Kennedy 0 #1 April 8, 2007 http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl040507khmorrell.346aaf71.html QuoteNew Orleans Councilwoman has run-in with State Police New Orleans City Council member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell (District D) was under fire Thursday for allegedly abusing her power by driving dangerously in a city SUV, and then yelling at a state trooper who pulled her over. Hedge-Morrell issued an apology for the incident, which happened on February 26, when a state trooper clocked the councilwoman flying down I-10 at close to 100 miles per hour just before 9 a.m. Morrell was reportedly in a city-provided SUV and using the vehicle’s blue flashing lights to help cut through traffic. State Police said when they pulled Morrell over and asked her to step out of the vehicle, she refused, and said “Do you know who I am?” Morrell told the trooper that she was on her way to an important meeting with FEMA officials. A similar incident involving Morrell occurred in January. Morrell was not issued a ticket, according to State Police. In one report, investigators said troopers showed immense restraint with Morrell since they did not arrest her. On Wednesday, Morrell issued the following statement regarding the most recent incident: "I was rushing to a meeting with FEMA about the Holy Cross issue. I was driving beyond the speed limit. I deeply regret the incident and will try to be a better driver in the future." At Thursday's City Council meeting, Morrell sat stoned-faced and declined interviews with the media. However, she read a statement taking full responsibility for her actions. "...When I taught children, I always told them to step up and take responsibility when you make a mistake. Admit what you did wrong, and only use the word 'I,'" Morrell said. At a bus stop in her district, residents voiced disappointment and anger. “She should face the consequences,” said Gentilly resident Louella Richard. “That's what it was, she was abusing her power.” The blue lights in the vehicle are allowed only for law enforcement, but many politicians have them in their government cars because they are often driven by police. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to use them,” said Councilman-at-Large Arnie Fielkow. “I think we need to make sure we as council members obey the law.” "a state trooper clocked the councilwoman flying down I-10 at close to 100 miles per hour just before 9 a.m. Morrell was reportedly in a city-provided SUV and using the vehicle’s blue flashing lights to help cut through traffic." Someone please tell me why in the hell a council member's take home car has blue lights on it. Even if it is driven by police acting as chauffers, it's common sense that those cops are not going to answer calls when driving politicians around.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DZJ 0 #2 April 8, 2007 I'd hope that a politician so disorganised (as to have to break the law in order to make up time) would be kicked out of office at the earliest opportunity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,150 #3 April 8, 2007 A politician who thinks he/she is above the law... Dog bites man. Must be a slow news day.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #4 April 8, 2007 Thinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #5 April 8, 2007 QuoteNew Orleans City Council member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell (Cynthia McKenny. There must be something in a name. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #6 April 9, 2007 what party is she in - half the people here won't know whether to defend her vs call for the death penalty without that info. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idrankwhat 0 #7 April 9, 2007 Quotewhat party is she in - half the people here won't know whether to defend her vs call for the death penalty without that info. What about the third half of us who care as little about this as they do Anna Nichole's alien baby who just shaved her head prior to being held "captive" by Tom Cruise. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #8 April 9, 2007 QuoteThinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. How about all teh cops who get away with killing people in really unjustifued circumstances? A cop is in a political job. Happens accross teh board, usually these things getswept under tho. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #9 April 9, 2007 Hmmmm seems to happen in all sorts of settings with all kinds of differing people. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #10 April 9, 2007 QuoteQuotewhat party is she in - half the people here won't know whether to defend her vs call for the death penalty without that info. What about the third half of us who care as little about this as they do Anna Nichole's alien baby who just shaved her head prior to being held "captive" by Tom Cruise. We look at it and say "Meh" and then go back to making our sweet sweet peanut butter and honey on toast snack ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #11 April 9, 2007 QuoteQuoteThinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. How about all teh cops who get away with killing people in really unjustifued circumstances? A cop is in a political job. Happens accross teh board, usually these things getswept under tho. That is one of the most blatantly ridiculous statements I've ever read on this stie or any other (except maybe conspiracy sites - maybe). Being a cop is not a political job. You're not elected, you don't make policy, you don't have terms in office, and you're subject to FAR more oversight and held FAR more accountable than any politician. We're talking about irresponsible politicians using tools made to enforce the law so that they themselves can break the law. Who pissed in your cornflakes. Or did a cop just happen to find you when you were guilty of something. Shame on them for catching you. In my experience everyone who hates cops does so because a cop caught them doing something wrong and made them actually pay the consequences.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #12 April 9, 2007 > Thinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the > tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. Happens a lot. I know half a dozen cops who would probably let me off because they knew me. When Amy was a resident, she got off once because (in the cop's words) "I might be under your knife one of these days." I knew several retired cops who heeded no traffic rules whatsoever, since they were effectively immune to tickets. Doesn't surprise me that many elected officials get the same treatment. Ideally it shouldn't happen, but this case (caught, was abusive, got off, apologized) seems like a pretty minor case. The drunks that get away with driving drunk because they're important worry me a lot more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #13 April 9, 2007 Quote> Thinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the > tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. Happens a lot. I know half a dozen cops who would probably let me off because they knew me. When Amy was a resident, she got off once because (in the cop's words) "I might be under your knife one of these days." I knew several retired cops who heeded no traffic rules whatsoever, since they were effectively immune to tickets. Doesn't surprise me that many elected officials get the same treatment. Ideally it shouldn't happen, but this case (caught, was abusive, got off, apologized) seems like a pretty minor case. The drunks that get away with driving drunk because they're important worry me a lot more. That's one reason why I like living in Raleigh, NC so much. Both Raleigh PD and the State Troppers in the area will arrest just about anyone for DWI, no matter who they are, including cops and gov employees. They still may use some discretion for minor violations (like they do for stops with al sorts of folks), but if you can be arrested for it on the road, these two departments will likely hook you up. The respect I have for any LEO who will arrest another LEO when it needs to happen is immeasurale.witty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,465 #14 April 10, 2007 QuoteThe respect I have for any LEO who will arrest another LEO when it needs to happen is immeasurale. I agree with you. Though it is unfortunate that it doesn't seem to happen too often. Specially within the same force. I know lots of great police officers, who truly believe in what they do. There are however also quite a few who see their badge as a get out of jail card, a way of being able to break (relatively minor) laws. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #15 April 10, 2007 Quote> Thinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. Happens a lot. I know half a dozen cops who just want to point out that Kennedy's post noted "get away with murder" how many cops do you know fit that? I think we have a balancing act for cops - we want them to use judegment and discretion to 'keep the piece'. But we want them to also enforce equally. Tough job. And clear to see vs the abuse we are REALLY threading on here about. It helps when the cops actually live in the neighborhood they are responsible for and get to know the citizens on a personal basis. Which sounds like your half dozen. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #16 April 10, 2007 >just want to point out that Kennedy's post noted "get away with murder" >how many cops do you know fit that? I was assuming that he was using that phrase as a colloquialism, not in the literal sense. Perhaps I was wrong. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #17 April 10, 2007 QuoteThat is one of the most blatantly ridiculous statements I've ever read on this stie or any other (except maybe conspiracy sites - maybe). Because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not true. QuoteBeing a cop is not a political job. UH huh. You represent the city, county, state, so it is political. If I break into your house, I have committed at least tresspassing. If a cop does it, it's a constitutional violation. If I do something stupid, t embarrasses me, if a cop does it, it embarrasses the jurisdiction fro which he works and they probably get sued. QuoteYou're not elected... No, but your bosses are andguess who you have to please? Quote...you don't make policy,... You make policy and law in that you decide who gets cited, who gets arrested. This is called officer discretion and it is usually skewed. This discretion is so far reaching that it exacts policy and statute, they just hide it behind this notorious discretion. Quoteand you're subject to FAR more oversight and held FAR more accountable than any politician. HUH? Do I need to post all the accounts of cops getting slapped on the hand for killing people, if not outright exonerated? QuoteWe're talking about irresponsible politicians using tools made to enforce the law so that they themselves can break the law. Who pissed in your cornflakes. You were talking about public servants breaking laws, I just included another public servant who also gets the same relief. Sorry I hit a nerve. QuoteOr did a cop just happen to find you when you were guilty of something. Shame on them for catching you. In my experience everyone who hates cops does so because a cop caught them doing something wrong and made them actually pay the consequences. I just tank my lucky stars I have your experiences (all 20something yeas) to guide me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #18 April 10, 2007 Hey, are you and Willard the same person? Guard you honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #19 April 10, 2007 QuoteQuote> Thinking they can get away with murder is nothing new, but using the tools of law enforcement to do it - that just pisses me off. Happens a lot. I know half a dozen cops who just want to point out that Kennedy's post noted "get away with murder" how many cops do you know fit that? I think we have a balancing act for cops - we want them to use judegment and discretion to 'keep the piece'. But we want them to also enforce equally. Tough job. And clear to see vs the abuse we are REALLY threading on here about. It helps when the cops actually live in the neighborhood they are responsible for and get to know the citizens on a personal basis. Which sounds like your half dozen. This is a great point. This is why the courts lt cops get away with murder; they want to keep them ready to act w/o thinking about criminal consequence. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #20 April 11, 2007 QuoteHey, are you and Willard the same person? Guard you honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. It's a quote from a great series of books... are you going to start asking everyone with "BSBD" in their sigline if they're all the same person, too?Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #21 April 11, 2007 QuoteQuoteHey, are you and Willard the same person? Guard you honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. It's a quote from a great series of books... are you going to start asking everyone with "BSBD" in their sigline if they're all the same person, too? W/o looking it up I figured it was litterary or from some old war monger. It was levity, jebus. Not irony that you pick the post that was just for fun rather than a substantive one. As long as you follow the chant of Fascist Ronnie and stand up for R brothers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RoadRash 0 #22 April 11, 2007 Quote The drunks that get away with driving drunk because they're important worry me a lot more. I agree, those are the cases that scare the hell out of me and unfortunately I can name a few cases where the cop pulled someone over, took them to the station and when state senator daddy showed up, kiddie went free...even after causing property damage...... ~R+R...~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Fly the friendly skies...^_^...})ii({...^_~... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kennedy 0 #23 April 11, 2007 QuoteW/o looking it up I figured it was litterary or from some old war monger. Do your homework. She doesn't seem like much of a warmonger to me. Lois McMaster Bujoldwitty subliminal message Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards. 1* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucky... 0 #24 April 12, 2007 QuoteQuoteW/o looking it up I figured it was litterary or from some old war monger. Do your homework. She doesn't seem like much of a warmonger to me. Lois McMaster Bujold I couldn't care less, it was a cute thing to say that you and Willard have the same sig, hence sam person. Just a joke. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #25 April 12, 2007 QuoteIt was levity, jebus. So was mine...sorry it didn't 'click' for you..Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
