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

- Rogue Medic

OHP Trooper Update VI – A Little Background on the Participants

At the end of the press conference I wrote about in 2 earlier posts on this, Daniel Martin’s lawyer called for reporters to investigate the background of Maurice White, Jr. I wondered about this at the time, but speculating on what they might find would have been silly.

It might have been silly, but it would have been much better than the lawyer calling for an investigation of the background of Maurice White, Jr., because you know that someone will also look into the background of Daniel Martin. I’ll address his background later, but what about Maurice White, Jr.?

This is from the Tulsa World:

White, meanwhile, was fired in June 2004 by Muskogee County EMS after more than 11 years of employment. EMS Director Terri Mortensen criticized White in a termination letter, citing his “unprofessional behavior” toward her and “misuse of authority over your subordinates.” The letter listed other reasons for his termination:

Failure to complete run sheets in a timely manner.

Short notice on cancellation of teaching assignment.

Failure to schedule a relief EMT to cover his shift while he taught a class in a timely manner.

White responded by filing a complaint of racial discrimination with the NAACP. The organization originally supported White’s cause but later reversed its decision. The NAACP reportedly reviewed the EMS policy and White’s termination letter, and it concluded he had committed a fireable offense.[1]

Other than failure to complete run sheets in a timely manner, I don’t see any criticism of his documentation. The reason I point this out is that, if these are quotes from his termination letter, the documentation of his employer leaves a lot to be desired. Since when is documentation supposed to be vague? Since when is termination not supposed to include documentation of specifics? Or were specific incidents excluded from publication? This looks as if he has been convicted of losing a popularity contest. A popularity contest where the boss casts all of the votes.

Unprofessional behavior? Such as?

Misuse of authority over your subordinates?

These are so vague that they are meaningless. What is unprofessional behavior in that organization? Did it suddenly appear after 11 years? Did they not notice it until after 11 years? Did they rewrite their SOPs to be able to describe his behavior as unprofessional?

The other justifications are no less vague.

I don’t know any of the details, but it is surprising that somebody would be fired from an EMS position after 11 years for such offenses. Consider what it costs to replace an experienced employee. Overtime for several shifts to cover for that employee is not going to come close. How much of a problem is it? Difficult to say. What is the mean average time of employment for that agency? Do long term employees usually leave by termination?

A couple of things that are noticeable for their absence:

There is no mention of violence.

There is no mention of any problems with quality of care. He appears to have been one of their instructors.

Documentation problems are an entirely different category. Maybe this caused problems with the local regulatory agency. Again, I don’t know.

These are the kind of termination offenses that suggest to me that they were looking for an excuse to fire him. What was the real reason they would want to fire him? I don’t know, but when I have seen this before, it has been something that might fall into the whistleblower category. Maybe he is critical of the way management does things, but they cannot fire him for expressing his disagreement if he follows proper channels.

If you are familiar with my blog, you know that I do not advocate low standards for EMS. I am not suggesting that he is is right, or that he should be given the benefit of the doubt, because he is a medic. I think we are just peeling more layers off of an onion. Has The Onion covered this, yet?

Forty of White’s former co-workers wrote a letter to the editor of the Muskogee Phoenix in support of White’s firing.[1]

That does not give a good impression, but where is the letter. If this already appeared in the paper, is there any privacy concern? Was it actually published by the paper in 2004?

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

.

Some Corrections on OHP vs. Creek Nation EMS

From STATter911.

At 2:22 Daniel Martin states, I’m going to give you a ticket for failure to yield and when I go by you saying, “What’s going on,” You don’t need to give me no hand gestures, now. I ain’t going to put up with that ____. You understand me?

I missed that inconsistency, but 5150 Wife pointed that out in the comments on a post by Medic(Three).

It is also interesting that he addresses Paul Franks as Paul, twice, but when he addresses Maurice White Jr. it is as Buddy. Paul Franks has not introduced himself to Daniel Martin, but Maurice White, Jr. has introduced himself.

At about 4:15 it seems that Daniel Martin is allowing EMS to go to the hospital, but he is also calling for back up Code 3 at his current location, not at the hospital. When Daniel Martin finishes calling for back up, at 4:50, he states No you can’t go right now.

In an earlier post, I wrote that Daniel Martin did not leave the car at his original call, but between 1:18 and 1:34 there are some sounds and camera movements consistent with the car door opening and closing a couple of times. Since he has a body microphone, his voice may be audible, while someone farther away telling him he is cancelled, might not be audible. Therefore, I apologize for my statement that Daniel Martin was not doing a good job of backing up the police calling for assistance. I misinterpreted what was going on in 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

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OHP Trooper vs. EMS comment from anonymous

In the comments to Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Creek Nation EMS, and Abandonment, Anonymous from Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:21:00 AM EDT wrote:

First off the ambulance driver should have been obeying the traffic laws. If the Ems driver would have been obeying the traffic laws he would have never been stopped.

I do not see any evidence that Paul Franks, the EMT who was driving, did anything that was a violation of the traffic laws.

When did Paul Franks become aware of Daniel Martin approaching?

We do not know. We can speculate endlessly. And I do mean endlessly. Only people in that ambulance can answer that question, but they can only base that upon actions of Paul Franks.

When the car in front of the ambulance pulled over, was it because the driver heard sirens? Maybe. The driver may just pull over for ambulances. The driver may have needed to stop for some other reason. We do not know. Only the driver of that car knows.

If the driver of the car heard the sirens, does that mean that Paul Franks heard the same things?

Paul Franks is dealing with a bunch of emergency radios, since he is in an emergency vehicle. He has limited visibility, due to the size of the vehicle. He may be communicating with his partner, family members, the patient, dispatch, the hospital, . . . . Paul Franks has far more distractions and responsibilities than the occupant of a non-emergency vehicle.

Maybe you believe Daniel Martin’s lawyer, that the ambulance magically turns into an emergency vehicle when the lights and sirens are turned on. The lawyer is misinterpreting the law to place his client in the most favorable light. That does not mean that the lawyer is telling the truth. The lawyer repeatedly lies during his press conference.

The ambulance does not change shape at all. The ambulance is still an ambulance. I do not know the Oklahoma laws, but I suspect that they are somewhat similar to the laws in the rest of the United States.

In much of the rest of the US, the ambulance is not granted emergency exception to the traffic laws unless the lights and sirens are on. That does not mean that the ambulance is not an emergency vehicle, when the lights and sirens are off. But that is what the lawyer would like us to believe, because it helps his client. People representing criminals try to spin the law to make it seem that their client’s behavior was justified. This is just a lawyer defending somebody who broke the law.

I do not have to get out and take off the emergency license plate, when the sirens are turned off. Maybe Oklahoma ambulances are not issued emergency plates. I do not know. However the concept that the vehicle changes identity is silly. Maybe the Oklahoma motor vehicle code is that silly. There are plenty of silly codes in other states.

When the EMS was stopped the EMT in the back of the ambulance should have stayed in the back of the vehicle taking carry of his patient. When the Officer approached the EMS vehicle and started talking with the driver the EMT from the rear of the vehicle exited the vehicle and started engaging the officer while the officer was conducting official business with the driver.

It would be interesting to see how the Oklahoma Supreme Court would decide on this.

Yes, Daniel Martin is conducting official business.

Both Paul Franks and Maurice White, Jr. are conducting official business, too.

Which would the Oklahoma Supreme Court view as more important? Care of a patient or immediate issuance of a citation for an infraction so minor that Daniel Martin ignores it on a regular basis?

Any competent law enforcement officer, when faced with delaying patient care vs. delaying a traffic ticket, should decide that the patient comes first, unless they believe that allowing patient care to continue is somehow dangerous. The patient was not endangered by anyone other than Daniel Martin.

Was there a possibility that the ambulance crew would flee? If so, why wasn’t anyone arrested when reinforcements arrived?

Was Paul Franks driving in any kind of dangerous manner?

Not unless you believe that Daniel Martin cannot control his vehicle.

It is the responsibility of the person driving in emergency mode to behave with due regard for the safety of others. I do not have a problem with the way that Daniel Martin was driving. He did not seem to be endangered by anything that Paul Franks did. There did not appear to be any malicious action by Paul Franks.

Even the lawyer admitted, that on the rest of the dashboard cam video, other vehicles did not pull over any faster than the ambulance. The reasonable conclusion is that this is the response you would expect, when approaching people with the lights and sirens on. This was also on a turn, which significantly impairs the view in the side mirrors on a box-type ambulance.

The officer gave the EMT that had exited from the rear of the vehicle a lawful order to return to the inside of the vehicle.

Again, I do not believe that has been determined by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. As the person in charge of patient care and responsible for the safe operation of the vehicle, it may be that Daniel Martin was talking with the wrong person by addressing Paul Franks. An ambulance, due to the patient care requirements is different from every other vehicle on the road.

The EMT refused to return to the vehicle. At that point the EMT was breaking the law “obstruction of Justice”.

As I stated above, I do not believe that the Oklahoma Supreme Court has decided this specific question.

What is more important, patient care or a ticket that Daniel Martin refused to write to a bunch of other drivers, who did not yield as fast as he would have liked?

There was nothing the EMT in the rear of the vehicle could tell the Officer that the driver could not have said.

That is a silly conclusion. How do you decide that you know what everybody else knows? This is a big mistake. Law enforcement officers should not jump to conclusions like that. That is the kind of thing that leads to a LEO walking into a dangerous environment, because he believes that he knows everything he needs to know. That attitude also endangers others who respond to help LEOs who need to be rescued from that kind of mistake.

On another note if the patient in the ambulance was in such bad condition that the ambulance needed to be breaking the traffic laws then they needed to be using there siren and lights.

That is not true.

Using the lights and sirens can actually be bad for the patient in conditions that are affected by stress, such as a heart attack, stroke, asthma, emphysema, . . .

You do not understand what is appropriate treatment of the patient, so you should not be jumping to uninformed conclusions about what is good patient care.

If you think you know so much, show me some research that shows that it is a good idea to transport even most, never mind all, emergency patients with the lights and sirens on. I transport probably less than 10% of my emergency patients with lights and sirens on. Amazingly, they do not appear to be worse off for it. Many thank my partner for the smooth and low stress ride to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctors and nurses do not start screaming and running around in a panic, just to imitate an ambulance with the lights and sirens on. They try to keep the patient calm. Almost as if they know what they are doing.

They were not using them because it was not a life or death emergency.

You continue to make statements about things you do not understand.

Which means they had no more reason then any john doe on the street to be breaking the traffic laws.

They do not appear to be violating the motor vehicle code. Again, the lawyer for Daniel Martin admitted that their behavior was the same as many other vehicles on the road. Daniel Martin chose to pick on them. The lawyer claims that Paul Franks gave Daniel Martin the finger. Daniel Martin’s lawyer states that giving Daniel Martin the finger is not illegal.

I am sure if they would have been obeying the laws or at least using their lights and siren then none of this would have happened.

Since there is no evidence that they violated the motor vehicle code, your obeying the laws comment is silly. Show that they were not obeying the laws.

It is also just speculation that things would have been different if they had their lights and sirens on. It is irresponsible to use lights and sirens without regard for the patient’s medical condition.

Also if the patient was in bad shape why in the world would a EMT leave a patient to go talk with a officer that was already talking with the driver of the vehicle.

I don’t defend all of Maurice White, Jr.’s actions, but he is just pointing out that they have an emergency patient in the back.

You claim that the noise determines the emergency. It does not.

They had an emergency department as the destination. Does the patient suddenly become an emergency patient upon arrival the the emergency department? No.

This whole embarrassing incident would have been avoided if Daniel Martin had used some discretion and common sense. Very few law enforcement officers would make the same decisions he did. This should have been handled at the hospital, where there is no conflict of who has authority. Once the patient is transferred, that potential conflict is gone. Law enforcement officers make these decisions about many things on a regular basis. Daniel Martin does not seem to understand.

As was mentioned in another comment, What if the patient had been a law enforcement officer? Daniel Martin probably would not have been treating the patient like a UPS package. Of course Daniel Martin did open the rear doors and lie to the patient, saying that she would be transported soon. The only reason she was transported with only a few more minutes delay was because the District Attorney intervened. Daniel Martin might have left her on the side of the road, needing to call another ambulance to transport her, since he wanted to take the paramedic away from her.

Daniel Martin does not have the competence or the authority to assume responsibility for the patient, but that is exactly what he is doing by trying to arrest the paramedic.

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

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OHP Trooper Update V – Over an Hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist

This video is long and requires hip waders. The post that summarizes the video is just as long and just as messy.

From the hour plus press conference[1] with the lawyer for Daniel Martin, hereinafter to be referred to as the Holy Stammering Obscurantist for reasons that I explained in the previous post.[2] The lawyer for Daniel Martin starts out explaining why he has not said anything, yet.

Then he mentions that Oklahoma law has exempted audio and video recordings from the open records requirements, since 2005. He states that Daniel Martin wanted this video released. Daniel Martin apparently still believes that this video justifies his behavior.

One of the other reasons I want to speak out is on behalf of trooper Daniel Martin. There’s a lot of things that people ought to know about him. He’s not this ogre. This Constitutional depriver of people’s rights. He’s a good man.(at 0:03:38)[1]

I do not believe I ever stated that he was not a good man, but that he misbehaved. Many good men misbehave. This is part of being human. This is why we have laws. I have been ambivalent about how this should be handled, but I did not criticize the choice to not fire Daniel Martin. I prefer remediation.

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist points to Daniel Martin’s military record and a bunch of honors he has received.

I certainly do not think that Daniel Martin’s behavior is acceptable. Not even close, but I do see many things that many of his critics seem to ignore. He is irate. He is not in complete control, but he is also not completely out of control. He appears to be using what he feels is needed to physically try to control the medic.

Here is the problem I see. He never should have stopped the ambulance to begin with.

Upon learning there was a patient in the back, he should not have dismissed the health of a patient with, You are not running Code.

He should have immediately told the crew to continue to the hospital. He could have followed the ambulance, or decided to not pursue this any further, or contacted a supervisor to clarify how to proceed. He did not. This is how a good man becomes someone, who embarrasses his department, who embarrasses his family, who is the butt of jokes, et cetera.

This choice to continue to detain the ambulance, the crew, and the patient, is something that, while I do not know Oklahoma law, I believe exceeds the authority of a trooper. He is now interfering in patient care.

The measure by Rep. Marian Cooksey of Edmond authorizes a felony charge against anyone who assaults an emergency medical care provider or emergency medical technician who is performing medical care duties.

The penalty would be up to two years in prison under the new law.[3]

This is something that I expect that lawyers drool over. Which law takes precedence, when laws are in conflict. When an irresistible force (Daniel Martin) meets an immovable object (Maurice White, Jr.). I suppose that some of these have been worked out in the courts already, but how does active patient care affect this equation? Has that been decided by the courts? Is this something that legislatures should be looking at to clarify this issue?

I think that this is something that legislatures need to at least consider. Are their laws clear enough when different emergency responders have differing priorities? Are the people best served by having one agency trump all other agencies when laws conflict? What happens when this type of conflict occurs between different police agencies?

Anyway, back to the Holy Stammering Obscurantist.

Some of the other reasons are to speak out is because he has received numerous threats. Just last weekend we received our second notice from his internet service provider that people were attempting to hack his emails and enter his private email. He has received emails talking about doing a drive-by shooting on his house and his family.(at 0:06:12)[1]

This is not at all justified by anything Daniel Martin did. I have read many comments on different sites. There are a lot of people who view Daniel Martin as the personification of evil. The good news is that that kind of evil is not easy to find in this country, otherwise there would not be so many comments with such exaggerated criticism of Daniel Martin’s actions. As I have stated earlier, misbehavior by one person does not justify misbehavior by another person. I also do not think that we should be using extreme terminology in describing the actions of Daniel Martin. Misbehavior is adequate top describe Daniel Martin’s behavior.

Then the Holy Stammering Obscurantist starts talking about the ambulance not travelling Code. This is a huge misrepresentation of what is responsible behavior.

That ambulance has no more authority or requirements under the law than a private vehicle travelling onto the road. They are required to follow the Oklahoma laws as it pertain to vehicles.(at 0:12:44)[1]

Where did they fail to do this?

The following is continuous from 01:13:44. My comments are inserted.

As he (Daniel Martin) approaches the Okfuskee County ambulance, the question would be How long are they behind him? A breakdown that I have done of the tape shows, that at least, we believe for approximately 24 seconds they should have seen lights and sirens coming.[4]

It is about 30 seconds into the video when the ambulance pulls off of the road. It is not clear when they could have heard the sirens. I doubt that they ever heard the lights. I suspect that Paul Franks does not hear the sirens until the ambulance is already passing car in front of them. The car that is pulling to the side of the road. This is not proof that they heard the sirens, but the Holy Stammering Obscurantist states that, in his mind it is proof. If he were speaking for a defendant, accused of not yielding, I would expect a whole different pile of feces to be emanating from him. When in the ambulance, sometimes cars just pull over, even when there is no siren in use anywhere in the vicinity. Cars also sometimes pull to the side of the road for other reasons. This is not proof. Perhaps they could get the plate number of the car off of the original video and contact the driver to clarify this.

There was also some confusion, based on the statements made by Mr. White and Mr. Franks, that the trooper, on the initial incident, was not running lights and sirens. I think, quite obviously, now that the tape is released, everyone is cognizant, he was running lights and sirens.

Finally something we agree on.

You will see the vast majority of the emergency, or other vehicles on the road, did pull off as he approached. As he came up onto the Creek Nation EMS ambulance, you can see the vehicle in front of them pulls over and starts to get off of the road, which at least in our position would think they must have heard the lights and sirens and knew that emergency vehicles were coming.

You will see the vast majority of the emergency, or other vehicles on the road, did pull off as he approached. Really? What video did he have access to? There are no other vehicles shown before the ambulance. assuming that he has access to a longer tape, how quickly did the other vehicles yield? This might give us an idea of how far away the sirens would have been heard.

Were any of these other vehicles ambulances transporting patients? Vehicles with several emergency radios competing for the attention of the driver, a patient in the back, and a family member up front, travelling on a curve that obscures vehicles to the front and rear?

What? He did not even consider any of this? I am shocked!

Maybe this lawyer should consider riding in an ambulance to become familiar with the differences between an emergency vehicle and a non-emergency vehicle. Differences that exist regardless of whether the lights or sirens are on.

Do any of these apply to Daniel Martin?

Several emergency radios?

Check.

A patient in the back?

No.

A family member up front?

Check.

Travelling on a curve that obscures vehicles to the front and rear?

Check.

Maybe everybody ought to be a bit less judgmental.

Have any ambulances ever been behind a car that took a while to pull over?

This has happened hundreds of times to me, perhaps thousands of times. It is not important. I would have to be extremely sensitive to chase after someone to make a big deal out of this, but I am not authorized to pull people over for this. Maybe Daniel Martin will campaign for EMS to be able to pull people over to write them tickets. He seems to think this is quite the priority.

As he starts to go around the EMS ambulance, they turn, drift left of center and kind of cut off his going around, trooper Martin gets on the county EMS radio and says, You think you guys would look in your rear view mirror.

Now that statement has been described by Mr. White and the ambulance driver as his mean and rude statement to them. Trooper Martin was just a little shocked that they did not afford him the duties or the requirements of an emergency vehicle. He is running lights and sirens.

Daniel Martin, here’s your tissue.

Go have a good cry. You may need some stress debriefing after waiting a few seconds longer than you would have liked.

After he gets to the town of Paden, when he gets there, he realizes there is other sheriffs there, that there’s no longer an emergency matter pending.[1]

Since there appears to be no communication by any means between Daniel Martin and anyone on scene, how does he conclude that his assistance is not needed. If someone calls for assistance and just shows up and sees that other vehicles are present, then drives away, is this the kind of person you want to call for help? Was there any communication that was not visible/audible on the tape?

If I call for help, I do not want some self-cancelling, overly sensitive, easily enraged LEO to be the person I am depending on. Fortunately, most police take their jobs, and the safety of those they are called to help, more seriously than Daniel Martin appears to. Maybe there was some communication, but I missed it. He never left the vehicle.

Is Daniel Martin psychic? Can he tell what other people are thinking? Why then, did he engage in such bad behavior on camera on two cameras?

As the ambulance goes by, trooper Martin says that the driver gave him the finger.[1]

Maybe Paul Franks did give Daniel Martin the finger. In which case, he is even more childish than Daniel Martin. I do not know.

Perhaps Paul Franks is just pointing out that since Daniel Martin is no longer responding to an emergency, that now Daniel Martin has no more authority or requirements under the law than a private vehicle travelling onto the road. Or does that only happen with emergency vehicles transporting patients?

Maybe, as he stated, Paul Franks just threw up his arms in frustration at the whining of Daniel Martin. Since this was not captured on the video, we will never know. If we are to go by the judgment of Daniel Martin on the video, then the benefit of the doubt has to go to Paul Franks. Paul Franks is the only one to remain calm at all times he is on camera.

Then the Holy Stammering Obscurantist goes into a bit of song and dance about how Daniel Martin reads minds and how he feels about the possibility that he might not look like the toughest guy on the playground, when they go to recess.

All of this depends on Daniel Martin actually being given the finger and not misinterpreting anything. If he did misinterpret Paul Franks just throwing up his hands in frustration, then it seems that the Holy Stammering Obscurantist has no defense for the immature and violent behavior that follows, but the Holy Stammering Obscurantist is stating that this is Daniel Martin’s playground and Daniel Martin should not even be allowed to think that somebody is not treating him with the greatest of respect.

Respect my authoritI!

I would accept any of the concerns that the Holy Stammering Obscurantist raises. No problem. But only if he waits until they drop off their patient at the hospital. Since he does not treat a patient in the back of an ambulance as more important than these concerns, I don’t see this as anything other than a tantrum.

Respect my authoritI!

It has been reported, and now that you’ve all seen the video, but it’s been reported that as soon as he got out of the vehicle he immediately began cursing. I would ask you, go back and watch that video closely. And that’s not what happened.(at 01:17:46)[1]

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist does have a point. Daniel Martin does not start his cursing immediately.

No, it takes Daniel Martin almost half a minute to begin cursing. Daniel Martin is the picture of self control. He ignores the welfare of the patient, and for what? A failure to yield ticket. Daniel Martin certainly seems to need counselling.

When the ambulance was stopped, it had pulled over for a vehicle travelling very quickly, probably in excess of the speed limit, but with only lights on, no sirens. Maybe, according to the Holy Stammering Obscurantist, this was wrong for the ambulance to pull over for a vehicle that has no more authority or requirements under the law than a private vehicle travelling onto the road. Or does that only happen with emergency vehicles transporting patients? Is speeding acceptable without the siren on. After all, this is the kind of thing Holy Stammering Obscurantists spend their time worrying about.

From here I do believe that Maurice White, Jr. was a bit too aggressive, but he does repeatedly back off and point out that they have a patient and they should deal with this at the hospital. Apparently logic is not a language that Daniel Martin uses, when his panties are bunched.

What is Oklahoma law on who is in charge in a patient care situation? I doubt it has anything to do with the lights or the sirens. I know that if I am the patient, I do not want Daniel Martin in charge.

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist states that he has gone through this video and broken this down a ton of different ways, then he states that when Daniel Martin yells at Maurice White, Jr., You get your a__ back in the ambulance is the first time that he shows anger, when just before that he was cursing at Paul Franks.

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist is a liar.

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist had a lot of time to prepare for this. The Holy Stammering Obscurantist states that he has gone over the tape many different ways.

Does the Holy Stammering Obscurantist think nobody else will notice his lies?

Then the crux of this, the Holy Stammering Obscurantist states, He is not complying with a lawful order.

Is it a lawful order, when Daniel Martin has been told that he is interfering with patient care? I do not know how the laws are interpreted in Oklahoma, but are troopers exempt from obeying the EMT protection law that had just been signed by the Governor? Are troopers allowed to interfere in patient care on a whim? This is something that can wait until patient care is transferred at the hospital, so is it more than a whim, that Daniel Martin addresses it right there on the side of the road.

Perhaps Daniel Martin should be transferred to the Department of Whimsy.

That’s what troopers do and that’s what police officers do. They follow the law.(at 0:20:00)[1]

Daniel Martin seems to pick only one law to follow at any one time. This does not appear to be a case of a trooper having any interest in upholding the law or of exercise any discretion, except as it serves Daniel Martin’s most primitive instincts.

Then there is more song and dance about allowing troopers to make patient care decisions, which is what this is about. How does the trooper’s medical training exceed that of the paramedic. According to the Holy Stammering Obscurantist, the ability of the trooper to enforce traffic laws is more important than the laws that protect patients. Maybe that is the way things are in Oklahoma. Maybe people like the Holy Stammering Obscurantist make the laws, there. That is a scary possibility. Maybe Oklahoma laws discourage troopers from making any intelligent decisions, such as let’s handle this at the hospital.

No, that was the way they ended up handling this. Maybe the Holy Stammering Obscurantist is just full of it. Well, that would be consistent with the rest of what he says.

If Mr White would have turned around and been arrested and let this matter be handled in the courts, where they’re supposed to be, we wouldn’t be here.(at 0:23:44)[1]

That is the Holy Stammering Obscurantists solution. Lawyers are the answer to everything. The patient is going to the emergency department, but it is not an emergency, because the lawyer has a bunch of copies of laws, that allow him to make this claim. What if the patient were to suffer a sudden change in condition, through no oversight of the paramedic, but just because things change? What would happen then? How would Daniel Martin handle that situation?

Would he curse at her?

Would he arrest her?

Would he get the Holy Stammering Obscurantist to stammer at her?

We do not know.

What if Daniel Martin had been given the finger by the emergency physician working in the hospital that night. would he arrest the only emergency physician caring for the patients in the emergency department without allowing for someone to take over care of these patients? Maybe. It is Daniel Martin. He can do anything. Right?

Daniel Martin would probably be behind bars, if he had taken Maurice White, Jr. into custody. Daniel Martin owes Maurice White, Jr. a tremendous debt. Daniel Martin probably owes the integrity of his sphincter to Maurice White, Jr.

How does Daniel Martin satisfy the responsibility for the care of the patient in the ambulance. Daniel Martin cannot.

Daniel Martin is exceeding his level of competence.

I would expect that a phrase like gross negligence would apply to this action by Daniel Martin.

At 24 minutes, out comes the handkerchief, which becomes more and more important to the Holy Stammering Obscurantist, who is acting like a Wholly Sweating Obscurantist. He does not appear to know where his towel is.

The Holy Stammering Obscurantist makes a bunch of statements that are misleading and draw unwarranted conclusions. He parses the written statements of the medic and the EMT, which are not completely accurate, but they do not have a video to base their statements on.

There were statements made by Daniel Martin, but they were not spoken immediately. The Holy Stammering Obscurantist claims that therefore these statements were never made and therefore the medic and EMT are lying. If you watch the video, Daniel Martin made these statements that the Holy Stammering Obscurantist denies were made, Daniel Martin just did not make these statements immediately. Oh my. Where did I ever get the idea that this liar is an obscurantist. I was wrong. I apologize. He has repeatedly lied. He is a Holy Stammering Liar.

The Holy Stammering Liar says that there is absolutely no reason to not comply even with an unlawful arrest. Just handle it in court. What would you expect from someone who makes money by running up court costs. Suppose that Daniel Martin is not depriving a patient of medical care, but actually attacking the patient, should that be handled in court? The difference is only a matter of degree.

Why didn’t he end up taking him into custody?(at 0:35:52 this question was not from the Holy Stammering Liar, but a question from the press)[1]

About a minute of attempts to change the subject by the Holy Stammering Liar, then he is asked the same question, again. Good reporter. Don’t fall for the bait and switch. Then some explanation that it would have been wrong to arrest the paramedic attending to the patient. The Holy Stammering Liar states that this would have left the county without a medic, never mind the immediate patient, so that was the reason the District Attorney decided that it would not be good to do as Daniel Martin desired.

Then the Holy Stammering Liar claims that there was never any consideration of the District Attorney charging Daniel Martin, that it was really Maurice White, Jr. they were considering bringing charges against. Of course the Holy Stammering Liar is probably just referring to the phone call from the scene – before the District Attorney realized how out of control Daniel Martin was.

There is a written statement from the District Attorney that he has decided not to press charges against Daniel Martin. If you listen to the Holy Stammering Liar, you might ignore that and believe these lies. They do not match up with the facts.

They were never in discussions that this trooper had committed any crimes.(at 0:37:50)[1]

After careful consideration off all facts and circumstance, it does not appear it would be appropriate to file any charges against White, Martin or any other person involved. Although, I do not condone their actions, I do not believe that filing charges at this time would serve the best interests of the public or the interests of justice.[5]

The decision from the District Attorney. Somebody who should be interested in punishing anyone behaving as badly as the Holy Stammering Liar claims Maurice White, Jr. was behaving. This decision is not to press charges against Maurice White, Jr. or against Daniel Martin. Why mention a decision to not file charges against Daniel Martin if nobody ever considered filing charges against Daniel Martin. If the District Attorney had never considered filing charges, why did he consider mentioning not filing charges? Is the District Attorney not paying any attention to the Holy Stammering Liar? Probably not. Maybe we should do the same.

Later the Holy Stammering Liar states that the patient is not an emergency patient, although the patient was transported to the emergency department.

The Holy Stammering Liar states that Maurice White, Jr. was obviously an extreme danger to society. One of the reporters asks why an extreme danger to society was released to continue to endanger society. The double talk from the Holy Stammering Liar is that the ambulance service would not have a medic.

But I thought he was an extreme danger. WTF?

Then he backpedals to something that is along the lines of, someone who is willing to fight to protect his patient is an extreme danger to society. The Holy Stammering Liar is beginning to suggest to me that David Konig may not be wrong about resisting arrest to protect our patients. I still do not recommend it. I would still allow the trooper to take me into custody and continue to try to explain that the trooper is depriving the patient of care, just as the traffic stop was depriving the patient of care in the emergency department.

During the questions at the end there is some interesting information that I did not see elsewhere.

Actually at about the 2 minute and some mark, he tells them, We’ll deal with this at the hospital. Go.(0:54:18)[1]

I do not hear that in the dashcam video. Can someone point out where Daniel Martin says this?

Witnesses have confirmed at the hospital someone had asked him What happened? and he says, I don’t know. I just came back from Iraq.(at 0:56:14 from a reporter)[1]

That initial incident, trooper Martin would have let that rode. You know, he felt they did it, but when he got the finger, he felt it was an intentional act at that point in time.(1:00:??)[1]

There were other, some other people you will see that didn’t pull over as quick either. He didn’t go after them. There’s 2 or 3 cars that don’t . . ., do similar to the ambulance.(1:01:??)[1]

When asked why Daniel Martin did not just file a complaint, rather than pull them over, he goes back to double talk mode and states, At that point he felt a crime had been committed. He is back at the point after the traffic stop claiming that the resisting arrest was the crime that justified Daniel Martin stopping the ambulance. The traffic stop happened before the resisting arrest. This press conference went on for over an hour of these kinds of ridiculous contradictory statements.

Again, the most up to date information seems to come from STATter 911.

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’s attorney holds press conference
News9.com
Video

^ 2 OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists
Rogue Medic
Article

^ 3 Governor signs EMT protection law
Associated Press
May 22, 2009 1:45 PM ET
News9.com
Article

^ 4 OHP Trooper Update III
Rogue Medic
At the bottom of the page is the dashboard cam video.
Article with video

^ 5 No charges to be filed in Oklahoma confrontation between trooper and EMS. DA wants incident to be used to open a dialogue. Urges OHP to release video.
Friday, June 5, 2009
STATter911
Article

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OHP Trooper Update IV – Holy Stammering Obscurantists

Holy Stammering Obscurantists?

Obviously, this is a Batman reference. Just to put things in the world of comic book perspective. A perspective where one side is pure and virtuous and not just defenders of the law, but self-sacrificing in serving those citizens the super heroes are supposed to be protecting.

Not in this case.

Maybe I have been spoiled. I have worked in places where the police actually contribute to patient care. I do not believe that mine is some freak experience. I believe that the police, while they may be even less fond of blood, guts, and vomit than those in EMS, are truly interested in helping patients. Police have friends, coworkers, neighbors, and even mothers.

Yet, the Holy Stammering Obscurantist wants us to believe that they forget all that once they put the uniform on.

Horse Pucky!

For some bizarre reason, Daniel Martin is presented as upholding the law by delaying patient care, just because the ambulance does not have its lights and sirens on. I admit, I do not know Oklahoma law, but it needs to be revised if a patient either has rights, or does not have rights, based on the amount of noise outside of the ambulance.

At the scene of a medical emergency, does EMS need to keep their lights and sirens on, just to keep from being written parking tickets by OHP? And that would just be the parking ticket. This Failure to yield ticket was coming with a free lecture about whatever Daniel Martin lectures about when delaying a patient’s arrival at the hospital.

I do not believe the medic’s actions were completely without fault. It seems that the Holy Stammering Obscurantist has been reading my blog in mentioning these. The crux of this is one, and only one, issue. Is it acceptable for Daniel Martin to delay a patient’s arrival at the hospital because his feelings are hurt?

He was given the finger?

And?

Gentle readers, I do not mean to alarm you, but your not so humble Rogue Medic has been on the receiving end of a New York salute more than once. On duty and off. This is not a big deal. It is not something I let interfere with patient care. Daniel Martin needs to grow a set and let his tantrum wait at least until they have transported the patient to the hospital. At the hospital, if he wishes to point out some unprofessional behavior, that would be the time for a professional to address this.

Daniel Martin is no professional.

Obscurantist?

OK. It is a fancy word for someone who contributes to a situation, not by helping to make things clear, but by distorting, misrepresenting, and obscuring what clarity already exists. The Holy Stammering Obscurantist is not doing anything other than serving the interests of Daniel Martin. The Holy Stammering Obscurantist is not presenting the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in a favorable light. I expect that many of those who are proud of working for OHP are embarrassed by the behavior of Daniel Martin. This does nothing to improve relations between OHP and EMS. Since this is not just an OHP/EMS issue, this does nothing to improve relations between OHP and the public.

Here is the thankfully abreviated video of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist spinning a web of misdirection, smoke, and mirrors. I know it is hot out, but is this press conference in a place without air conditioning? Are the lights that hot? Or is he just a kid who is embarrassed to be trying to make this case on camera? The Holy Stammering Obscurantist sure looks like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

There is much more information at STATer911.

There is a longer video of the entire press conference. Over one hour of the Holy Stammering Obscurantist. Fear not, dear readers. I will wade into that morass of double talk, chicanery, and abuse of common sense. If I do not survive, do not follow. There are some things too tediously moronic to even be contemplated, but I have a shovel and I intend to emerge from this with further information.

This is also covered by David Konig in OHP Trooper Defended By Apparently Constipated Attorney. Is the Holy Stammering Obscurantist constipated? Maybe. David Konig makes many good points, but there is one that I still disagree with.

Why should we be the ones to de-escalate a situation we did not escalate in the first place?

Because, just as whern we were little kids, misbehavior by another person does not justify misbehavior by us. Should we all behave like Daniel Martin, just because Daniel Martin behaves unprofessionally? No. We still need to behave professionally.

It is true that there are conflicting laws on this. It is a crime to interfere with OHP, when they are performing their duties. It is a crime to interfere with EMS while they are performing their duties. The Holy Stammering Obscurantist says that such things should be handled in court after the fact. That the court has not addressed this, therefore the Daniel Martin should ignore the laws that do not assist him in doing what he wants to do.

Again, Horse Pucky!

It is the responsibility of professionals to de-escalate the situation. A hostage negotiator does not show up and say, I’m not dealing with this guy. He broke the law. Hostage negotiators are generally not called until after the law is broken. They are called because they are professionals.

This is a case about professionalism, and the lack of it.

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

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OHP Trooper Update III

Some more information. Apparently there will be no charges against either the trooper or the medic.

The dashboard cam shows that the approach of the trooper was not as described by EMS. He was not tailgating the ambulance with the siren off.

The car in front of the ambulance pulls over and lets the ambulance pass. Was that car responding to the approaching sirens? That is the way it seems to me, but maybe the ambulance has the wig-wags on (alternating each headlight on and off).

The medic had stated in the video of his interview that his partner could not possibly have flipped the trooper the bird. I have not seen the interior of this ambulance, but if I am in the back providing care for a patient, I will not be able to tell. Ambulances are not designed to provide that kind of view.

When the trooper stops the ambulance, they are already driving on the shoulder long before the trooper gets to them, even though the trooper is not using the siren this time.

Why is he pulling over the ambulance now for something that can be handled at the hospital, assuming there is anything to be handled?

If the basic EMT did give OHP the New York salute, why did the trooper decide that this is the time to do something about it? Are relations between these departments that bad? Is he that sensitive? Is he upset about being treated this way in front of his wife?

The word I used in the first post is even more obvious in its absence in this video – de-escalation.

Should the trooper have stopped the ambulance?

If he did not know that there was a patient on board, as soon as he realized that there was a patient on board, he should have stated that he will follow them to the hospital and not bring this up until after patient care is transferred to the nurses/doctors at the hospital.

When it is pointed out to him that they are transporting a patient, he keeps saying, You’re not running Code. This same sentiment has been expressed by some EMS people commenting on the original video.

Using the lights and sirens has very little to do with patient care. Any state/region requirements to use lights and sirens for certain patients is just an example of people who do not understand EMS. The decision to use lights and/or sirens is up to the person providing care.

Just because the lights and sirens are not being used does not mean that the patient has nothing better to do.

Later, the trooper opens the door to the back of the ambulance and tells the patient, Ma’am, we’re going to get you to the hospital quickly. At the same time he has stated to the basic EMT partner that he is going to arrest the medic. He has called for back up to arrest the medic, right there on the side of the road.

When more police show up, they do not seem to have a problem with depriving the patient of care or with delaying transport. So the suggestion that the problem is just with trooper Martin is a bit silly. What would it take for one of the other LEOs on scene to say, Hey, this should be handled at the hospital? Did anyone other than family and EMS say this?

Has anybody made any arrangements for another medic to take care of the patient while the medic is in custody?

Absolutely not. If the trooper had, he should wait for another medic to arrive first. But this is an idiotic delay that could be completely avoided by just following the ambulance to the hospital.

Once he has arrested the medic, what will the trooper be able to do to fulfill his statement to the patient?

Will the trooper also arrest the patient, so that the patient will be able to continue in the care of the medic in the back of the police car?

Will the trooper use magical powers to cause the basic EMT to be able to drive the ambulance and provide paramedic level care to the patient.

This trooper is not behaving rationally. He has decided to make decisions about things he does not appear to understand even a little bit.

How about scene awareness? The trooper is surrounded by people who may be family of the patient in the ambulance. The patient he is depriving of care. How did he survive in Iraq?

The trooper is demonstrating complete disregard for the well being of that patient. Has he inquired about her health? Never in this video does he do anything to find out how she is doing. Opening the door to tell her,Ma’am, we’re going to get you to the hospital quickly, is dishonest since he clearly intends to wait for more police so that he can arrest the medic.

Does the video absolve the medic of responsibility for the way things developed?

I will devote a separate post to that question.

From STATter911.

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

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OHP Trooper Update II

Some further news from STATter911. OHP has completed its investigation. Maybe they will share the results, but don’t hold your breath. This video claims that there was an earlier scuffle between the trooper and the medic.

Of course, without releasing the dashboard cam recording, we can only continue to guess about what it might show. Why does OHP still withhold this recording if it provides anything that might improve their image? Right now, OHP probably has an approval rating about the same as subprime mortgage brokers, so they really can’t have much to lose.

I was originally surprised to see the behavior of the trooper on the cell phone video, but could the dashboard cam shows something worse?

Maybe the video recording is not the problem, but the audio recording is not what they want to be released?

As I stated, we can only speculate, but is that in any way good for the image of OHP?

OHP needs to demonstrate some responsibility and act as if they don’t panic at the sight of bad news. Maybe tomorrow?

This video has interviews with trooper Martin and paramedic White, so it is interesting.

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

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OHP Trooper Update

Still no indication that the dashboard camera recording will be released. It does appear that the claims that it had been erased were not correct.

STATter911 continues to be the most informative source on this. The comments are interesting and occasionally disappointing. Some people just want to jump to conclusions about blame. This is a case, where things are not simple. As an example, the civilian in the car is now being reported to be the wife of trooper Martin. He may have just returned from a tour in Iraq.

His wife being in the car causes one kind of frustrated response. No, I do not know OHP policy on this. The possibility that this is PTSD brings out a different kind of frustration.

We do not want to pile on to the experiences of combat, but we also do not want to make PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)[1] a Get Out of Jail, FREE card. If these updates are correct, I wonder how much it changes the desire to hit/resist/fire/ . . . trooper Martin?

Trooper Martin may be on paid leave. Whether it is voluntary is not clear and OHP is not really doing anything to suggest that they feel any obligation to the public to behave as a public agency answerable to the public that employs them to protect the public. From the start, this is a great case of how not to deal with the public.

One of the reasons to release the dashboard cam recording is to put an end to much of the speculation about what happened that was not recorded by the cell phone camera. It will not answer all questions. It may raise more questions than it answers, but there is no good reason not to release it. As has been demonstrated repeatedly, it is much better to admit mistakes, than to try to hide them. One would hope that OHP would have enough experience dealing with the mistakes of others to be able to recognize this.

Let’s take a poll. What do you guys think?

Bill Clinton – I did not have photographic relations with that dashboard camera.

Richard Nixon – Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I am not a photographer.

Emily Litella – Well, watch for yourself:

If that doesn’t convince you, nothing will.

Footnotes:

^ 1 Bryn Mawr Classical Review 94.03.21
Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. New York: Atheneum, 1994. Pp. 246. $20.00. ISBN 0-689-12182-2.
Reviewed by Sallie Goetsch, University of Michigan.
Full Text (short review)

This is an excellent book on PTSD. Not just relevant to warfare, but to EMS, police, and fire.

For some further reading (I have not looked at these cases in depth and I am not a lawyer), this information about self defense might apply. I still believe that the best thing to protect my patient is to refrain from any violence or resistance, but to continue to point out that the patient should be attended to first. They can always arrest me at the hospital.

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

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