Sooooo... my partner makes a traffic stop across town from my beat. I mosey his direction but he clears after issuing a citation before I arrive. Immediately after his stop is over, he's on the air asking for a Sgt. to 'Signal 8' (meet him) in a nearby parking lot. I hear the Sgt. get there... few minutes later the Sgt. is asking the dispatcher to leave a message for our techs to pull my partner's digital video in the morning. I'm assigned to cover my partners beat while he is 'busy with paperwork for a while.'
Oooooooooo... must be gooooood! :)
While I'm covering the second zone, the GPS shows that the duo spend some time at the station... then go to the hospital... Hmmmmmm...
THEN they go back to the station for 30 mins... I'm like a teenage girl waiting on the days hot gossip!
Finally - my partner clears and I'm released from my double duty. I immediately request a signal 8 of my own.
He shows me his video:
Seems like he was at a red light, and when it turned green he began to pull out but saw a car coming that was about to blow it's fresh red. The car hit the intersection at about 30 mph and made a HARD right hand turn, directly in front of my partner.
Of course a traffic stop ensues... before he even gets a word out of his mouth the lady in the car asks, "What's YOUR problem?" in a pretty harsh tone.
Now my partner is a master at sarcasm but he actually kept a lid on it for once and just said, "Ma'am... my 'problem' is that you failed to stop for your red light and nearly caused a collision..."
"Oh you're full of shit!" says the female voice from within the car. "I hit my brakes and you were so far back that there was no WAY I was going to hit you."
"Regardless, ma'am... you are required to make a full stop before continuing if you wish to make a right turn on a red light... can I see your drivers license and registration, please?" Our community is 90% well-to-do and upper crust so our professionalism is always being touted. I must say that I was actually pleasantly surprised at my partner for keeping his cool - but then again, he IS used to being on video...
"YOU DON'T NEED MY DRIVERS LICENSE, DON'T YOU SEE THIS?" again from the drivers window. My partner tells me that the lady points at the hospital ID clipped to the front of her scrubs.
"Yes ma'am... I see the hospital ID card... your DRIVERS LICENSE is similar in that it has your picture but it also has some other information that I need... most people keep them in their wallets..." I knew he couldn't keep the sarcasm in check for long... :)
There's some mumbling from within the vehicle then, "HERE!" a hand shoots out holding the DL.
My partner takes the DL and asks the driver to remain seated until he returns... she says something that I couldn't figure out as he walks away.
The partner returns to her car with a ticket in his hand.
"What?!?!?! You've GOT to be joking!"
He explains that he isn't...
"Are you SURE you want to do this?" She asks
He explains that it's already done.
"Well it's your funeral, sweetheart," from inside the car.
WHOA! He takes special attention and just says, "EXCUSE ME?"
"Give ME a ticket motherfucker? I'll be sure to remember that the next time you or one of your guys comes into MY E.R.... I'll be the one laughing while you lay on the cot dying."
I can tell that he want's to yank her out the vent window by her nostril, "YOU DO REALIZE THAT THIS TRAFFIC STOP IS BEING RECORDED, DON'T YOU????"
"Like I give a shit! Just remember WHO's in CHARGE once you pass those hospital doors... ASSHOLE. Give ME a ticket??? I guarantee you that if you or any of yours come to MY ER... you may as well call the undertaker - that's all I'm saying."
"Ma'am... threatening a police officer who is lawfully engaged in his duties is a FELONY in this state... you can leave now or I may place you under arrest..."
"HA!" says the bitch from inside the car. "Whatever!" and she peels away from the traffic stop, causing my partner to leap back from her car.
Of course, in the days before video this bitch would be visiting her own ER within minutes of the first sideways phrase that shot out of her mouth.
But today, the kindler, gentler police force that we are handles things a bit differently.
The sarge called the brass to give them a heads up, my partner wrote a report covering the threats... THEN the two went to the hospital where the charge nurse who manages the midnight shift was briefed and allowed to view the video with the officers. She assured my guys that there would be an IMMEDIATE disciplinary measure... she actually called the nurse at home in front of them and informed her that she was on 'Executive Leave' pending a complaint investigation, but did not give her any other details.
The charge nurse also called the nurses state licensing board (again in my guys presence - pretty cool) and suggested a suspension of her license.
Now, I guess the plan is that the detectives will complete some felony charging affidavits and attempt to get a warrant ASAP in the morning. The nurse apparently has a preliminary meeting with the hospital admins set for 10 am... our dicks want to be there with a warrant and perp walk her out of the hospital in order to make an impression.
Maybe I should make an 'anonymous' call to the paper to make sure the pics hit the print for Saturdays paper... Hmmmmmmm ;)
Regardless of what exactly happens later today... SHOULD BE INTERESTING!!!
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This is one of the best stories I have ever heard. Good job! That crap can't be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that's just insanity! I can't wait to hear how it plays out.
ReplyDeleteUPDATE: The nurse came in to the meeting with her tail tucked between her legs and very apologetic - said that she had a very bad day. Apparently she has been a stellar nurse for the hospital for over 20 years!
ReplyDeleteOur staff decided not to arrest her for the time being pending the outcome of the hospital's internal investigation (they can hold a misdemeanor for two years).
The hospital gave her an immediate 30 day suspension, with a status hearing planned for day 31.
It was 'suggested' to her that she resign and use the next 30 days to find another job - NOT in a hospital setting and NOT within 20 miles of her current facility.
The hospital was very direct in letting her know that her conduct was well short of professional and a call to the State Board would probably result in the loss of her RN license.
Surprising thing is that NO cops said anything to the hospital staff, but word got out that the nurse went ape shit ON VIDEO and was 1000% wrong. The nursing staff has actually been very apologetic to the police officers that go into the hospital.
I dunno. Sounds like you both behaved like children in a sandbox.
ReplyDeleteYou are good at your job. She is good at her job.
She was having a rotten day and spoke poorly, very very poorly.
Highly unlikely she would have actually failed to be professional were you or anyone else from your dept. to come in her doors, bloody and needing assistance, witness the prior track record of her team to render you assistance in the last five years.
Instead, you, who are an expert at reading people - stopped doing so -- and went beyond rolling your eyes and knowing when making a verbal threat in the heat of the moment and carrying out a threat days or weeks or months down the road when you are in a cooler and more rational frame of mind are likely or not -- and became vindictive to a degree.
Yes, she was wrong, both in her driving and her mouthing off to you.
Are the consequences she now faces worth possibly losing a 20 year career over?
If you put the shoe on the other foot, and there was ever a day when you in frustration, anger, hurt, disappointment, whatever -- did something stupid off the job -- would you find it reasonable for the brass to kick you to the curb for it after your 20 years of stellar service?
Would you think the person behind it was wholly justified and be okay with the end result you faced?
Nurse behaved badly. When you saw her and then subsequentluy ran her plate, you knew she was not a gang banger, a felon with a long rap sheet, a tweaker on drugs, carrying a firearm and brandishing it, etc, etc.
I simply think you could have been the bigger, better person in this particular case.
I don't envy you your job. I think there are many aspects about it that suck. I'm glad you have the willingness to DO your job, and protect me and others, etc.
I would not take threats lightly, nor should you ever be expected to.
I just think you have a good enough brain to know this was an empty one she was making, or your dept. would have been alerted to a rogue nurse at that E.R. a long time ago.
Gossip speads too fast in a small world where you are in and out of her doors regualrly for PD to not know if there was a nurse who had a chip on her shoulder about treating LEO.
I fully understand your thinking she deserved a verbal slap.
Do you still think with retrospect it was worth the knockdown she is getting?
I just always shudder thinking of what happenned to guys in the LAPD who were good at their jobs - and got slapped for things that goy waaaaay put out of proportion.
This is a good story with a great ending. The nurse may have been having the worst day of her month, and she decided to blatantly violate a traffic law then get mouthy about her violation to a cop - not too bright. She could have said that she was having a really crappy day, that she was dead tired and followed with an apology. She didn't. She made threats that she's in a position to carry out, and in her line of work her threats amount to malpractice at best; at worst, I think she could be arrested for conspiracy to commit murder.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm glad the hospital handled it the way they did. After all, does anyone really believe that this is the only time in her life she's behaved this way?
I had to come back and re-read this after seeing Mad Jack's comment. I never thought about it that way.
ReplyDeleteIf she has a pattern of being obnoxious and bullying and thinks she can get away with it - then the detectives and hospital coming down on her like that is karma coming to roost.
It's the '20 year stellar career' thing that made me think otherwise initially.
Can't wait to hear more - this is as good as watching Southland!