HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 04-21 Ruben Rosario: Two squad car videos, as different as night and day PIONEER PRESS Ruben Rosario: Two squad car videos, as different as night
and day
By Ruben Rosario rrosario @pioneerpress.com TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press
Posted: TwinCities.com
Easter people living in a Good Friday world.
Two local events last week reminded me of this saying on Christianity's holiest of weekends.
Both involve police interaction with the public.
On one hand, we have a lawsuit filed on behalf of a 25-year-old man who claims four
Roseville police officers used excessive force on him afger a traffic stop a year ago. Now
police, more often than not, would get the benefit of the doubt in these cases over the years
if it were a he said/he said situation.
But there's video.
The squad car camera shows a police officer aggressively grab the man, who got out of the
passenger side of the car with his arms raised, and slam him face up on the ground. The
officer lies on top of the man while Tasing him a few times as the officer yells, "Stop
resisting!" even though the man does not appear to be in a position to resist.
A female officer joins in and curses at the man to put his hands behind his back. She also
barks the "stop resisting" command a few times, which now starts to get me to wonder
whether this is more for the camera recording in the squad car.
With two officers on top of him while he is getting Tased, I would be surprised if the man --
who speaks little English and could be heard moaning -- could physically obey those
commands. Two other officers join in moments later; one is clearly seen kicking the prone
man with his knee and throwing a punch to his side. The video later captures the cops off
camera poking fun at the man's language barrier and calling him stupid in Spanish.
Based on what I saw, if that is not excessive force, I don't know what is.
"The delay of the vehicle stopping and the driver jumping out is each officer's worse fear of
being ambushed and shot," explained Gary Smith, a retired 32-year veteran cop who saw
the video several times. He served nine years as police chief in Northfield, Minn., and five in
Emporia, Kan.
Fear and survival mode kicks in, and several officers taking the man down and shouting at
him is the result of training, Smith added.
"Where I get concerned is, once the person is restrained and under control, there is no need
for force," Smith said. "No need for derogatory or demeaning language. I understand the
dynamics and why it happens,but law enforcement officers should be trained to manage
their emotions and act civilly,even if they are more inclined to take out their frustrations on
someone."
File this one in the Good Friday folder.
THEN,THE GOOD COPS
Then,refreshingly,is the story the same day about two Maplewood cops who saved the life
of a man from a burning car a few months ago.This one also was captured on video from a
squad-car dashboard camera.
Ronnie Christmas'car burst into flames April 5 after the vehicle went off the road and
crashed at an intersection.
Officers Clint Abel and Jason Marino rushed to the vehicle and pulled Christmas through the
driver's-side window.Then they snuffed out the flames on the victim's pants with their gloved
hands.
Last week,the two officers visited Christmas at Regions Hospital in St.Paul,where he is
being treated for third-degree burns and broken bones.Family members gave the two cops
plaques as gifts.
"If it wasn't for those guys,I would not be here,"a teary-eyed Christmas said in a local TV
news broadcast of the visit.
Marie Garza,who knows the two cops,said,"As a Maplewood resident and community
advocate,it is nice to see our police officers recognized for their heroic actions.
"We need to give attention to the good officers,"she added."Unfortunately,the attention is
always on the bad.So I hope people will see there are good officers in the community,and
next time you see one,thank them for the job they do every day."
Put this one into the Easter folder,which,thankfully for all of us,continues to be much
thicker.
Happy Easter.
Ruben Rosario can be reached at 651-228-5454 or rrosario@ pioneerpress.com.Follow him
at twitter.com/nycrican.