The Price You Pay for Interfering

[Scaramedic]

Wow, the Captain acted a lot better than I would have. I would have lost my f'ing mind and defined a new level of resisting arrest.

Isn't it illegal in most states to interfere with the duties of an EMT? Why wasn't this dickhead brought up on charges?

Also I found it weird only one FF came to his aid, hell I've worked with partners that would've been sitting in the cell next to me.

Edit/Addenum: Watching it again I can't help but notice traffic was getting by just fine, so what was the issue of having a lane closed?

[CBEMT]

Last year a NJ statie arrested a fire chief for the exact same thing. No lawsuit though. The way the laws are written, he apparently has that right, and state PD policy is the trooper will re-open the road. Period, end of sentence.

[Dustdevil]

It's a sticky situation. The law says you have to obey a lawful order. That was not a lawful order. However, the law also says that you cannot resist arrest, even if the arrest is blatantly unlawful. That's what happened in this case, an unlawful arrest. Don't expect the ACLU to come to anybody's defence on it though.

But yeah, I too have had a couple of partners in my day who would have laid that arsehole out so cold that he would think he had been hit by passing traffic. The kind of partners that you are always worried are going to get you both in trouble someday with their take-no-shit attitudes, but you still feel a lot better having them beside you everyday.

God bless 6'6", 250 pound hotheads.

[Scaramedic]

God bless 6'6", 250 pound hotheads.

One of the partners I was thinking of was 45 yrs old, 5'6", 145 lbs and female. They would have to pull her off this idiot cop with a pry bar.

[mediccjh]

That's why I'm glad I also work in Pennsylvania. I, as a Paramedic, can close a highway, and the State Troopers can do NOTHING about it.

[itku2er]

I was in a little bit of hurry so my wife could get on-line before she was going to work, but what I was going to say is that it seems like the cop was having a power-trip-type of hissy-fit.

Good thing you let her online or she might have thrown a hissy fit on you.

Good story

[Richard B the EMT]

On an active roadway, FDNY will use a truck (ladder) company as a roadblock. I have not heard of any (so far) incidents between the FDNY, FDNY EMS, and the NYPD as described in this string, but have also not viewed the video.

[brentoli]

Reading the JEMS article, sounds like the officer has a history of being rude and abuseive. One of the reasons the jury said they entered the judgement against him. He has numerous complaints, and had a prior issue with using too much force in an arrest in 2002.

Sounds like a nice guy.

[Dustdevil]

That's why I'm glad I also work in Pennsylvania. I, as a Paramedic, can close a highway, and the State Troopers can do NOTHING about it.

But see, that's the problem here. What the law says the cops can do and what the cops will do anyhow is two completely different things. This is not really a problem with law enforcement. This is just a problem with rogue arseholes with attitudes.

[Cookie]

Most of the arses we run into are Highway Patrolmen, newbies fresh from the academy. They hate it when we ignore them or tell them that its our scene and when we are done we will release the scene to them. They soon learn. But we have never had a problem with one like in the video.