Trooper 10-38 Video

[Legal Assistant]

Saw this commented on in the Squad Room and just thought I would put my 2 cents in. I also heard that the Trooper video was staged and, quite frankly, I think it probably was. Rumor has it that the guy had a reputation of having a hot temper so he set up this little video to show that he could keep his cool. Now, the one thing that really struck me and made me think "yeah, maybe this WAS set up" was the fact that the whole time this guy is getting completely irate w/ this trooper, yelling at him, cursing him, and flailing his arms around the trooper never once calls for another unit. NEVER! That kind of made me think that the rumors of it being a set up were possibly true.

Reference the officer busting out the windows on the house that he thought was on fire. I laughed my arse off at that one! The sad part is that if the house had actually BEEN on fire, well, come on folks, fire + oxygen = bigger fire!

I came in a little late on the 10-80 with the blue cavalier tonight. I came in at the part where the officer kept screaming "put that stuff on the dash" and then said "okay, that's it" just before the subject took off on him. Did anyone else notice that later when he said that the guy had taken off on him he just said "a cavalier" and then the dispatcher had to ask for the color. Why didn't he give the tag!? And it seemed almost as if he hadn't called out with the vehicle beforehand or dispatch should have had that information.

Yikes, I think this post is too long. Sorry guys!

[ 07-17-2002: Message edited by: Legal Assistant ]

[WHC166]

If your talking about the video from Maine, it was a set up. The trooper in the video has been fired because of this and several other incidents. In this video, the trooper conveniently left the video off until his final approach. It was learned that during the initial approach he antagonized the driver, thus the beligerent behavior. THIS IS NOT A GOOD TRAINING TAPE!!

[John from Maryland]

"COPS" usually edits out identifying information on suspects. You usually won't hear complete tag numbers, names, or addresses on the show. On one episode, they went so far as to blur the face of a suspect's dog. The officer probably did give the tag number of the vehicle he was stopping.

[Legal Assistant]

I understand about editing out the tag numbers and stuff like that (although blanking out the dog's face is a little much, IMHO). What I meant, though, was that as a dispatcher I know that when my unit goes 10-38 with a vehicle I always run the tag (which he calls out with immediately) and it gives me the make, model, and color of the vehicle as well as the owner's name and, occassionally, the DOB. (In those instances I can go ahead and run the 27, 29 information for the officer before he ever asks for it). That's what threw me off. It's possible the tag was not on the correct vehicle and that could be why she had to ask the color of the vehicle. It's also possible that the 28 information didn't show a color (sometimes it doesn't). It just kind of made we wonder. I know, I know, I need a life! *lol*

[TexasGlockCop]

LA,
Each department does their traffic stops a little different (different phrases, 10 codes, sequence). Our traffic stops go like this:

2939B: "2939 Boy"
Dis: "2939 Boy, go ahead."
2939B: "10-6, Traffic"
Dis: "Go ahead sir"
2939B: "1000 Blk of County Road 257. 2-Lincoln-Nora-3-4-Mary. Blue, Checy Pick-up."
Dis: "2939 Boy, clear."

(after stop is completed)
2939B: "2939 Boy"
Dis: "2939 Boy, go ahead"
2939B: "10-8, citation issued"
Dis: "2939 Boy, clear"

We call out busy on traffic, give our location, the plate number (2LN 34M) and then the color. (i also give the vehicle type, dispatch can always run the plate to see what type of vehicle it is, but I like giving them the info to save time).

Then after the stop is completed, we simply tell them we are back in service and the dispostion of the stop.

I think that the trooper film can be used as training aid (even if it is fake). It shows that an officer should remain as calm, composed and professional as possible, no reason to make a bad situation better. Even fake, I have learned from it. View it for it's positive message, always be the professional.

[txinvestigator1]

I am neither agreeing or disagreeing that the video was faked, set-up, or that the officer was reprimanded, fired, etc.

I am curious if anyone can provide a source to confirm any of those allegations. With all of the internet hoaxes and urban legends, and knowing how rumours FLY through the LE community, I tend to rely on facts.

Anyone have a link?

I remember a "man w/ a knife" call that turned out to be 12 year old with a butter knife. His mom was chasing him around the car after she discovered he pulled the knife on his sister.

Mom had a belt and was slapping the @#$% out of him with it.

Rather than draw down on HIM ( I was 40 ft away) I yelled at mom to step back and let us (I had a in-car partner) handle it. She did, kid drops knife grateful that mom isn't wapping him anymore, partner moves in to grab kid just as third officer I had not seen yet draws down on the kid and starts screaming at him. We get kid in custody, blah, blah, I mention to 3rd officer he was a little late, nuff said.

By the time I get off that evening story has it kid has a butcher knife swinging at me, backing me up and I fail to draw. Thank goodness I had a partner as I was still on probation.

See my point?