responsibly, on the road, when you are waiting. Maybe I can shoot one of them.

Please, their example of legal, safe, and responsible driving is an insult to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol!

34. Martin admitted to people at the hospital that he behaved inappropriately;

35. Thereafter, Martin submitted a false and misleading report on this matter which was released to the media;

36. Martin, through his lawyer, held a press conference in which his lawyer made false and misleading claims about Mr. White and held Mr. White in a false light

37. The Oklahoma highway Patrol has yet to take any adverse action against Martin although this matter has been pending for nearly two (2) months;

38. while reserving his right to amend and submit supplemental state claims, at present Mr. White is alleging a constitutional claim pursuant to the fourth amendment; to wit:

A. Mr. White re-alleges all of the foregoing and further states and alleges:

B. Martin seized Mr. White without cause and contrary to law;

C. Martin used unreasonable force in his seizing of Mr. White;

D. That as a result of Martin’s actions, Mr. White suffered pain and suffering, and diminution of his standing in his chosen vocation;

E. The Defendant’s actions were deliberate, reckless, wanton and/or cruel which justifies the award of punitive damages.

Why keep the OHP in suspense. They do not seem to have any understanding of what misbehavior is. They seem to think that anything done by one of their troopers is good, while any objection by any non-trooper is illegal. The statement of OHP supporting the multiple attempts at arresting Maurice White, Jr. only seems to provide further evidence of their complicity in Daniel Martin’s misbehavior.

If not for a family member with a camera phone, would any of this have come to light?

How often does something like this happen with the support of the OHP administration, but not been made public?

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

Footnotes:

^ 1 Maurice White, Jr., Plaintiff, v. Daniel Martin, individually, while acting under color of law on behalf of the State of Oklahoma; Defendant.
Case No. CIV 09-287-KEW
Filed Jul 21 2009
Full Text PDF

^ 2 OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job.
Rogue Medic
Article

.

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job.

I wonder if I am reading too much into this press release.[1]

A rushed press release that is the day after a law suit is filed. Apparently the law suit does not involve the OHP, but just Daniel Martin. After this press conference, Maurice White, Jr. may want to focus on OHP, rather than Daniel Martin. It seems that Daniel Martin’s behavior is the kind of behavior that OHP expects from their troopers.

I guess I was wrong in my criticism of Daniel Martin’s lawyer. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol basically exonerated Daniel Martin. They just have a problem with him being caught on camera. A rushed press conference. While President Obama is on TV giving a prime time speech on health care reform. The perfect cover for them to sweep this under the rug.

OHP spokesman Capt. Christ West, reading from a news release, said Martin had a right to stop the ambulance and had justification to arrest the paramedic for obstructing an officer but that the situation could have been and should have been handled differently.[1]

In other words:

It is OK to arrest the paramedic taking care of a patient.

It is OK to chase down an ambulance and pull it over, because you thought somebody gave you the finger, even though giving the finger to OHP is not probable cause for a traffic stop (at least according to Daniel Martin’s lawyer, the guy who keeps busy defending OHP troopers against criminal charges).

When your ego is on the line, and OHP has given you a badge and a gun, you can arrest anyone you like, because public safety is not important.

Martin’s demeanor and language were unprofessional and contrary to what is expected of an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper by both the Department of Public Safety and the public, West said.[1]

It took OHP administration almost 3 months to recognize this?

It only took Daniel Martin 11 seconds to arrive at a crime scene, come to the conclusion he had more important things to do, and go chasing after an ambulance for something that is not even justification for a traffic stop.

OHP is obviously not in the same league as Daniel Martin. They are slow.

It would have been more appropriate to allow the ambulance to continue to the hospital immediately once he knew that a patient was on board, West said.[1]

Really?

They didn’t want Daniel Martin to shoot out the tires, launch some tear gas into the patient compartment, fasten a bayonet to his sidearm, and take no prisoners? Argh! Double Argh!

Really?

He did not take questions after he read the statement.[1]

What could this public information officer possibly say to defend what he just read?

Maurice White, Jr., I do not agree with everything you did, but you do not deserve this kind of treatment from the OHP. I’m no lawyer, but I think it might be a good idea to add OHP to the law suit.

A review of the video tape supports your belief that probable cause existed to stop the ambulance for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle. The ambulance had no emergency equipment activated and there was no indication that the ambulance had any patient on board. There was legal basis to stop the ambulance.[2]

I recommend that OHP implement some vision testing for the administrative personnel involved in this decision. Perhaps they have glaucoma and have been smoking too much medical marijuana to treat their impaired vision.

Consider the alleged infraction. Failure to yield. OHP states that the vehicle must immediately yield.

Immediately is an interesting word. It suggests that the driver should not consider anything except getting out of the way, but what if there are pedestrians on the side of the road? Animals? You hit a medium sized dog in a car and you may be deflected back in front of the trooper. What if a car in front of you is slowing down and pulling over faster than you can safely slow down and pull over in a much larger vehicle, such as one that regularly transports emergency patients, commonly known as an ambulance? Does anyone believe that unsafe driving is required in order to pull over immediately?

What about distractions to the driver of the emergency vehicle? OHP troopers do like to babble on about an ambulance doing some sort of magical reassembly, when the lights and sirens are turned on/off. Yet, an ambulance is still an ambulance with all of the emergency equipment, including emergency radios. Those emergency radios, plus a family member up front, plus communication with a partner in the back, plus communication with a hospital, plus communication with dispatch, plus the noise of the diesel engine, plus the insulation of having this large box on the back of the ambulance, mean that there is going to be a delay in hearing any sirens. Even if Daniel Martin were driving the ambulance, there would be a significant delay in hearing the sirens.

Then there are the visual impairments. A large box on the back of the ambulance that makes it difficult to see to the rear on a straight road, but on the turn where this occurred, this box guarantees that the person driving the ambulance will have almost no warning that someone is approaching with their lights on. The mirrors on a truck are not good at seeing around turns. Perhaps the administration of OHP may have some plan to repeal the laws of physics, but I do not expect them to be successful.

If immediately is to be interpreted literally, that would be irresponsible. While we should be as aware as possible of our surroundings and notice lights and sirens approaching instantly, there are many distractions when driving an ambulance. Several of these distractions combined will make it unlikely that even experienced OHP troopers would have noticed the lights and sirens immediately, never mind the impossible task of being able to pull over immediately. Pulling over immediately can only rarely be done with due regard for the safety of others.

To pull over immediately probably would have been reckless. I suspect that reckless driving is a more serious violation of the Oklahoma motor vehicle code than failure to yield. On the other hand, the ego of a trooper is more important to administration, than the welfare of a patient. Almost 3 months of paid time off.

The driver of the ambulance is responsible for the safety of the occupants of the ambulance and the other drivers on the road. Sudden, or immediate, changes in direction are a bad idea. It appeared to me as if Paul Franks pulled to the side as soon as it was safe after he became aware of the trooper. I did not see anything in the video to contradict that. Why would he pull over before he became aware of the trooper? We do not know when he became aware of the lights and sirens, but can only guess. Unless you claim psychic powers, you do not know either. He cannot respond to something he is not aware of.

Pulling to the side of the road does not relieve him of his obligation to drive safely. He swerved around a vehicle to avoid hitting it, but did not signal. Perhaps that was because he was surprised by the behavior of the driver of that vehicle.

The important thing is that these are questions that should be addressed, if at all, at the hospital after the transfer of patient care. Anything else is incompetence.

Then there is the question of what would happen in a court room. A judge, who does not work for OHP, is probably going to throw this out immediately. OK, maybe not immediately. The judge may take some time to provide a verbal spanking to the trooper for wasting the judge’s time, wasting the ambulance crew’s time, wasting the tax payer’s money, and endangering the patient.

Again, STATter911 seems to have the most complete, up to date information.
Oklahoma Trooper Daniel Martin suspended for 5 days. Ordered to anger assessment. OHP says stop and arrest justified. Finds medic obstructed officer.

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

Footnotes:

^ 1 OHP trooper involved in scuffle given 5 days suspension
By MANNY GAMALLO World Staff Writer
Published: 7/22/2009 5:53 PM
Last Modified: 7/22/2009 8:53 PM
Article

^ 2 OHP discipline letter to Trooper Daniel Martin
From STATter911
Letter

.

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days

Possibly in response to yesterday’s law suit.

OHP suspends trooper involved in scuffle

Not all paid time off, after all.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials said trooper Daniel Martin, whose May 24 scuffle with paramedic Maurice White Jr. was caught on tape, will be suspended for five days without pay.

The suspension begins immediately, officials said during a press conference tonight.

Martin also must take part in a psychological evaluation dealing with anger management, his attorney, Gary James of Oklahoma City, said.

Jones said that within the OHP there was a “difference of opinion” as to Martin’s actions that day on U.S. 62 in Okfuskee County near Paden.

In other words, some people are just incapable of learning.

Those opposed to any disciplining of Daniel Martin are not the kind of people with protect and serve guiding their actions.

An OHP report in connection with the suspension stated that Martin should have made more of an inquiry into the patient’s condition, James said.

James said “essentially my client has been exonerated. I have full confidence that the agency didn’t feel any pressure from the media or the public to hand down a suspension.”

Exonerated?

If that were the case, why did OHP suspend Daniel Martin for 5 days without pay?

I know. This is his lawyer, the Holy Stammering Obscurantist.

Updated information at OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job.

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

.

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit

From STATter911:

Creek Nation Paramedic Maurice White Jr. sues OHP Trooper Daniel Martin over traffic stop. Claims unreasonable force.

It seems that paramedic Maurice White, Jr. is not satisfied with the way the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is handling the events of May 24 of this year.

Three months ago.

Trooper Daniel Martin is still on paid administrative leave. I understand that a part of the reason is the threats made against Daniel Martin and his family. I do not support making any threats. However, I could use 3 months of paid time off myself. Whom do I have to choke to get some of that?

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

.

911 Call Abuse By The 911 Call Taker?

A 17 year old girl uses foul language.

Shocking?

No.

A 911 caller uses foul language.

Shocking?

No.

Yet, for some reason the 911 call taker for the Lincoln Park Police Department loses his cool and hangs up on the caller. Again and again.*

She runs down the street to the police station to try to get what she was calling for – an ambulance – and she is arrested.

That’ll teach her to call 911 about a medical emergency!

Here is the video with the recording of the 911 calls.

I agree that the girl, Adrianne Ledesma, sure does not seem to get the picture, either. Her father just had brain surgery and is now having a seizure, but she is worried about suing the guy on the phone. Maybe Dad should sue over this, but have a lawyer prevent his daughter from receiving any of this money.

It is not at all clear if the father is still seizing, or was ever seizing, or how often this happens, but this kid needs to start acting responsibly. If you have a family member with a medical condition, you need to learn to deal with it, not try to figure out whom you might sue for giving you a hard time.

The police officer, Seargent Robert McFarlan, must have a doozy of an excuse. He has been working for 20 years (5 years longer than Daniel Martin). He may not have any skeletons in his closet. He refused to comment.

What is his job?

His job is to dispatch the appropriate people to deal with whatever emergencies occur during his shift. His job is to calm down people on the other end of the phone, so that he may obtain the information he needs. Once he knows there is a request for an ambulance, he should start sending the ambulance. I am guessing that Lincoln Park has Enhanced 911, which is a form of caller ID. He does not know what is going on, but there has been a request for an ambulance.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I could refuse to deal with people if they used less than polite language. I wouldn’t even get to a lot of the calls with the language used by some of my partners.

Assuming that we did make it to the call without expletive, the families, by-standers, and patients have been known to use the occasional indelicate expression. I have been yelled at repeatedly for taking too long because the patient was not white. Not that dispatch provides that kind of information, or even asks for it, but some people have priorities that have nothing to do with the patient. They just use the patient as an excuse to cause trouble, such as to sue.

The malice of these by-standers is not the fault of the patient.

This is a part of the job. If we feel threatened, it is appropriate to leave until police arrive and deal with whatever violence/potential violence is there. Of course, if I am on the other end of a phone, am I in any danger?

The refreshing news on this is that the Chief of Police has been open about dealing with this. This is not the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

It is important to note that Sgt. McFarlan has had a career of meritous service, has never had a disciplinary action until this incident, and was suspended without pay for two weeks and sent for training after this incident.[1]

Never had a disciplinary action in 20 years? How many people can claim that? But what happened on this call?

As part of this post, I would like to include another pointer. The times when you should probably not get yelled at for using foul language include just about every legitimate reason to call 911. There is no justification for 911 acting as Miss Manners, especially since Seargent McFarlan uses obscenity during the 911 call, too.

Here is an imaginary call to the 911 Hypocrisy Line.

911Hello, 911 Hypocrisy Line, how may I help you?

CallerI need a *&%$#@ ambulance.

911Hold on there, Missy. I’m not gonna put up with that $#!+. You’re going to have to call back again and act like a professional this time.

911 call takers do put up with a lot of abuse on the phone. I am not defending abuse of 911 in any way. I wonder how many times they hear the words, Thank you, at the end of a call. They deserve our thanks. They do not deserve to be lumped in with the few who make the news for bad judgment.

Hat tip to Medic(three).

The Wall Street Journal has a story about this and a couple of law suits about two other 911 calls in Michigan. What’s Going On With 911 Operators In Michigan?

Footnotes:

^ * David Konig has a different take on whether the hang up is by the 911 call taker or the caller. If the caller hung up, what was she thinking? That is a rhetorical question. We all know that she was not thinking. Maybe it is due to the emergency, but what does hanging up accomplish? The link is below [1]

^ 1 Lincoln Park 911 Operator Denies Service Over Swear Words
David Konig
Article

For those not familiar with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Daniel Martin references, use the search box in the upper left of the browser window. You will get more information than you ever wanted on OHP and Daniel Martin.

.

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants

Earlier today I wrote about the background of Maurice White, Jr. Now the background of Daniel Martin.

This is from the Tulsa World:

Longtime Fairfax barber shop owner Linda Bevill described Martin as a bullish man who ran off teenagers from cruising Main Street and constantly accused residents of drinking alcohol during an endless stream of “unnecessary” traffic stops.

“He struck me as a man who probably didn’t have any control over any part of his life growing up, someone who needed control and power,” Bevill said. “I remember he even went and bought one of those portable police lights for his own car. He just needed to play cop even when he was off duty.

“He needed to be admired, but he could never figure out why people didn’t like him. He just didn’t have any feel for people. And he was always making something big out of nothing.”

Former board of trustees member Ted Smith remembered Martin as someone who “didn’t take orders very well.”

Smith recalled one incident he witnessed in which two handcuffed teenagers were lying facedown on the sidewalk. Martin stood over one of the youngsters with his pistol aimed at the youth’s head.

“The boys were already handcuffed and on the ground,” Smith said. “Why pull the gun? … Yeah, we had a lot of trouble with him. We’re not surprised at all by what has happened. He just had an attitude.[1]

Some of these are just a waste of ink, Longtime Fairfax barber shop owner Linda Bevill described Martin as a bullish man who ran off teenagers from cruising Main Street.

I know plenty of people who would say that is the job of the police. Is this a problem? I do not know and cannot decide from the information provided.

and constantly accused residents of drinking alcohol during an endless stream of “unnecessary” traffic stops.

If people are drinking and driving, are the police supposed to ignore this. I have worked in a rich town, where drunk driving is treated very leniently. Should the police ignore drunk drivers?

Or is Daniel Martin making up stuff about drivers consuming alcohol? I don’t know, but where is the reporter providing some information to help inform the reader?

The only comment that seems to provide any information is the one from Former board of trustees member Ted Smith. There is no mention of any documentation on this incident. It would be nice to have something to back up the statement by this former official. What were the details of this incident?

Martin’s defense attorney, Gary James, portrayed him last week as a loving family man and an American hero who recently returned from Iraq after a tour of duty as a U.S. naval reservist. Residents of the rural Osage County town of Fairfax have dramatically different recollections of Martin, who was their police chief from March 1999 to July 2000.

Martin’s tenure in Fairfax ended with a unanimous vote for his firing.

“Yeah, I remember him,” store clerk Linda Burgess said. “That’s a sore subject around here. He left quite an imprint on this community, and not a good one, either. He was a bully with an attitude.

“And he was always pulling people over and using the f-word.”[1]

Other than the report of his firing, this quote does not seem to be any more accurate information than I might be able to get by going down to a local bar during the day and asking for opinions on a local police officer. This audience may be much more likely to have people willing to talk and at the same time likely to have had a bad experience with any police officer. That does not make it news. I expect that there will be some more digging into their backgrounds, because this is a lot of reporting of rumors. Maybe there is something behind the rumors, but let’s have something to convince us that these rumors have some substance. This seems as if it was rushed to get something in print. This seems to be something that should not have been rushed.

Both Daniel Martin and Maurice White, Jr. have been fired from jobs. Both seem to have been around for a long time with mostly uneventful job histories. Outside of the statement about the handcuffed teens being menaced with a gun and the firings, I do not see anything here that might have led OHP or Creek Nation to decide that either was a poor choice for the job. Of course, they do not make their decisions based just on an article in the paper.

I feel a Clara Peller moment coming on.

Dave Statter at STATter 911 still seems to be the source for the most complete and most up to date information.

Reporters look into past of Oklahoma trooper & paramedic seen on confrontation video. One is called a bully, the other unprofessional. And. Quick takes.

OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS from the beginning, post by post:

Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment 5/31/09

More on Abandonment, OHP and EMS 6/06/09

OHP Trooper Update 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update II 6/11/09

OHP Trooper Update III 6/13/09

OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists 6/16/09

OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist 6/17/09

OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous 6/18/09

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS 6/20/09

OHP Trooper Update VI – A little Background on the Participants 6/22/09

OHP Trooper Update VII – A Little More Background on the Participants 6/22/09

Daniel Martin Suspended for 5 Days 6/22/09

Trooper Daniel Martin Subject of a Lawsuit 7/22/09

OHP Official Position – Don’t Get Caught On Camera, Otherwise Good Job. 7/23/09

An Interesting Development in the Daniel Martin Case 7/24/09

Trooper Daniel Martin In Trouble, Again 10/06/09

Maurice White Arrested 01/11/10

Footnotes:

^ 1 Trooper in video known as bully
The paramedic has been called unprofessional.

By Ron Jackson & Sheila Stogsdill
NewsOK.com
Published: 6/21/2009 2:25 AM
Last Modified: 6/22/2009 9:55 AM
Article

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