SM, where was your IMO? or even better your IMHO??

US Regions do seem to have an awful lot of local control over how the police forces are run. Is there any national standard when individuals states have so much power? That creates room for corruption and power trips.

I'm just thinking back to when we were in the states 20 or so years ago. I think I've mentioned it before on another thread. My childhood friend a US citizen who has lived in the US since the family moved there when we were kids was driving. She and her partner were taking turns in driving us across the US on a road trip. The road was clear, it was night, she wasn't speeding, there were no faults with her vehicle. The policeman flagged her down on a blue light. She slowed down and stopped right away. He put that awful light on and told her to get out of the car with her licence. He then took her into his car and they sat there chatting for about fifteen mins. There was absolutely nobody else around on that highway. The weather wasn't great and it was pitch black. Now when I mentioned this here before I was told that the policeman should not have made her get in his car. It seems that he was lonely or something. She thought it was very strange but went along with it. She's really engaging and friendly so we were then allowed to leave. But wtf was it all about? None of us are black but what if my friend hadn't felt safe getting out of the car? What if she had been alone?

So there is definitely something "funny" about US police in some of the more remote areas. In that it's easier to get on a power trip if that's the culture. A culture of anything goes when it comes to using that power. We used to have a lot of that in the UK but they stamped it out.

I don't see this as a racism issue but a corruption issue and poor training/culture in certain areas.

Last year the police killed 1014 people. Many of them unarmed.. just like George Floyd.

Last year 106 police were killed.

It looks to me like it is much more dangerous to be a civilian than it is to be a cop. Cops kill hundreds of completely innocent people every year. Just like that poor little kid who was killed for carrying a bag of sandwiches home to his family. Just like that poor nurse who was killed while sleeping in her own bed by cops who raided her home by mistake.
just like... Just like... Just like... the list is endless.

Everyone was wrong here.

The police officer was to blame for unnecessarily escalating the situation. Just like Chauvin, he let his ego (more than racial bias) get the better of him. At some point he let his rationality go and let his primitive need for authority take over. Bad cop.

The driver was also in the wrong. When the police lights went on in the cruiser, the drive felt it better to drive for two minutes to get to a well-lit, busy location where he felt safer. I am not sure why a grown man would feel the need to do this, but I was always taught as a woman to find a similarly busy and public location. What the driver's mistake was that he didn't call 911 to explain what he was doing or signal the police officer in some way to acknowledge him. By all accounts, it looked like resisting arrest. By the time he him over, the officer was royally ticked off - no excuse for a professional to lose his temper, however.

While the driver remained calm, he repeatedly did NOT follow instructions. The officers repeatedly asked him to step out of the car, which he refused to do. Stupid decision. I don't know why this guy is being lauded - he was repeatedly being defiant.

The next mistake was that the officer did not explain in a calm voice why he wanted him out of the car, so they got into a ridiculously circular argument. I have always taught my son to put his hands on ten and two on the steering wheel, keep his hands there, continue to address to the officer as "sir" and to ask permission for every step after that - from removing his seatbelt to opening the glove compartment for registration. Police have every reason to be edgy when approaching vehicles.

The exact wrong time to decide to take on civil rights is when you are being pulled over by law enforcement. Be respectful, follow directions, and save your argument for the courtroom, elected officials, and law enforcement itself.

The protocol for being pulled over for a traffic or other citation really needs to be standardized, and taught and tested in driver education. This video should be used to teach everyone what NOT to do.

BTW, riding the lightning is a reference to being tasered, not the electric chair. Inappropriate because it is vague and obviously unprofessional.

[/B]

Sorry SurferMom, but you are wrong about the phrase "riding the lightening". It is an expression from the film, The Green Mile. It is used in the film to indicate an up-coming execution. The cops who pulled the army Lt. over have since been fired. Critical in the decision to fire the cops was the use of the phrase "Riding the lightening". The police supervisor strongly felt that the cops should never have threatened to kill the army Lt.

We also have some Racist Coppers.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-street.html

I have always taught my son to put his hands on ten and two on the steering wheel, keep his hands there, continue to address to the officer as "sir" and to ask permission for every step after that - from removing his seatbelt to opening the glove compartment for registration. Police have every reason to be edgy when approaching vehicles.

The dirt is now coming out about the "victim" not least that there was a warrant issued for armed robbery. No doubt the police ran a check on the registration details of the car before the stop. Sounds like that error by the police officer was very fortunate indeed.