Looks like the OHP takes it on the chin yet again.

[Hoss]

And the same trooper from the ambulance incident, no less.

Can anyone say they didn't see this coming?

Time to relieve this guy of his duties.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20091004_12_0_HOLDEN353262

[Townsend]

Can anyone say they didn't see this coming?

I'm almost positive someone called this in the last thread about the OHP trooper.

It's paid leave again.

[Conan71]

A total shocker

[sgrizzle]

All court costs should be taken out of the paychecks of the people who thought it was a good idea to keep him around.

With a now-defined pattern of behavior, paramedic goes forward with civil suit in 3...2..

[cannon_fodder]

Time to relieve this guy of his duties.

Oh, I'm sure they will.  Lets say 3 months of paid vacation and 5 days off with pay.

Remember when the initial story was that the Paramedic stepped our of the ambulance and assaulted the OHP and then tried to leave?  The dash cam was going to show it all.  Then they wouldn't release it . . . then it turns out it didn't show what they said it did . . .but it happened off camera.  Without YouTube nothing would have ever happened.  Hell, with YouTube nothing really happened.

Previous thread (in which most people predicted nothing significant would happen and this cop would continue to abuse his authoritay'):
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=13532.0

Make sure we (I) don't jump the gun on this guy though.  He is vulnerable to someone taking advantage of the situation and some doubt must exist that he would be stupid enough to give an excuse for someone else to call "BS" on him.  If the allegations are shown to be correct (he essentially beat a bystander for not doing what he said), then there is NO excuse for him to be fired instantly.  

Odds of getting a dashcam video or any other hard evidence?

My guess, when the dashcam is inevitably requested they will claim it doesn't show anything relevant.  Which makes a pathetic excuse to not release it.  Round II . . .

[brianh]

I will be OK with him taking his paid vacation in jail like every other citizen, preferably a hard prison sentence in Big Mac to show other officers that they need to be civil. Certainly looks like two hate crimes to me, I think that is a special bonus.

[Conan71]

I will be OK with him taking his paid vacation in jail like every other citizen, preferably a hard prison sentence in Big Mac to show other officers that they need to be civil. Certainly looks like two hate crimes to me, I think that is a special bonus.

That or drug-related charges like, oh, I dunno, steriods?  Meth?

[patric]

And the same trooper from the ambulance incident, no less.

Can anyone say they didn't see this coming?
Time to relieve this guy of his duties.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20091004_12_0_HOLDEN353262

Aww, I didnt see your post so I added to the original...
http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/index.php?topic=13532.msg145186#msg145186

The story on News9's is much more detailed than the Whirld's.
http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=11255583

This time they are promising to release video -- after, of course, ample time to make the necessary edits...

Good thing we raised Turnpike tolls to cover for all these paid vacations.  Martins was much shorter than Rowlands (the Bixby trooper videotaped kicking a handcuffed woman).  Rowland was suspended in November and will continue to draw his annual salary of $43,500 at least until his misdemeanor trial in March 2010.

[DolfanBob]

Well we cant throw the "Race Card" at him. This time he assaulted a white man. Im pretty sure if it wasnt the same officer doing the assaulting, we would not heard a word about it.
I will give him this. He is a equal opportunity abuser.

[buckeye]

More documentation of Martin's inability to keep control of himself.

This is not the guy we want enforcing our laws.  Surely there's other work for him that will better suit his character.  Professional wrestling maybe?  Not sure what else he's cut out for...

[Breadburner]

Well we cant throw the "Race Card" at him. This time he assaulted a white man. Im pretty sure if it wasnt the same officer doing the assaulting, we would not heard a word about it.
I will give him this. He is a equal opportunity abuser.

No...But the dingle-berry a few post above was quick to toss it out there.....

[Conan71]

I saw Breadburner had posted and assumed he'd contributed a graphic along the lines of taking one on the chin...heh.

[guido911]

I saw Breadburner had posted and assumed he'd contributed a graphic along the lines of taking one on the chin...heh.

Me too. Come on BB, don't disappoint.   

[patric]

Whirled reporter Julie Delcour almost gets it, but she places too much emphasis on one freakshow and not enough on the corrupt environment that feeds the fire.




Roadside distraction
Did the long arm of law overreach?

By JULIE DELCOUR Associate Editor
http://www.tulsaworld.com/opinion/article.aspx?subjectid=61&articleid=20091011_214_G1_Troope432845

It took Catoosa's Blue Whale, Foyil's Totem Pole, a town named Hooker, Nowata's Bowling Ball Fence and the grave near Tahlequah of Mr. Ed, the talking TV horse, decades to reach the status that state Trooper Daniel Martin achieved in only four months.

Single-handedly, Martin's become one of Oklahoma's best-known roadside attractions.

Martin's defied that silly axiom about never getting a second chance to make a first impression. He made a fairly lasting impression in May thanks to a YouTube video viewed, at last count, by a million people. The video shows a May 24 roadside scuffle between Martin and a Creek Nation paramedic near the Okfuskee County town of Paden and the paramedic pressed against an ambulance with Martin's fingers squeezing his throat. Heard coming from inside the ambulance are the wails of a distraught female patient who thought she was on her way to the hospital for heart palpitations. The jumpy video, incidentally, was shot on a cell phone by the woman's son after Martin had pulled over the ambulance, believing its driver had cut him off and given a one-finger salute. Eventually the ambulance was allowed to go on to a hospital.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Martin's employer, probably would concede that the video incited the same level of outrage in the public that swirling red capes provoke in bulls. OHP began an internal investigation, taking its sweet time releasing a dash cam video from the trooper's cruiser. The official video was only slightly less inflammatory than the cell phone video.

A public outcry went up for Martin's head and his badge. He lost neither but was placed on administrative leave. Two months later OHP levied a five-day suspension without pay after determining Martin had exhibited behavior "unbecoming of an officer." Martin also was ordered to undergo an anger management assessment.

Aside from a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by the paramedic, Martin recently had slipped off the public stage. Now he's back for act two, which, for OHP, must be a public-relations nightmare. Last week, Martin returned to his old stomping ground — administrative leave — while the OHP conducts a new internal investigation into the Oct. 3 arrest of Kristopher Douglas, 24, of Holdenville, who claims Martin and Trooper Tommy Allen assaulted him for no apparent reason. Douglas, facing a misdemeanor charge of obstructing an officer, has filed a complaint against the troopers.

Jerry Ford, who lives where the arrest occurred, said Douglas was walking over to Ford's house to help him drywall when he was accosted. Luke Carson, the motorist who allegedly ran a stop sign and attracted troopers' attention to begin with, also was coming to Ford's house to help him drywall. With troopers trailing him, Carson had pulled into Ford's driveway.

Meanwhile, Douglas, not involved in the traffic stop, was trying to get to Ford's house. But troopers, Ford claims, kept insisting Douglas stand by the street. Events turned uglier when Allen allegedly grabbed Douglas' arm and placed him in a chokehold; Martin pulled out a retractable baton and struck Douglas in the back, according to Ford's account.

Neither Ford nor Douglas had known the names of the troopers but recalled the badge number of one. An Oklahoma City television reporter later recognized the badge, No. 606, as belonging to Martin.

Martin's attorney insists a dash cam will exonerate his client — that troopers acted professionally and prudently in subduing Douglas. So far, OHP hasn't released the dash cam recordings.

While the troopers are entitled to due process, they're not just ordinary citizens. They wear a badge. Because public confidence is important, law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard. Martin's unacceptable behavior in the May incident has created residual distrust not only for him but his employer.

Stories by Tulsa World reporter Manny Gamallo detailing the latest incident drew hundreds of comments, mostly unfavorable to Martin and to the OHP brass. The comments certainly aren't evidence but do indicate some public misgivings with the agency — at least in the Martin matter.

OHP may face some unsavory scenarios. If Martin is cleared and found to have acted appropriately criticism and suspicion undoubtedly will erupt — again. The balance of Martin's OHP career — no matter how long or short that might be — will be dogged with questions. Traffic stops he makes that evolve into force would — and should — be carefully examined. If Martin is disciplined again no punishment short of termination (or his voluntary resignation) probably will suffice for some of those following the episode.

Martin alone isn't responsible for eroding public confidence in OHP. But it is time for some serious agency introspection. Otherwise, all the perfumes of Arabia probably won't sweeten the hand OHP must deal with.

[cannon_fodder]

Martin's attorney insists a dash cam will exonerate his client — that troopers acted professionally and prudently in subduing Douglas. So far, OHP hasn't released the dash cam recordings.

The edited dashcam will surely show that Martin lost his temper and went on a power trip again did nothing wrong at all.  He will take a few months of tax payer funded vacation and be cleared of all wrongdoing with the excuse that the men recognized him and were picking on him.   At worst there will be a suspension and he will have to take a class on not beating parties not involved in a traffic stop.

What's the next major event coming up?  Maybe the day of the Super Bowl they'll release the video.  What's the hold up?

Honestly, if the video exonerated him they would have reviewed it, released it, and move on by now.  If they intended to do something significant they would have moved quickly to save face.  The status quo rains supreme.