I hate to write this. I have 2 nephews who are LEOs and I was one for a time. Feces like this bothers me, a lot. Is this what LE is like today?
My brother recently ( a year ago) found out that he is epileptic. He recently got his drivers license back after having it taken from him and was driving on a highway in Mass when he had another seizure. He drifted over into a car on the left and pushed the womans car into the barrier. Then he assumes he drifted to the right where his car was stopped by a barrier there. The woman stopped to render aid and call the police for “assistance”. One showed up and my brother assumes he was unresponsive as he was still having the seizure, so the cop called for backup. He was told that at one point 5-6 state troopers had him on the ground and were kicking him while he laid there unresponsive. Maybe they can demonstrate that modern medical technique to hospitals and such: I’m sure it’s effective. He came out of the seizure restrained to a gurney in the hospital with a statey screaming at him inches from his face, and spit flying. His common law wife showed up and told the nurse he’s an epileptic, and the restraints were removed and the state police evaporated into thin air. Today he is heavily bruised, is missing part of his ear, has lacerations from the restraints because (so he tells me) epileptics don’t feel pain and what ever was used for restraints were clearly sharp edged (cable tie type cuffs?). He has no feeling in either hand and one of his arms is swollen. He kept saying over the phone, “It’s a good thing they didn’t hit my chest or I’d be dead.”. He has an aortic graft (?) and a blow to it can rupture it for instant death.
He was carrying at the time (legally) and now the state cops don’t want to give his gun back to him (Massachusetts!). So far he has gotten this from them, “Can you prove it’s yours!??” and “What if you go into a fit again and start to shoot people up?”. FWIW, he’s owned that 1911 for over 40 years. He has a local PD detective working to get it back for him. But what assholes these Massachusetts State Cops are! My words to my brother were," At this time, with everything happening, what the hell were they thinking!??". He told me that the local detective said the exact same thing. Do they really think they’ll get away with behavior like that? They must know that their jobs are on the line at this point. Even if he had been on illicit drugs (It’s my assumption that’s what they thought) how does that beating help the situation?
My brother might not remember what went on until coming to in the hospital but he has plans to see every one of them again at a time and place yet to be agreed on. (If you get my drift) He can’t work and is going to be forced to go onto disability for at least a time. The nice part is that he has witnesses, and in this day and age someone might have video if all of the dash cams and cop cams somehow mysteriously “weren’t working”.
I was a cop 40 years ago, but is this typical for LEO behavior today? If so it’s gone severely downhill in the 40 years since I was wearing the uniform. I know my nephews aren’t like that, I’ve discussed it with them, but are they surrounded by this low caliber of LEO? I don’t think my local cops today are like that or I’d have heard about it.
You know, I think some cops abuse the authority and if that were the message I would likely side with it. Most everyone I know has had a bad experience with police.
That said, the current defund the police movement isn’t justified. It’s like attacking every cop for the actions of a few. And just curious, don’t epileptic individuals have some sort of ID on them for the condition? I know you can get medical bracelets that show this condition
Wow, that’s terrible. I’d tell your brother to seek the services of a lawyer about a possible “section 1983” civil rights suit. Here’s a brief explanation of it from a California lawyer (it’s a federal civil rights law, so it applies in Massachussetts as well):
Joe, I don’t know about the ID. I happen to agree with you about the present defund the police movement and my brother also understands that it’s not all police and he still supports LE in general.
But one would think that with 5-6 cops there at least one of them would think clearly.
The questions posed in my post were mine alone. It just pisses my off because the treatment they gave my brother is found in no medical text for either drug usage or medical conditions.
It’s not just Massachusetts man. This shit is going on everywhere. Must be new training techniques or something. I quit supporting them a while back.
It is everywhere.
I am so glad I never got into law enforcement… i really wanted to for about 10 years. Came very close.
I have no problem with most officers. But holly hell… i have run into a few that were just assholes. Ok, they were beat up in school… how do I know this? Because I knew them then too…
I get the impression a lot of what’s being seen lately is due to a lack of training. At a minimum, LEO’s should be able to immediately recognize the difference between a bonafide threat and someone having a medical crisis.
Roid rage?
A ways back I noticed the newbies were getting noticeably bigger and edgy. Some do it because they are dealing with shit that’s been working out constantly for 10-15 years. Maybe a bit less with good behavior.
IMHO.
Sorry to hear that @BrianK. Especially, as you said, with everything happening in the country right now. I support LE in general but don’t support that kind of behavior. I think it is more of a training issue than anything in most cases like this. When you’re trained to be a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
My brother got his 1911 back. He was forced to go through some sort of BS red tape over multiple days to do so, but got it done. It seems that the Stateys can’t shake the thought that epileptics are crazy people who all of a sudden “lose it” and just go berserk shooting up the place. My brother suggested he, using his effort and time, get them free training so that they know how to handle folks with grand mal seizures, but that was turned down. They’d rather hurt and possibly kill people rather than train officers in what their job is; helping and saving people. But maybe the stateys just see themselves as law enforcement and not peace officers. How sad.
I was told that he still supports local law enforcement, but dealing with the state police is like dealing with the mafia. According to him, they lie but can’t tell the same lies, and they deny folks their rights if they can get away with it. He came away from this having no respect for them. But he thinks the world of local law enforcement. It seems to me an attachment to the community they serve means a lot, that was my take away as he was talking, and his.
Somehow, I’m not surprised they don’t want to learn from their mistake. I still think your brother should consult a civil rights lawyer. And if he ever sues, I’m wondering if a settlement provision could include mandatory training. But I doubt they would ever want to agree to anything like that.
I got the impression that the olive branch offered and rejected meant that something more was coming. He wanted to get his 1911 back before any other moves. He’s had that gun for 40 years and it meant a lot.
Part of the BS routine was an officer there who asked my brother, “I’m not on top of the laws for transferring guns in Mass’, how is it done?”, of course that was pure BS. So bro’ told him he wasn’t sure either, but he’d go to a FFL dealer and let them handle it to make sure it’s done correctly. “Oh, ok” was the BS response from the statey who feigned ignorant of the law. So to today my brother, just to prod the lion a bit, printed out all of the relevant Mass’ law regarding transferring of firearms to help in the officers education. You know, just to be a helpful citizen . I would have loved to be a fly on the wall as he handed it off to the officer wearing the uniform but not “knowing the law” . This happened AFTER getting his firearm back in possession.
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. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall as he handed it off to the officer wearing the uniform but not “knowing the law” 