Oklahoma cops unfamiliar with the purpose of an ambulance

[ryoder 1,590]

I'd like to hear one good reason they couldn't just follow it to the hospital, once they understood there was a patient in it.

http://www.policelink.com/news/articles/106718-highway-patrol-paramedics-argument-caught-on-tape?page=1&utm_content=pl_r1_20090529_paramedics&utm_source=nlet

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Rookie120 0]

I watched this video the other day and read some of the articles on it and I still don't know what the hell is going on.Who did what, pulled who over, and why did the guy end up in cuffs?

If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck!

[shropshire 0]

What ever the rights and wrongs of this story ... I do hope that cop doesn't need an ambulence in a hurry any time soon ...... Karma's a bitch.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Krip 2]

Quote

I'd like to hear one good reason they couldn't just follow it to the hospital, once they understood there was a patient in it.

http://www.policelink.com/news/articles/106718-highway-patrol-paramedics-argument-caught-on-tape?page=1&utm_content=pl_r1_20090529_paramedics&utm_source=nlet

Hi R

Great Link

Want to hear just one good reason The link is some kind of a LEO site there are 40 pages of all opinions for reasons why: someone should have, could have, would have, might have, will have, and was justified in doing what they did.

Stop resisting

One Jump Wonder

[FlyingJ 0]

We've talked a bunch about it at work (EMS agency). The paramedic was asking for it once he started acting like a dick. Both parties just doing their job. I never read whether the ambulance was running code or not. If they make the decision to run code 1 (no lights or sirens) than they are choosing a non-emergency transport and follow all traffic rules, which to me includes giving right away to a different vehicle running code 3. The driver stated that he didn't see/hear it until the last minute, which I have no trouble believing. His partner just overacted, which then caused the cop to get pissed, which caused the medic to get more pissed, etc.

Cops/EMS/Fire rely far too heavily on each other to let bullshit like this get in the way of the respect that is typically found between the agencies.

That said, in the area I work I've seen the cops go through dispatch to ask the status of an ambulance before pulling it over for doing something questionable. With a patient on board they've just passed a message on via dispatch. I'm sure EMS gets a bit of a brake (especially with local PD/SO, not so much with state patrol), but folks have gotten tickets, and people have certainly gotten their asses chewed by EMS supervisors who hear the back and forth on the radio.

Killing threads since 2004.

[Niki1 2]

Quote

Cops/EMS/Fire rely far too heavily on each other to let bullshit like this get in the way of the respect that is typically found between the agencies.

This looks like a time when everyone should be given a "time out." If it was an emergency, the ambulance should've had its' lights & siren going. If it wasn't an emergency, then it should've yielded to the OHP vehicle that did have lights & siren on. The OHP officer was on his way to help the county (sherriff's dept?). If that was so important, why would some one's failure to yield become more of an issue?
I thought that North Carolina was a third world country but it looks like Oklahoma hires puplic servants right out of grade school. Certainly not a high point in any of these peoples' careers.

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done.
Louis D Brandeis

Where are we going and why are we in this basket?