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MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
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Kaplony Offline
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MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2017...n-with-law

Quote:After over three million miles of driving and using my turn signals religiously, Ol’ Clark was pulled over for not signaling a right turn, giving me a chance to better understand how minority motorists feel when they are pulled over for the most trivial reason, or no reason at all.

Quote:On one recent evening, I left my gym half a block south of the intersection and, upon reaching the stop sign, I stopped and remarked to myself that I couldn’t believe there was no traffic in either direction. There was only a car a block behind me.

My stop had been total, not rolling. I turned right and headed toward Interstate 70. Within 100 yards, red lights flashed behind me, seeming to come from nowhere. I pulled over to allow an emergency vehicle to pass, stopping in the intersection with Bull Run Drive. Then I realized the lights were for me.

I was now blocking traffic onto Bull Run, so I rolled slowly forward to a shoulder wide enough for both vehicles. The move made sense.

Wrong move!

I’m lucky I didn’t get shot. Sirens wailed and when I stopped, two officers were out of the sheriff’s vehicle. When I reached over to turn off the radio and then take my wallet out of my pocket to produce the driver’s license and insurance card, I realized my hands were not at the top of my steering wheel. Danger lurked and official arrogance was to follow.

I had no idea why I had been stopped. I rolled down the window and when the sheriff’s deputy approached, my question was, “Why am I being stopped?”

“Because you didn’t use your turn signal back at Grace Lane.” And she added, “And you don’t move your vehicle when we stop you.”

“Hey, I was blocking a major intersection because I thought you were an emergency vehicle and traffic couldn’t move.” No answer.

Quote:I can fully understand how easy it is for police to make random stops. I have a rear bumper full of liberal bumper stickers and a dent. My car is old, with 425,000 miles, which probably makes me an aging hippie with a weed habit. So why not pull me over?

I’ve just come to appreciate even more the words of those minorities when they speak of harassment and police arrogance. I had a good dose of arrogance on this evening and, in my rear view mirror, the image of the second officer out of the car, his hands ready in case I made the wrong move. My life seemed to be in danger.

I fully understand how a person can lose their respect for law officers. When you are in the shoes of the minority, you learn a lot more about their journey.

Boone Co Sheriff Dwayne Carey responds (dash cam video included at the link)

https://www.boonecountymo.org/sheriff/cl...uttal.aspx

Quote:This is my response disputing the version of events written by Bill Clark in his Friday, June 30th, column in the Tribune, which involved Boone County deputies on a traffic stop in the Lake of the Woods area.

First, let me tell you I contacted Bill Clark before writing this. I contacted him out of respect; something he did not show me or our department before writing his column. We agreed to disagree on the facts of the incident and he told me he stands by what he wrote. He then asked me to speak at Muleskinners on the last Friday of August, which I agreed to do. Crazy stuff, right?

I also contacted the Managing Editor, Charles Westmoreland, at the Tribune to express my displeasure and advised him I would be writing a response to Bill Clark's column, along with releasing the video of the traffic stop. Mr. Westmoreland was very responsive to my concerns and asked that I email him my response to the column (http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2017...with-law).

Quote:When reading the column, I immediately began questioning Ol' Clark's claims. You see we have a simple motto at the Boone County Sheriff's Department of "treat people like you would like your mother to be treated". I know it seems simplistic, but you can never go wrong in any situation by living this motto; law enforcement or not. In the twelve and half years of being the Sheriff, I can count the number of formal complaints we have received on deputies on both hands and I don't know that I would even need the second hand! So, something just didn't add up.

With that said, my next step was to look at the in-car video, because we should all know by now that "the video" never lies. Of course, almost all of the videos pertaining to officer misconduct are of the short tidbit variety that never shows the entire incident; only the part that shines a negative light on the law enforcement officer. Well, you are in for a treat, because I have provided the entire unedited version with audio! Please take the time to watch the entire video, but I have to warn you it is pretty mundane in the middle. Be patient though, so you can see the interaction between Ol' Clark and the deputy at the end.

I spent most of my Friday afternoon in my office with the door closed watching the video and taking notes; play....pause....play....pause. I would peruse Ol' Clark's column and then compare it to the video. But, before I give you the facts and a brief play by play of the traffic stop, let me provide you with some context.

Quote:Ol' Clark turns right on to St. Charles Road off of Grace Lane. He doesn't use his turn signal, which is the probable cause for the traffic stop. The female deputy, who is driving, activates her emergency lights to get Ol' Clark to stop. Ol' Clark gets to the intersection and clearly steers his vehicle to the right, as if he is stopping for the deputy. You can hear the deputy put the patrol vehicle in park, you hear the deputies release their seat belts and the female deputy notifies Joint Communications of the stop location and provides the license plate. Pay attention to the intersection light, as it is red at the time. You will also see a four door Ford truck pull up next to Ol' Clark's Toyota, occupying part of the driving lane. Thus, his vehicle is not blocking traffic.

As the deputies begin to exit their vehicle to approach, the intersection light turns green and there goes Ol' Clark cutting in front of the Ford truck. In the law enforcement world that is an indication that the driver is going to flee. This is the reason for the audible siren. Ol' Clark does pull over and initial contact is made. In his column he indicates, "I'm lucky I didn't get shot". There is never a weapon drawn, the deputies don't take a position of cover, there are no loud verbal commands, no panic or anything else for that matter by the deputies. Would you agree this is sensationalism at its best? I say yes!

Our deputy identifies herself and provides the reason for the stop. Ol' Clark was addressed as sir a number of times and thank you was expressed at least twice, as the deputy asked for and waited for Ol' Clark's driver's license and insurance card. I kept waiting for the "official arrogance" that Ol' Clark wrote about, but I only observed a professional young deputy do exactly what I expect her to do; her job in a manner consistent to our motto. The field training deputy is on the passenger side of Ol' Clark's vehicle listening to the interaction, which is common for a two person unit and especially for a deputy in training.

Quote:The female deputy recontacts Ol' Clark, while the training deputy stays back in between the vehicles on the passenger side. You can tell Ol' Clark is becoming increasingly unhappy, as the deputy attempts to explain the summons she is issuing. Again, you will hear Ol' Clark addressed as sir and the deputy stays professional as Ol' Clark begins to escalate. Pay attention to the training deputy as he hears Ol' Clark raising his voice and becoming more argumentative. You see Ol' Clark being demonstrative with his gestures and he clearly indicates he doesn't want to hear anything further by asking for the ticket two different times. He does sign it, but obviously didn't like the fact he received the summons (i.e., the reason for the column).

The deputy also wanted to educate Ol'Clark on not moving his vehicle, but he wasn't in the mood for listening to the lesson. It is actually a good lesson for everyone, so I thought I would expound on the do's and don'ts. If law enforcement wants you to move your vehicle, they will tell you with loud verbal commands or over the patrol vehicle's public address system. If they don't tell you to move, then stay right where you are. If you pull off like Ol' Clark did, they are going to think you are attempting to flee and that will always raise heart rates!

The deputy finishes her contact by telling Ol' Clark to drive safely and she then thanks him. The nerve of law enforcement these days!

Quote:Did you ever see a point where Ol' Clark's life was in danger (other than when he cut in front of the truck)? What about that good dose of arrogance he received from the deputy who addressed him as sir and thanked him numerous times? How was he in the shoes of minorities as an elderly white male? Was he saying minorities don't follow traffic laws or was he saying they are argumentative when stopped by law enforcement? I don't know, but Ol' Clark was guilty of both. If he believes this is how minorities are treated, then minorities can be assured from this video that they will be treated professionally by Boone County deputies.

In his column Ol' Clark sings the same tune we hear so often, in that these "trivial" traffic violations should not be a reason for law enforcement to stop a vehicle or write a summons. Here is a quick Political Science refresher: law enforcement is in the Executive Branch of government, which means they enforce the laws. The Legislative Branch is responsible for creating and writing the laws. If people have a problem with what is deemed "trivial" traffic laws, then our friends down at the Capitol are the ones they need to be complaining to or about. The job of a law enforcement officer is to enforce laws, no matter if they are deemed serious or trivial and I can assure you the deputies at the Boone County Sheriff's Department are going to enforce them all.

Quote:In today's society we have an abundance of outlets for anyone to say anything, whether it is accurate or not. There is no controlling it and rarely does anyone challenge it, as it seems like a losing battle. I have been guilty of letting things slide myself. Social media reigns supreme for these inaccuracies, closely followed by television media. Apparently you can also find it in some columns in the Tribune! What happened to integrity, as I am afraid it is becoming a thing of the past? Unfortunately, there is a small vocal minority that dictates how our society operates, because they want to be and are willing to be heard. The larger silent majority group goes about their busy lives and never speaks up or stands up for what is or should be right, because it doesn't affect them. Don't you think at some point a line needs to be drawn and we have to say, "We are simply not going to let people say whatever they want and not hold them accountable"? As you can tell by now, I reached that point today.

Evidently "Ol' Clark" is angling for a job at #FakeNews CNN.
07-06-2017 06:29 AM
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Chappy Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
Well, SOMEONE was being arrogant, that's for sure.
07-06-2017 07:45 AM
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bubbapt Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
I was pulled over in Boone County for no particular reason.
07-06-2017 07:48 AM
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Crebman Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
Honestly, I think the newspaper dude went way overboard in his column looking to be slighted. I will say that in that situation, I would have been p!ssed over getting a ticket for failure to use a turn signal in that situation. Road dead ends into another road and you have to turn either right of left. No other driver to need to know your intentions. I guess it is technically a violation of law, but it's about the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 45......kind of chickenshit.
07-06-2017 07:50 AM
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200yrs2late Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
(07-06-2017 07:50 AM)Crebman Wrote:  Honestly, I think the newspaper dude went way overboard in his column looking to be slighted. I will say that in that situation, I would have been p!ssed over getting a ticket for failure to use a turn signal in that situation. Road dead ends into another road and you have to turn either right of left. No other driver to need to know your intentions. I guess it is technically a violation of law, but it's about the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 45......kind of chickenshit.

She might wouldn't have stopped him if she didn't have a trainee with her.
07-06-2017 07:53 AM
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bubbapt Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
(07-06-2017 07:50 AM)Crebman Wrote:  Honestly, I think the newspaper dude went way overboard in his column looking to be slighted. I will say that in that situation, I would have been p!ssed over getting a ticket for failure to use a turn signal in that situation. Road dead ends into another road and you have to turn either right of left. No other driver to need to know your intentions. I guess it is technically a violation of law, but it's about the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 45......kind of chickenshit.

Yep.
07-06-2017 08:06 AM
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DaSaintFan Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
(07-06-2017 07:50 AM)Crebman Wrote:  I guess it is technically a violation of law, but it's about the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 45......kind of chickenshit.

Technically? There is no technically.. you either violated the law or you didn't. The funny thing is... if he hadn't pulled the "take off" maneuver, he might have gotten off with a warning...

As the sheriff says, you may not like the law. but that's not his problem, his deputies are set to enforce the law. I can't wait to see the follow up of the columnist, if there is one.

And he's getting clobbered by the commenters at the Tribune... I'm thinking Mr. Columnist might be looking for a new newspaper to be writing for in the next day or two (or maybe as someone said, he's itching to join CNN?)
(This post was last modified: 07-06-2017 08:20 AM by DaSaintFan.)
07-06-2017 08:09 AM
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TigerBlue4Ever Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
This is what you get when liberals fail to grow up, bitter old white men comparing themselves to black people who have been mistreated.
07-06-2017 08:17 AM
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Kaplony Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
(07-06-2017 07:53 AM)200yrs2late Wrote:  
(07-06-2017 07:50 AM)Crebman Wrote:  Honestly, I think the newspaper dude went way overboard in his column looking to be slighted. I will say that in that situation, I would have been p!ssed over getting a ticket for failure to use a turn signal in that situation. Road dead ends into another road and you have to turn either right of left. No other driver to need to know your intentions. I guess it is technically a violation of law, but it's about the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 45......kind of chickenshit.

She might wouldn't have stopped him if she didn't have a trainee with her.

Technically she was the trainee. She had just returned after moths of military duty and the Sheriff says it's his policy that when employees return from months off that they ride with a FTO for a few weeks to get back in the swing of things.

That being said I imagine that since they were working the area based on complaints there still would have been a stop. When we would work areas based on citizen's complaints we kept detailed records of the time spent and officers assigned to working the area, stops made, types of violations and citations issued so that if someone says "I complained and y'all didn't do anything about it" we can counter with the details.

Perhaps had he not been an ass it would have been a warning, but warnings are at the issuing officer's discretion and when someone is being an ass to me I typically decided if they were going to be mad might as well make 'em really mad.
07-06-2017 08:26 AM
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UofMstateU Online
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Post: #10
RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff ...
This article shows the reason for the demise of journalism. Someone writes an article, without getting quotes or feedback from other parties, and just goes with it. If its something that the journalist is butthurt over, then presenting the unbiased facts are not longer important. Just spin the story so you feel good. Pull motives out of your ass.
07-06-2017 08:34 AM
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ark30inf Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
If an officer doesn't stop you for a 'trivial' violation, he/she gave you a gift.

You should never expect a gift or think that one is owed to you.

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07-06-2017 10:19 AM
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shere khan Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
Did the cop at least pistol whip him for being a prick
07-06-2017 10:37 AM
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DaSaintFan Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
ooh.. I feel bad for whoever has to answer the number on the article (I think they thought they were calling the Tribune newspaper):

Quote:The number listed at the end of the article is Mr. Clark's home phone. I tried to call to discuss the article with him, not realizing it was not a work number. Someone else answered. When I apologized for bothering him at home, I was told, "You already have." I again apologized and said I didn't want to CONTINUE to bother him at home, and was told, "Too late", before being hung up on. I was going to suggest everyone swamp his voicemail, but doing that to his home number wouldn't be cool. Whoever is stuck answering his phone this morning is not having a good day

I think someone might be needing to unplug a phone for a few days.

One of my favorite comments on the newspaper site though:
Quote:Hold up folks, let's give some credit where credit is due. Ol' Clark managed to spin a yarn that attempts to {1} discredit the police, {2} adds a pinch of "liberals vs conservatives", AND {3} throws a little race bait in there for good measure. I say, "Bravo" to you Ol' Clark.... way to swing for the fences. All of that, from a simple traffic stop for not signalling.... wow. CNN has some openings
(This post was last modified: 07-06-2017 12:42 PM by DaSaintFan.)
07-06-2017 12:36 PM
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DaSaintFan Offline
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RE: MO columnist "harrased" and "lucky he wasn't shot"....Sheriff responds
And the Tribune finally posted a response:

Editor's Response

My favorite parts:
Quote:Before we go any further there are a few facts you need to know. Bill Clark is an opinion columnist, not one of our news reporters. This means he writes from his own perspective and worldview, and doesn’t cover news stories.

Clark has been a columnist with the Tribune since 1956, and has published more than 2,600 columns in our paper since. He’s done much good over the years for Columbia and Boone County as a whole. His commitment to supporting diversity, youth athletics and social awareness has earned him widespread recognition. These facts certainly complicate matters, especially for me.

"he's a good guy.. really, he just made a mistake!"

Quote:When meeting with Clark today, he acknowledged he’d made a mistake in taking out his frustrations in his column, and for blowing certain aspects out of proportion. He’s not apologetic for how he felt at the time or the way he perceived certain things. He intends to write an apology that will publish in Saturday’s print edition. Clark came to the decision on his own, and I’m thankful he did. Everyone makes mistakes in this life, but too few own up to them

So... Mr. Clark's response: "I'm apologizing, but only because I want to keep my job"

They're 'suspending him indefinitely' (at least three weeks)...
07-06-2017 04:23 PM
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