COPS IN GOVERNMENT-RUN SCHOOLS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
The firing of Richland County, S.C. deputy Ben Fields in the aftermath of his violent arrest of an unruly female high school student was no surprise. Anyone who watched the video clip of the arrest – or soaked up the ensuing national outrage – knew exactly what was coming. And for the record, we think it was the right decision.
Whatever disrespect or “resistance” Fields was shown by the student in no way warranted the reaction we all saw on tape … even if some of the students who taped the takedown felt it was justified.
Seriously: Imagine that was your daughter getting manhandled like that?
Having said that, there are some valid arguments being made in opposition to Fields’ termination.
The most compelling one? That it will place other law enforcement officers at risk.
Let’s make something clear up front: We think it’s beyond depressing that South Carolina’s failed government-run schools have become so unsafe that sheriff’s deputies have to be dispatched to patrol them.
It’s embarrassing … and more to the point, it places the public at risk as these officers should be on the streets protecting life and property, not babysitting high school kids.
But if hundreds of Palmetto lawmen are going to be diverted from their core public safety obligations to address the increasingly out-of-control failure factories our state government refers to as “schools,” shouldn’t their safety be an issue as well?
And doesn’t Fields’ termination potentially create a situation in which other misplaced law enforcement assets could find themselves under siege – even targeted – with no recourse for defending themselves?
Hmmm …
Again, we’re not about to make excuses for Fields’ conduct. He got what he deserved. But that doesn’t change the fact our government-run schools have become war zones – creating fresh taxpayer obligations on top of the billions of dollars already shelled out annually on the nation’s worse government-run school system.
And we’re not sure this situation is going to make things any safer …
As we’ve said all along, we believe in putting the free market in charge of education. We believe instruction, testing and accountability, transportation and yes, security obligations would be far more efficiently discharged by a system in which parents had choices.
And if “security” was mishandled – as it clearly was in Fields’ case – the market would take care of that.
What do you think? Vote in our poll and post your thoughts in our comment section below …
214 comments
When the government treats kids like criminals, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that some of start to act that way.
Sure, some of the kids are losers by virtue of having loser parents, but to your point Sic Willie- somehow we got to a place where we have government enforcers inside government schools.
Some people might claim its the breakdown of society instead of the expansion of government, a virtual chicken vs. egg debate.
They are made criminals in the home by hate-filled idiots, like you…Then sent to public institutions – that I pay for -for decent people to deal with…you IGNORANT and Backward, leftwing Fuck…
It’s YOUR fault…Dumbass…quit blaming everyone else for the Fucking mess you have made….
You’re turning our country into UNFIT-for us who have Built it…And you’ll only realize it, when the animals turn on your Stupid ass…and they will, eventually…
Please leave the country, for God’s sake. Panama is taking in retirees in, and they have good Internet so you can still post.
My Dad’s first oversea posting in the Army was in Panama. I have these super fotos of his time there. He was single, and this was about 1938-1939 (not sure of the date yet). He could have been James Cagney’s twin…
I found some black & white fotos of this long, shiny black car. There was a different beautiful girl standing by it in each foto. This was a time when the women wore those nice dresses with the short high heels — classy looking. As I kept finding these ( all of the pictures I’m sorting through were in boxes, and some are from the War Between the States).
Dad was cool dude with the car and the women! Then I found one with no girl in it. I looked on the back and there was a typed note glued to it — it read, “General’s Car” ..!!
Cool you have pics. Mine didn’t have any – guess Okinawa was too hot that month. :) – and when he was called back in 1950 he was too busy paying off the local Charleston courts for vice arrests on crew members to take photos. But I bet he had fun!!! I was in Panama a couple of years ago, that place is messed up. There is all sorts of condo development going in the capital (including a Trump Tower I might add) and all are empty. You ask locals where the money is coming from they say the canal. You ask others in the Latin American financial services business, they’ll say yeah – the coke canal that runs from Guatamala to the US border – it’s a huge haven for cartel cash.
Thanks, …. very interesting! By the way, my Dad was the top Army recruiter in the US several times. Somewhere I have the newspaper clipping about his getting 45 guys in during one month!
Did you get some time in Germany as a kid? My parents had friends over there from their time at USAF base in Chateroux, and in Crete, so we would go visit. In college it was great to visit a friend of my parents everytime I was in Europe, she’d give me her ration of cigs from the PX at Bitburg. Was always amazed in Germany, you couldn’t spit without hitting US Army guys. And nothing sucked worse than getting stuck behind a US Army truck on the autobahn. Those bastards in their Mercedes would never let you get left to go around.
We were there in Frankfurt for two years. Visited Holland, other places, and several castles in Germany which fascinated me. Dad also took us to visit Dachau on a grey, overcast day and we were the only visitors. I was about 10-11 then — had nightmares that night. Also had some other adventures there…..
45 Guys in one Month – that’s more than Flip and Tango get.
Your pathological projection is disturbing, you really should seek help.
The internet is exacerbating your problems.
Go get some sunshine.
Start raising your kids as your kids and not as your best friend. The blame for 99% of the problems in schools with kids leads back to their parents.
+ 1.000
You won’t get any arguments from me-
But, having to have officers in a school is symptomatic of a bigger problem, and loser parents/parenting and their kids are never going away.
We had them 100 years ago, just like today. But, 100 years ago there weren’t being forced into high school….
Good point on compulsory attendance!!!! Taz and someone else also mentioned that on another related thread. The idiots being forced to stay in school are not learning anything, and they are sure as hell making it harder for anyone else to learn.
I will say that while you are corrrct sbout there always having been loser parents and kids, there are a whole lot more of them now, than 100 yesrs ago.
Fallout????..the fucking animals are running the zoo….and the people see it…as you remain ignorant…
You smile w/ approval every time an officer of the law is shot down in the streets-on the order of your ugly Scandal in Che if…And you are giddy with sick delight as this man is sacrificed on your alter to the false god of Obama…
But the fallout, hopefully comes in Nov. 2016…when you get the SHIT slapped out of you from the American people, who are awake to the realization that ignorant Fucks like FITSNews are turing this country into a Third-World asylum…where the most fithy-corrupt and evil are raised upon high…
The problem is everyone wants to stand on one extreme or the other.
Some defile the police for ever using any form of force.
Others, such as yourself, believe that NO officer, no matter their conduct or the circumstances involved, should EVER be called into question for their actions.
The reality is that each instance has to be judged on it’s own circumstances and background, including what doesn’t get captured on video.
I think he’s more disgusted with the selective outrage, and the flesh-ripping nature of the very corrupt media, who feed their lust and hate because this thug gave them the bait.
You ignorant fucks have your head up your ass when it comes to the evil and crime that has been generated by liberalism and your Greedy leaders. You are so repulsive in your sloth and hate for our country, while you get filthy rich off of our toil.
And that sickens all good and just people.
Thanks Flip. Nice finishing touch. Adds class to the thread.
No one smiles when an officer loses his life while on duty, if that’s do to a violent confrontation (31%), or a heart attack or car accident (40%). So just get over that false narrative you whining little bee – aach!!!!! And I’m sick and tired of your assertion that someone the Federal Government or the President of the United States is supporting lawlessness, when nothing can be further from the truth. If Fields fell victim to a perception in this country that some cops are riding rough-shod over the laws and appropriate responses, people didn’t make it up. Is there an issue here, yes. But it is in part the fault of those “bad” officers (of which Fields is not) – who have poisoned the well for everyone. And until you’re able to objectively look at an issue and analyze it to determine workable solutions, you’re just as much of the problem Instead of sitting on your fat ass talking about “your country” becoming a third world crap hole (news flash jerk off – SC is close to third world all on its own) – and use the word shit in caps, and typle LMAO – you are accomplishing nothing to help solve the issue. So either offer up some real solutions, or shut up and go away. To many of us actually work constructivcely in our communities to help solve issues, to let you sit around and bitch at everyone like your some anointed supervisor. Now run along, I’ve got work to do.
“COMMENTS CLOSED”
Why? What is Folks afraid of?
Perhaps he has been threatened — they’ll turn his street into a washboard road. Oh! Just like Bub Shumpert Road in Pelion — o my god..!!
OK. I get ya. You mean comments to that one post.
Maybe some extremely heavy shit is going down, concerning the road tax situation, and Will wants to “curate” a bit on the comments made so far. Such a deviation from the norm, in my opinion, means that far from a normal situation has developed.
see buzzman comment…
What???
They appear to be open.
We wouldnt need Police in schools if kids were taught to respect their teachers. As it is kids disrespect the teachers without consequences. The consequence was too harsh for that young lady, BUT she should have been permanently expelled from school or in the least suspended for a week.
This incident happened because the teacher and principal could not prevent this young lady from disobeying the rules additionally she wouldnt leave class when requested by the teacher and principal. Even IF the police were not in the schools would it have changed the outcome – maybe. BUT how should it have been handled without an SRO there ? If they cant make her stop disturbing the class and the education of the students who want to be there how then should they deal with unruly kids ??
Yeah, teenagers rarely act out.
It was excessive force, and the punishment did not fit the crime.
Also, schools act in loco parentis taking the place of parents. The adults in this case were not looking out for the best interests of the child.
I hope every black mistreated physically by a cop will raise hell, call the press, and sue the pants off the white authority figure.
Moreover, I hope every black in South Carolina gets a dash cam or video cam, for Christmas so that they can record the blatant hateful thread that still weaves through our society.
Blah, blah, blah. We’ve heard it all before. Same nauseating BS about race and cops.
First, you have to define “excessive force” to make your argument. You can’t just say it. Second, there was no “punishment”. There was merely a refusal to comply and a quick apprehension.
What rock have you been living under? BLM is all over the place raising hell already, calling the pressing, and suing all over the place. It’s being done as we speak and has been going on for over a year now.
I agree with you on the reason for having sro’s in schools because of disrepect to teachers. But, we have gone over board and have them in every school now even the ones with no problems. Lets talk about the elephant in the room. The schools with the problems are the ones with government subsidies housing. The low income children come to the schools with an array of problems and usually no fault to them but their parents. Life skills are not being taught and they bring the street skills they learn from lack of supervision into the classroom. The bottom line that everyone has missed is that the go in lady should have handed the phone over when asked or left the classroom when asked. The action of the Sri is still not justified, but the end answer is they both acted like animals. Sad part of this is most the students in the government housing are black children. These kids have become products of their environment. This is where Jesse Jackson should focus on teaching life skills. Although all the children in government housing are not unrul and lacking life skills. What we are seeing now is the government housing students are breaking our schools down and have our teachers giving them the attention they seek
What exactly were the details of the disturbance this teen caused? My understanding is that she refused to give up her cell phone. How “disturbing” would it have been to let her keep it and write her up later. My guess is that the teacher was focused on bringing the kid to heel and didn’t waste any energy on creative thought or maybe s/he wanted to make sure the administrator knew how s/he was suffering in the classroom. Whatever, s/he certainly showed no love for this student and probably not for many of them.
Why is FITSNews AVOIDING a report on last night’s debate???…
i think we all KNOW why…LMAO…
PALMETTO TAX HIKE DEBATE — no comments allowed!
Hearing rumblings from very reliable sources that the deputies are very restless and the troops are turning on Leon. This is about to get interesting.
I don’t blame them one bit. That this would be the last straw of his selling them out, one at a time, for his personal greater good, would be quite understandable.
“Seriously: Imagine that was your daughter getting manhandled like that?”
What if that was your daughter in the video? Would you be more pissed off at the officer or your daughter? What would your reaction be toward her disrespect to the teacher, school administrator and resource officer? My old man would have found the resource officer and shook his hand. I would have also been required to apologize to the teacher, the school administrator, the resource officer, my class, and the school.
Coach would have whipped my ass after school and my Mom would have done the same when I got home. Little princess got what she deserved.
The pig got fired…he definitely got what he deserved.
If that was my daughter that pig would be bacon.
Here’s the real shame to that stance, and I fully understhand your feelings about it. We now have two people negatively impacted over – a cell phone. The girl through her attorney and foster mother – claims to have been traumatized. The officer, who apparently was loved by the vast majority of the school community, is out of work. So Richland County loses a cop. No one wins anything here. I think we could all agree the officer could have handled it better, and I’m sure if he were to speak, he’d say as much. I’m sure the girl would say the same. But now, the officer will be penalized outside of the scope of true corrective action, and the girl will ultimately be awarded for her bad behavior (which probably wasn’t that bad) – in a disproportionate manner (like say $150K). Oh, and the teachers who lost control of their class, will get a raise.
Exactly! The real question in our minds would have been whether it was before or after the ass-whippin’ we would have received, which would have been several orders of magnitude greater than what the cop did.
If my daughter was interrupting school and then refusing to listen to a cop telling her to leave or else, I’m not sure I’d be that upset. Obviously a child acting that way is in need of a real wake up call.
It’s interesting that the most obnoxious resident trolls on this site constantly say it’s overrun with liberals. Yet so far the voting is leaning in Dep. Fields’ direction.
I voted that he should not have been fired. I agree that his termination sets up a potential serious problem for maintaining any type of discipline in the public schools. Maybe a compromise solution of some type could have been worked out. But we’ll never know, now. The die has been cast.
That’s the point. Admit it was handled incorrectly. Review and revise the procedures. Suspend the student. You could have pulled the chair out of the room, she’d probably have gotten up as the kids started laughing. Or let her keep her cell phone, and deal with her after class. The teachers ultimately should be held accountable for having control of their classrooms.
You have all the contingencies in order and accounted for there, Rocky. What else should a teacher do to have “control of their classrooms” if a student refuses to comply with a request to leave?
Let her sit there, call in the VP and the resource officer if needed, and when class ends, take care of business. And I’m not saying I had all the answers. What I’ve been saying is a) obviously the rules of engagement need to be revisisted so admit that and take the action necessary (not fire the cop), and b) disipline the girl accordingly. But at least admit that the procedures need to be amended. That’s why you study them, to find the correct options.
See, this is what I’m saying. You’re pretending like all the contingencies are under control. I agree that something like that certainly COULD have been done, but would things have necessarily ended better? Who knows. At the very least maybe there wouldn’t have been any students to film the possible use of force to remove her and this thing wouldn’t have blow up, but it’s still a minor point. Maybe the class had just started so there was no waiting until class ended to be done. Maybe she was so defiant and disruptive that no more time could be wasted. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe….These are all minor points of contention that don’t detract from the fact that this wasn’t really that big of a deal on its own. It’s only a big deal when it goes worldwide and the video gets played over and over and over.
Well it is a big deal because obviously you need to address the procedures in place. I’m not commenting to the actual incident. I’m saying, move past it, take corrective action and move on. A reprimand for the cop, suspension for the student, whatever – but what needed to be put to the public was, we need to address the procedures going forward.
I have never commented before, but as a former Richland County deputy, I feel compelled in this instance, and I apologize in advance for the long comment.
I do not believe Fields’ action was a fireable offense. First, if we are all honest with one another, I think we can agree (well, most of us may agree) that absent a racial component this incident is not a national headline, and in fact, it may not even make the local news. This is a parent-teacher meeting, at best.
The facts are straightforward. A disruptive and disrespectful student refuses to comply with the teacher’s request to leave the classroom and thereafter, refuses to comply with a school administrator’s request to leave. A deputy sheriff is requested to remove the student on grounds of disturbing schools. Verbal persuasion fails, and the deputy goes hands-on. The student is combative, the deputy jerks her out of the desk, drags her to a position where he can apply cuffs and effects an arrest. The deputy is uninjured. The student is uninjured. All bystanders are uninjured. The only two adults in the room– teacher and school administrator– support the deputy’s action and believe his use of force was appropriate under the circumstances.
Enter a video that some find “disturbing”. National “outrage” ensues by some and a deputy is fired for an improper maneuver technique. That is weak ladies and gentlemen, very weak. Let me be clear, the carefully choreographed one-handed pressure point restraints that you see on cop television shows that seem so clean and effective are pure fantasy. In reality, there is no gentle or artful way to restrain or remove a non-compliant or combative subject. It always has the potential to and often is a messy event that won’t play well on video.
In short, placing a white deputy in a predominantly black school in today’s political climate created the conditions for a “no win” event, such as this one. It was a tactical error by RCSD with strategic implications. I also think it is revealing that the vast majority of Sheriff Lott’s press conference was dedicated not to the the deputy’s conduct, but rather to placing deserved fault on the student, noting Fields’ strong support from the school, and the fact that the other two adults in the room believed his actions justified.
Why are you a former deputy?
Left what I love doing for a better paying occupation. It was a hard choice, but children require sacrifice (as I am sure you are well aware if you are a parent).
I’m sure you were hoping it was because his nickname was “dropkick”.
I would never expect an honest answer if it was.
I find context important though.
Thanks for your comment. Very much appreciate your perspective.
Thank you for weighing in on this Lucius. I am in complete agreement on all points. We the public send children to schools knowing that the school administrators must deal with all issues on campus. If my daughter had acted like the young suspect, I would have expected nothing less from authorities once a response was required.
The best commentary I have seen on this is The Spring Valley Arrest Video Isn’t Disturbing: Here’s Why by David French.
Link:http://www.nationalreview.com/article/426142/spring-valley-arrest-video-police
Excellent! As I noted previously on related threads, the stuff they teach in the magical land of make-believe, better known as the “Training Division”, DT, etc, is mostly bullshit. It works perfectly almost every time after partners are appropriately choreographed with, “your left foot here, your right foot over here, and your hands like so”. It also helps when your DT partner doesn’t wish to inflict any harm on you. When you are in a real physical confrontation with a person who is likely trying to hurt you or at best, doesn’t care if they hurt you, with arms flailing, you do whatever works at that moment. Fortunately, most such encounters have not been the subject of viral videos butwith the advocacy of more and more body cams and related rubbidh by people such as Fits and spineless Agency heads such as Lott, watch for a skyrocketing increase in unjust firings such as happened to Deputy Fields.
What are the short and long term consequences for a young adult having a conviction for disturbing the school?
Disturbing schools is a summary level offense under S.C. Code Ann. 16-17-420. The penalty includes a fine not less than $100 nor more than $1000 or not less than 30 nor more than 90 days in jail.
As far as the “long term consequences”, that is hard to say. It will likely vary widely by individual. But if your beef is with over-criminalization within the broader criminal justice system, you may find that I generally agree with you.
We’re tracking. That is exactly my beef.
If you do not act like an idiot there are no consequences!
In a just and fair world. So….
Unless, of course, the student is a juvenile, which most are. In those case the ramifications are very light.
While you obviously support Fields’ actions, you say that the event is “not a national headline”, more more a “parent teacher conference”. Why does it have to be criminalized in the first place? A fight in school (not thinking of this one) is now a criminal offense. The actions of thousands of minors in school now result in a criminal conviction and sometimes incarceration whereas in the past they were dealt with with the administration. I think a careful cost/benefit discussion about “resource” officers in schools is overdue.
The cost benefit should fall on the parents that raise these unruly children.
A fight in a school has *always* been a criminal offense. Schools simply never reported them to law enforcement.I’m not saying they should have, but few laws have changed in that regard.
??
It has to be criminalized now because SRO’s have to be called in because teachers and administrators are no longer allowed to touch (even hug) students due to a history of unneccesary lawsuits that led to overly politically correct systems that will, because of this instance, now bleed into the police force.
Once the public deems every action by a police officer as ‘brutal force’ and lawsuit after lawsuit ensues and is of course, won, then where will we be? Right where we are today. Why have any type of authority? Why have laws? Everyone does what they want anyway, or gets paid well if they are not allowed.
Well said, Lucius!
I hope you are not on any LE force anywhere if you think LE should treat any person, any citizen anywhere who has no weapon and is not a physical threat to anyone in the manner that this kid was treated.
Cops like you and Fields are the TRUE manifestation of a TRUE police state where a citizen can be assaulted for not following directions. The only thing missing in your police state is control by a political leader. A police state is fine as long as you’re running it, right?
You’ve created it, you’ve managed it all on your own and under the radar…until, one of these incidents happen and you get caught on camera…again…because you never learn, you never learn.
Did you see the district news conference? Didn’t Fields get banned from all district property? Is that ‘strong support?
I just hope they put the administrator back in a classroom for a decade or two after he has had some effective classroom management training. He surely has no business in the position he has now.
I won’t address the ad hominem diatribe littering this comment. But I will touch on one factual assertion. My statement of “strong support” from the school. I should have clarified that support existed prior to this incident, as indicated by Sheriff Lott in his news conference. Thanks for pointing that out.
I wouldn’t expect you to be able to recognize that what you appear to think is the only way to police is a police force managed police state.
Please see my below comment in response to Rakkasan (second paragraph, second sentence). It may clarify to you my position on the topic I think you are raising.
I guess any time an officer has to use any type of force then that means we’re going down the road towards a police state, huh?
one mouth-breather
You are such a fruitloop. Fact doesn’t seem to be something you pay any attention to.
Well said!
Thank you for your comment and I agree. I would be THAT firm with my own child had they responded to me that way. She had the opportunity on several occasions to comply but did not. There’s no telling that, without his firm and decisive response to move her to an open area, the harm she may have inflicted on the other students.
It would have sent a strong message had he remained in that school. Had that happened, imagine the command for respect of authority figures and the order in that school.
No, Lucius. You are wrong. That sort of force should be reserved for violent situations. I know you LEOs feel like you are empowered by God to use abuse, you are not. No one’s life was in danger until the girl’s head bounced on the floor.
If someone else did that to their children you would arrest them. Why isn’t the cop under arrest?
Enough with the hyperbole and stretching of the facts on this. It’s getting mind-numbingly nauseating having people like you make this into something it is/was not.
There is also a fair bit of fact-stretching, minimizing, and hyperbole in Lucius’ comment as well, e.g. “the student becomes combative”,”drags her to a position…:, “officer goes hand-on”, “jerks her out of the desk”, frequent use of quotes in effort to delegitimize responses and reactions to the incident. And, it becomes a national story because a substantial number of people in this country right now are sensitized to abuses of force and power by police.
Wait, so the student didn’t become combative, the officer didn’t drag her to a position of apprehension, didn’t jerk her out of the desk? Those are simply descriptions that go either way and don’t attempt to paint a false narrative if in fact they are true. That’s a far cry from saying “you LEOs feel like you are empowered by God to use abuse” or “her head bounced off the floor”. Also, I don’t see his quotes as being anything but actual quotes of buzzwords/phrases we’ve heard around this situation. It doesn’t appear at all that he is using those to delegitimize anything.
The use of the word combative legitimizes (or attempts to) the use of swift, strong force, vs resistive calls forth a reaction of less severe force. Yes, I have difficulty with he actions while seated as combative. I think this use of language comes from lots of experience in writing reports to show the reader that your response was wholly appropriate and necessary. “jerks her out of her chair” in no way accurately captures the force, intensity, and violence in flipping her upside down. “Dragged to a position” fails to capture the intensity of force used. It was more like she was tossed–very reckless. Again, this is “in the know” LE language that experienced cops get very good at and administrators and DAs are very familiar with. Lots of professions do similar things to justify and support their decisions and actions. Think any profession that gets called on the carpet a lot–and sued a lot.
another mouth-breather.
That is why Police Officers should stand back and be reactive. No one cares for personal accountability any longer,they look for scapegoats. This student is the type individual that parents are raising today with the consent of government.
The deputy may have been a little to agressive but let someone act like this to a Judge in a court room and see what follows. People no longer raise children,they produce them and I personally hold the Democrat Party in America responsible.
I was with you until that last line, I’m pretty sure that any political affiliation is pretty much scum and they are all in bed together. The problem we have on our hands is not political, its social. It is a problem though.
Excellent post, Lucius.
Good to know you support tossing unarmed teens across the room for sitting at their desks.
Also good to know you support an officer with a history of complaints and court actions due to abusive conduct while wearing the uniform.
Sheriff Lott was dead right in getting rid of this sorry excuse for an officer. Good riddance. America was rightly outraged as well and witnessed yet another example of law enforcement abusing the trust and power placed in them.
Yeah lol, you were definitely a cop. This mock report you put so much time into is filled with so much typical BS cops put in their reports my stomach is turning. There’s so much to what you wrote that is questionable, I don’t even know where to start. Any halfwit attorney would have a field day with what you wrote. “Combative” “Hands-on” “Verbal persuasion fails” “Drags her” the idiot threw her fracturing her arm and inducing back and neck injuries, yes she was injured and its all on video. Fields got what he deserved and your little mock report as an ex-cop is worthless. Even Fields admitted to he was wrong and could of handled the situation better.
I believe she was 160 lbs.
It is good to have a willing doctor on payro… er, retainer, and/or the stuff to make casts, drawer full of cervical collars, etc, on hand. These props help bolster your case and increases the chances that your client will hit the ghetto or trailer park lottery.
well maybe if it were your kid you would think differently
But he’s not. He is a competent, articulate, intelligent, adult. Last time I checked, adults are supposed to be running most things, not the children.
All rant, all the time. No solutions, any of the time.
No, privatizing schools isn’t a solution to this problem. The private schools won’t have a problem with it, they will just throw the kid out, same with special needs and underperforming ones.
And what is wrong with throwing a disruptive kid out of school? If a child is constantly acting out in school they clearly don’t want to be there or they have some underlying issue that can’t be treated by the school, so yes, they need to be thrown out. Public school is free but instead of people treating it as an institution of learning they use it as a babysitter, a free meal, medical care and everything else they think should come along with it. The only thing a school should offer is an education. They aren’t there to treat psychological disorders or family matters, all that falls back on the parents. If a child doesn’t want to go to school and they are forced then they will become disruptive. Kick them out and have the parents home school them. Heck, nowadays they can even take classes online to receive their diploma…and it’s free!
We heard that argument about not getting the schools into “social service” work (actually, it was “that’s DSS’s job, not the schools'”) back in the 90s. Only problem was, and is, kids bring their world to school with them, good, bad, or indifferent. When that becomes a barrier to learning, it is irresponsible to just turn away and say that helping reduce those barriers is someone else’s job, especially when you know for fact that “the other person/agency” is not going to do it. My point from the earlier post is that the public schools can’t be as selective about who they retain in school as private schools. The bar for acceptable behavior and performance and ability is a matter of apples and oranges and will not ever be the same. Given that, to compare what they might for education in general is misleading
What is the status of the student? Suspended or expelled? What kids seem content with these days is having a total lack of any type of respect. The community sends you to school to learn so you can become a better person. The idea that education “sucks” is a disservice to yourself as an individual and any offspring you may have. If I were the school board I wouldn’t expel the student, but she would have in-school suspension until she was blue in the face and all of her assignments were completed for the rest of the year. Hopefully, she would learn she isn’t the center of the universe and math, science & english really do make you a better person.
This is a perfect opportunity to dispatch the new line of Scholastic RoboCops(c)
The Robocop could have just picked the desk up, kid and all, and gotten her out of that room.
I bet that bulked up cop could have done that if he had thought about it.
Cue Styx. Cop carrying kid out. “Domo arigato, Mr Copato”
Sweet
Oh it’s coming. All you have to do is search youtube for Boston Dynamics(now owned by google) and see all the wonderful robots being made for war to see what’s coming down the pike.
All they have to do is figure out a decent way to “cut the cord” in those videos…and they have done it with a two stroke motor in a robotic pack mule already.
Once power deliver is figured it, it’s a brave new world.
Google will be the OCP of Detroit, Columbia, & everywhere.
“Seriously: Imagine that was your daughter getting manhandled like that?”
Yeah, but you have to have empathy to think like that…I’m stunned that FITS does.
A) my child wouldn’t be disturbing class and B) if they did and got taken down by a officer, so be it, they would still have to come home a face me as well. That, I can promise you, would be 10 times worse than anything that officer did.
Certitude is a wonderful thing, ain’t it, hotshot?
Frequently wrong but never in doubt
Ring ring. It’s the front door bell. There’s a DSS person and a cop who want to talk to you.
Talk is cheap.
Perception rules the day.
“And doesn’t Fields’ termination potentially create a situation in which other misplaced law enforcement assets could find themselves under siege – even targeted – with no recourse for defending themselves?”
What are the students going to do to ‘target’ them? Throw cell phones at ’em?
Stand their ground and taunt them with challenges to touch them, reminding them that if they do that there could be a media feeding frenzy set to drop on their heads. That was the case all over the country around the time of the Ferguson coverage. I have several LEO friends in Greenville say that they were constantly confronting criminal activity where the perps would openly defy and taunt them with “You gonna do me like you did Mike Brown?”
He should not have been fired I am ashamed of any human being acting like he did this because of race. That makes me sick. He was called by the teacher to remove her from the classroom, not because of race and she was taken from the classroom by force because she would not leave willingly. What, did you expect him to say “aww here’s a pat on the back and a cookie.” The other students and teacher informed the officer was justified. Don’t pretend he walked in there and dragged her out because her race that had nothing to do with it.
No one’s disputing that. The argument all along whas the method of removal.
Yeah your right sorry how can you remove unruly students? Maybe try bringing the parents in every time? Would embaress the student enough to not do it again too.
Guess that would have tough with this girl since her mother is dead and she’s in foster care. Again, could have dragged the desk out of the class (she’d probably have gotten up) – you could have had the officer remain until class was done, and taken care of it there.
I think the foster care part is true but the part about her mother being dead is not. She is just estranged.
I don’t know. I don’t care. Bottom line, who people let it escalate, the girl and the cop. She was a petulant little shit, and he got his buttons pushed. The ones that really have ultimate responsibility is the teacher and the VP. They shouldn’t have relied on the police to come in. Cops are in the schools for safety, not WWF. The teacher seems to skip off into the sunset.
She has a foster mother though, and instead of calling the cops call the parents is all I’m saying. Schools have always had difficulty handling students, the parents even foster ones need to step up and handle their kids.
I agree. My only point was, if you wanted her to leave to avoid disrupting the class, this apparently didn’t work out well.
The latest on that is her mother is alive but estranged. She was living with her grandmother who recently passed away, but you have a bit of a point. I wonder if the school was made aware of this and if they were was this particular teacher and administrator advised. It seems that if they were they would have likely handled differently.
What do they say….. There is a million stories in the naked city? That Mother deal is a excuse,not a reason. She needs to learn the difference.
Agreed. However if the teachers and/or administrators were aware they could have likely handled it differently. Not blaming the officer at all because by the time he was called the situation was already escalated. The educational staff may have been able to deescalate the situation in a better manner than they did. I do question calling an SRO for every minor school dispute and charging people with disturbing schools for minor situations. That’s poor classroom management and poor administrative skills. I don’t get to call the cops every time an employee or client gets attitude with me.
Love it! Thank you Guy Noir.
It takes to to make a baby, where’s her father?
I don’t know. I’m not there.
Absent.
No you syphilitic dumbass, both of her parents are deceased. Your narrow minded, racist narrative has been once again disproven. Why don’t you stick the one thing you do well….spew unsupported, wholly ignorant conspiracy theories.
Her mother is estranged, not deceased. Her grandmother is deceased, and her father hasn’t been mentioned. Please try to keep up.
Calm down, man. You’ll pop a vein in your neck or maybe a hemorrhoid. If he’s dead then that likely means he is not present.
ab·sent
adjective
?abs?nt/
1.
not present in a place, at an occasion, or as part of something.
“most students were absent from school at least once”
I know you are a product of SC public schools but it’s actually “two” and NOT “to” you ignorant, uneducated, twat.
That’s all you got? Ad hominem based on a typo? Get out of here.
Probably wouldn’t do any good to call parent in this type case as the parent is probably the root cause behind the behavior. As with her little friend who was also arrested, the parent will likely uphold the brat, maybe even add to the distutbance.
You ignorant piece of shit, why don’t you get the facts BEFORE spewing to stupid, uninformed opinions. The student in question lost her mother and was living with her grandmother who recently died. She is now in foster care and that may be a substantial contributing factor as to her unwarranted and unjustified behavior/acting out.
Try leaving the computer and getting out of mom’s basement once in awhile, dickhead.
……spewing your ignorant…..
The story about the mother being dead has been found to be untrue. She is estranged from her mother, but she is still alive.
Don’t know where you get your information (perhaps and most likely, out of your ass) but it has been confirmed by SCDSS and other sources that the student was recently placed in foster care upon the death of her grandmother with whom she was living.
I’m sorry. I mistook you for a rational adult looking to engage in a respectful conversation. The information released about the mother has been deleted and now most stories are only reporting about her foster situation. DSS has not confirmed anything other than that, so you’re just a vile dumbass pulling stuff out of your own ass while you pretend anybody who disagrees with you is racist. I haven’t heard anything about a grandmother yet, but you want to apologize for basically confirming that I was correct about the supposed mother? Nevermind, you would have already done so because you decided to pivot from the mother to the grandmother.
Might as well post to a refrigerator.
hey, refrigerators are useful, think of the beer man, the beer!
My bad, let’s say a stump, LOL !
ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the white flag has been raised sir, please respect it.
Just a small joke, my bad again. I respect, and find we think alike
I can’t think of anything less useful than Wheel man.
All of your blather doesn’t change what I said one bit. When you have children (technically a young adult) who are this ill-behaved, there is often a serious parenting issue lurking behind the scenes. Was her mother deceased for the decade and a half following her birth? Where is the father? Also, please note I was speaking in somewhat general terms about “this type case”. In less general terms I noted her little friend who was also arrested and how her “mother” backed and upheld that brat’s behavior. I also correctly noted that the friend’s mother or someone with her attitude may have even contributed to the disturbance, had she been present.
i think he should been fired but the girl was way out of line, she forced the situation go to the level of physical removal, fields just went way to far
The masses have begun to applaud the termination of the officer who “assaulted” a black teen and became the face of “police brutality” this week on social media while everyone seemed to weigh in on his actions. However, before the celebrations begin, there’s something to consider. Since it’s not in widely circulated videos, it seems to be the one thing that everyone has missed.
By now, you’ve heard of Richland County Senior Deputy Ben Fields and the incident that occurred between him and a black female student at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina. News of his termination hit social media, and many are applauding this outcome. Those who are celebrating are the same people who put Deputy Fields’ actions on trial by public opinion over the last few days, and I’d personally like to give them a sarcastic pat on the back for what they are telling our society as a collective.
We are raising a generation of entitled brats who think they are above all authority and the law. What are we teaching “children” and young adults when a 17- or 18-year-old can disrupt a class, ignore 3 adult authority figures, and STRIKE an officer, and the officer gets fired for handling the situation?
If you are applauding the termination of Officer Fields and defending that brat, go ahead and pat yourself on the back. It’s this mindset that’s breeding disrespectful punks and causing them to get shot. Stop making kids think they are above the law and authority. You’re not doing them or society any favors.
And before anyone says, “What if that was your daughter?” I’d like to think my kid wouldn’t disrupt the class, ignore 3 authority figures, and strike a police officer. If she did, she should expect a similar reaction and even worse when mama gets hold of her. Don’t act like a badass if you’re nothing more than a “child.”
Now, this man has been terminated due to the trial of public opinion by a lot of people who don’t have all the information and have never had to do his job or one similar to it.
There are THREE videos. Watch them in slow motion. If you’ve never had to attempt to restrain or remove someone who is resisting and flailing violently, then you really shouldn’t weigh in. The “violent throw” was caused by her own momentum as she bucked against the officer. I don’t care how big or tough he is, he couldn’t have “thrown” her in such a way by his own power with where his hands were. She bucked, straightened her body, lost balance, tumbling HERSELF backwards.
The above was the 3rd video that most recently came out. After you watch it, pause it and go frame by frame. Watch where his hands are. Look at her body, her posture, her movements. Then, try to do it. Try being the officer and have your body in that position and throw a full-grown woman like that. It doesn’t work. I don’t care how strong you are.
I should add, I’ve asked repeatedly for someone to state what he should have done differently. No one has given an answer. Not even the sheriff who fired him stated what the appropriate action should have been or what should have happened. Critics are quick to say what he shouldn’t have done, but give no alternate recourse. So, should he have continued to allow the class to be disrupted indefinitely? Let her do what she wants? Class went right back to normal after the incident. That speaks volumes.
Furthermore, how many potential future officers do you think are about to turn and run from this profession as fast as possible? So, in addition to the other unnecessary chaos created, our communities will also soon find themselves short on people volunteering to protect and serve. Congratulations!
Do you think officers are going to want a resource position in a school? More importantly, will such situations as this sit in the back of our officers’ minds, causing them to second guess themselves, costing precious seconds and resulting in escalations that turn detrimental? Fear of persecution by armchair quarterbacks could have devastating consequences, yet to be seen.
A cop’s life and reputation is ruined and a bunch of punks now think they are untouchable. How’s that going to work out for our society? Go ahead, if you applaud this outcome, give yourself a pat on the back for me. You are part of the problem. If you are one of the few who sees this situation for what it is, please share. There’s a lot of people who need to do some waking up before it’s too late.
Your Honor, it was the alleged victim’s momentum that caused their face to run into my fist. I couldn’t help that my fist was where it was. If I could have known or predicted that their face was going to do that, believe me your Honor, I would have moved my fist. I feel terrible that this happened.
Short response: A cop’s life and reputation are ruined because his emotions went from 0 to 100 without any attempt on his part to slow them down. Maybe he felt he needed to put on a macho show, but his job was to keep students and school personnel safe and he could have done that by marching all the other kids in the room out into the hall and leaving the teen to stew in her own juice under the watchful eyes of one of the adults.
Man oh man, I wish I were the lucky lawyer handling the lawsuit for damages that will follow
He’s already called the local Lincoln dealer, said he wants one of those SUV’s like McConaughey drives in the commercials.
The one where he’s contemplating his boogers? Wait,what? That was Jim Carey? Don’t you ever say that again. I know Big Mac’s voice when I hear it, cause I watch at least one episode of 1st season True Detective every night, and will continue to do same for the rest of my life.
Like the one where he’s come up on a bull in the road.
Congratulations Richland County, you are the new Baltimore.
It is my belief that the majority of RCSD Deputies will likely take many steps back from law enforcement for fear that Sheriff Lott will not stand behind them when the going gets rough – same as the Baltimore cops have done. Whether it be in the street, in the school or elsewhere, why would a Deputy put his career, family and livelihood on the line when the alternative is much easier? Legally, the only responsibility of law enforcement is to investigate crimes after the fact – the Supreme Court ruled this way many years ago. They do not have to protect you, rescue you and do anything else. Get used to it Richland County.
So, the schools will now likely be uncontrollable, the streets much less safe – all for the belief that being politically correct is better than being correct. If my kids were in Richland 2 today, I would be actively searching for private school alternatives and making a decision quickly to move them along.
And the Richland 2 School Board – your instant guilty assessment of Dan Fields has likely caused you to lose any support from the teachers and front line school personnel. I would bet there will be a mass retirement and exodus due to your politically correct view of teaching and rule enforcement vs. maintaining order within the school system.
Nice job Sheriff Lott, in my opinion, you have now crossed the great divide from being a senior law enforcement officer to being an all out politician.
Oh, and please don’t ask me how i would feel if that was my child. My kids would never disrespect a teacher, asst. principal or law enforcement officer like the girl did. So I don’t have to think about how I would feel.
Enjoy the anarchy, Richland County, you have earned it.
Agreed. We are actively looking to move our children to Lexington 1. I’m sure they have their own set of problems, but I’m so down with Richland 2.
I meant done. Done dammit!
This is S.C., it’s already a shit hole. It’s not a black or white issue…it’s a GOP issue. This state is literally one of the worst in the US across many metrics…but yet, people just keep voting for the GOP.
Interesting poll results.
I wonder how long the US Justice Department will hang around trying to make something out of nothing. I’d almost bet they will slink out of town after offering the barest of reports.
To me, the poll results seem very predictable for this blog.
Mmmmm, maybe, seems like there was a lot of talk of “jack booted thugs”, “roid rage” and “Officer Slam” over the last couple of days – makes me wonder if most weren’t “issue commentators” meaning they troll around various sites for specific issues to comment on. You are pretty consistent as is Limbaughsaphat… but many of the “guest commentors” have now disappeared.
‘Issue commenters’…that’s exactly what it is and that is what I based my ‘predictable’ on… the comments which to my eye are way more pro-cop/anti-kid. There are a lot of un-regulars commenting in that vein, too.
I don’t know, seemed to me that there were a lot of the “anti cop crowd” commenting.
Colonel, an interesting Rotary breakfast for me this morning you’d have enjoyed. Retired Lt. General USMC who was over Anbar Province 2009. Teaches in Florida now – and retired. Interesting perspective. Didn’t know 70% of Iraqi’s are Shia’s – explains a lot.
Thanks Rocky. I see the connection to the topic. Maybe the girl was Shia and cop was Sunni?
I know, I know, off topic.
You didn’t know 70% of Iraqis are Shia’s? Where have you been the last 13 years?
“…Pedro Noguera, a professor of education at New York University and the author of “The Trouble With Black Boys … and Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education” and other books. “This was not the first time a school had to deal with a teenager being rude or not following directions,” he said. “It’s not a policing matter.” Too often, the police use tactics that would be more appropriate in the street than in school, where there are other options. “We need to get at the root of what’s happening with the student,” he said. “Even if you succeed in getting the student to give up the cellphone or whatever by force, what are you teaching them? That if they were the one with the force, they could win.”
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/28/school-discipline-in-the-heat-of-the-moment-takes-training-too-few-have/?ref=us
No..you’re teaching them that when an authority figure tells them to do something, the sure as hell better snap-to and do it.
Ben got entrapped by the school admin. now he’s taking the fall for what would have been a typical day in a SC school. Ben may have a little payday coming – no where near a Spurrier payday. As for the kid – her 2 sec of fame is flaming out – majority see her as just another spoiled brat hell raiser. Her next stop is Jerry or Phil daytime TV fame, who will have a heyday mocking her. All too predictable…
Compare Fields’ response to the one by the cop in D.C. who responded to 2 groups of teens fighting and a girl came up to the cop and started playing “Watch Me” on her phone. This cop might also have gone drug kingpin take down on the girl, but instead, challenged the girl to a dance-off. This video also went viral. See at WaPo. Please don’t get all literal and concrete on this comparison. But, the article does note that this is not an isolated event. Cops all over the country have learned and implemented creative ways to de-escalate. I have to believe ours can too.
Fix the problem…
1. Police out…rent-a-cops in
2. Add cell phone blockers to the middle and high schools…blocking during class time and unblocked during class changes
3. Dis-respect to teachers? Must have parent attend school with disruptive child all day every class. Incremental to 5 days Max
4. If that fails then to the academy
5. If that fails then to a marine academy
Cell phone blocking is somewhere between extremely difficult and impossible. All you can do is forbid them and confiscate them, but see the prison system for how well that works in practice.
Not to mention it’s illegal and a public safety danger to interfere with RF communications. The FCC takes a very dim view of cellphone blocking to the tune of fines in the $100,000+ range and rightfully so. How would you like to live next door to a school where blocking was in effect, or be driving down the street in front of the school and be in an accident needing 911 assistance ASAP? RF doesn’t obey property lines.
Note to Nydia: Ya gotta be squared away to even APPLY for USMC!
Looking around on here and other news sites, it is interesting to note that while there are two sides to this issue, with people on each side having very strong opinions, there is more thsn a little common ground which might lead to better things, but for different reasons/with different reasonings.
I noted that people like Representative Jim Clyburn and some of his supporters are also tiring of stupidity like the “zero tolerance” (aka zero common sense) policies, as well as overly broad “disturbing schools” statutes. There have been comments from some quarters about ending totally non-productive compulsory attendance laws, which force disruptive slackers to remain in school, causing those kids who want to learn to have a harder time due to the disruptive influence of slackers who would rather be anywhere than in school.
Last but not least, is the idea of SRO’s being stationed in schools. I can see room for mixed feelings on this one, but generally agree that police resources would be better spent out on the street and criminalizing behaviors that are normal for school age children, such as dustups and dress code issues should be stopped. In fact, that should never have started. One problem with moving SRO’s to the roads, would be the Federal grants that fund so many (most?) of those positions. Police departments and school districts nationwide have eaten heartily at the trough of Federal cops-in-schools grants for the last fifteen or twenty years or so. Those grants specify what cops and equipment paid for by the grants can and cannot be used for. I can see a lot of adjustments having to be made to allow for such changes. Even with the changes. such will probably benefit taxpayers despite the “fact” that those grants are “free money” from Heaven/Washington that falls from the skies or grows on magical money trees (sarc). In my home town, back in the 70’s, the city police normally had a staff of about six or seven officers working per shift, not counting vacation or someone out sick. These days, I understand their notmal shift “strength” is just three cops on patrol on any given day, responding to calls, handling funerals, dealing with wrecks, and patroling. Thecstory has it that even with the grants, they now have to devote more cops to SRO and related feel-good stuff, resulting in an emaciated patrol force, despite the toen having grown significantly since the late 1970’s.
Getting back to my original point, even though there is disagreement on whether or not Deputy Fields was treated fairly or not, etc, there seems to be quite s bit of common ground about fixing some longstanding problems, albeit from different
What we are seeing today in our public schools are a number of students who think they own the schools and that in no way are the staff going to defend themselves if attacked by one of those so-called students. You have kids who have no respect for authority, parental, school and the police. To them they are in a reality TV kind of existence where everybody has a mini-camera at the ready waiting to expose alleged brutality. They are testing the system as best they can, and the taxpayers are paying for it, especially in lawsuits.
I have watched a number of videos taken by students of students body slamming a principal, another body slamming an unarmed school resource officer. Again, there are a number of very bad “students” who don’t want to learn, don’t respect authority, and who want to show off their bravado in front of the cameras for all to see.
All I can say is this is another lost generation!!!
Yet FITS rushed to the keyboard to DEMAND we give Due Process to Jihadists who blew up children in Boston.
Funny how the Constitution can be so easily thrown away by liberals, if it’s a WHITE police officer…but FITS melted down when his beloved Al Quieda America-Haters, were murdering innocent Americans.
Y’all deserve the level of ignorance perpetuated by FITS..I don’t…
But you sure come back for more, each and every day, don’t you?
I come back because this is where you are. And I get a TREMENDOUS charge from slapping the FUCK out of Liberals, and Liberal-Tarians…You are such ignorant Fucks…..and you never hear what I tell you…
And you look so FUCKING stupid…when I do it…LMAO…
You don’t look stupid at all. You sound like a 100% genuine menace who is pretty open about the fact that he is a pseudo-conservative. You know, the kind that decry liberals yet use nothing but liberal tactics and methods of arguing. Yet you come back thinking we don’t know who you really are and that you can continue to fool us. You say the same damn unoriginal bullshit over and over again. You don’t even realize when you’re being punked and being baited into repeating your dumbass bullshit. You are a mockery and nothing more or less than that.
10++
STFU. Dumbass. The GOP candidates Slapped ignorant Fucks like you upside the head as hard as they did the NAZI-Media. You’re as toast as Jeb…idiot..I’m a little surprised you surfaced today…after the debate…
I know. Damn, it always hurts to have you kick my ass like this but I hope one day I’ll learn from it and mend my stupid liberal ways.
Yet another angle. Jeez, did every other kid in the class take a video of this?
Everybody is upset about this black kid getting bounced out of class physically for being a little shit. Yet, a white kid gets shot in the back and killed in the upstate with clear video of his murder, and there’s no outrage at all. The entire Hypocrisy of this makes me per Sheriff Lott, “Want To Throw UP!”
good one
Hey, Leon: I don’t know what kind of ” accepted procedures” are utilized by your department, but the universal use of force continuum cites voice commands, then empty hand control. The fact that this little bitch held on to her desk and was pulled across a carpet is on her, not the Deputy. She was under arrest and your Deputy had every right to use the force he felt necessary. By her own admission she punched your deputy in the face, not once, not twice, but three times! Verbal assaults, while not pleasant, must be tolerated; however, If you touch an officer, that’s simple assault and your Deputy showed amazing restraint in his arrest procedures and had every right to flatten her had he opted to do so Grow a pair, Leon, you might want to update your resume.
Well said, Guido!!!!
Shit Leon is so far removed from real police work he wouldn’t have a clue as to what correct procedures are. He’s in it for the politics, he’s going to say and do whatever keeps him getting the most votes. Richland County and Columbia will never vote him out, for the same reason they keep county council members, city council members, county administrators, city administrators, mayors, etc…
Fits, you’re usually spot-on, but you blew this one. I will assign this to your lack of understanding, and ignorance of physical confrontation. If you think a 13 yr old female can’t hurt, or even kill you, think again. Use of force is not always pretty. While I respect your viewpoint, I hope you would respect mine.
So, you think one size fits all and each situation should NOT be individually evaluated based on its unique circumstances?
Umm…excuse me, but what’s unique about this thug wannabe slugging a cop in the face?
I have followed this story from overseas and am not America. I find it deeply disturbing that anyone would try to justify a dangerous assault on a child. The officer could have rendered her a paraplegic with his reckless violence. This was totally uncalled for. In other countries there are no police in schools. Wake up America your country is falling behind, it is now fifty years behind, the standards of the civilised world. I have been to the states many times, but even as one who knows the country well, and who has visited many, many US states, the horrifying reality of police brutality, mass incarceration and the combined prison and military industrial complex are causing misery to millions of people. Violence is not the answer. It never was. Please leave the 20th century behind, the rest of us are in the 21st.
I appreciate your comments. I think it’s good to hear what people are seeing from outside our cocoon.
I believe in American Exceptionalism.
But, with horrible cultural ignorance leading to failed foreign wars, torture, the insanity of our endless presidential campaign season, police brutality and our Congress in dysfunction, among other things, I fear that we are throwing our most unique and special qualities away as hard as we can.
He should have tased her ass out of the desk.
Do you have no sense of proportion?
This was about not putting up a cell phone and not going to the office when told?
And, someone should be tased over that?
But, I bet you get a hard-on thinking about it?
Go back and listen to Neon Leon’s press conference, he all but said this. The only problem was the toss at the end was in violation of training and policy (i.e .looking for a politically expedient reason to fire the deputy). Tasers and OC are specifically allowed under policy, so he basically told his SROs in not so many words to OC or tase any unruly students.
No it wasn’t. It started off about that. It became an instance where she disturbed a school, assaulted an officer, and resisted arrest.
Yup…works for me.
She was an unarmed minor girl with a fraction of Fields strength sitting in a confined desk. “Combative” is a very typical term you find in police reports when the cop needs to justify the unneeded brutal force they used. The young lady in the video reacted to being attacked by unnecessary force. Fields could of easily detained the minor girl at simply an arms length grabbing her arms, especially with his strength and her confined to the chair. There is absolutely no excuse for him to of flipped her and thrown her across the room like that. And by the way, the girl did sustain injuries not to mention the mental anguish her and the rest of the class have to live with now. And the way he announced “anyone else want some…” is nothing but pure unprofessional arrogance that comes with the badge unfortunately most cops with superman syndrome have. The only difference between Fields and other cops with the same unstable mentality is he got busted to the point the county will not stand behind him and now he has to pay the price. Excellent call on behalf of the people that told Sheriff Lott to fire him.
…”not to mention the mental anguish her and the rest of the class have to live with now.”
Oh yeah, the old, “scarred for life”, bit.
After going 17 years with nobody telling her “no” or helping her to realize the little princess wasn’t the center of the universe, it was no doubt, a traumatic experience.
I know her mom had died recently but where is her dad?
One poster, of questionable reliability, stated he is dead. I am not certain.
She flipped the desk. You can see her extending her legs in an attempt to push against the deputy as he tried to pry her hands from the desk.
That is not so.
One of the videos clearly shows he grabbed her left leg to bring it up under the desk top in order to give him the leverage to overturn the desk.
Of course, her legs are flailing as she feels herself and her desk being overturned.
Brad Warthen’s blog had a link a few days ago with pictures of the cop bench pressing and saying he could lift 900+ lbs. Why didn’t he just pick up the kid in the desk and take it out the room?
I like Brad Warthen and read his blog, but he’s about as unbiased as Fits is. Brad is the other side of the mirror. Both have great talent but you have to take them with a block of salt at times.
That said if she would not have been combative he would have lifted her up and it would have been over with. He was attempting to pick her up and then she became combative.
I blame the administration almost 100% they drug the student and the SRO in to a situation that was unnecessary. Spineless school administrators that have to have the police to back them up and use the disturbing schools law (SC Code of Laws SECTION 16-17-420), to remove any student or other person they don’t want to deal with.
I wouldn’t say 100% because I think former Officer Fields acted like an abusive jerk but I do agree that the teacher and administrator have a lot to answer for. To all the “in my day” hypotheticals that have the teen answering to parents she doesn’t have, I’d add that in MY day, there were no SROs (or aides) and teachers coped.
The typical oinker has neither the brains nor temperament to deal with adolescents.
They typically ARE the school bully, never outgrown.
Hire and train school discipline “deans” and make them official constables if need be.
That explains why he’s so popular among students at Spring Valley. A friend has a son there and he said most of the students at the school are pissed that this girl’s actions got him fired. Not only is he not allowed in the school, there’s also a good chance she will never step foot inside Spring Valley again either.
One point here that is being completely over looked, is that during the time period of 2005 to 2007, Fields had two lawsuits against him and an official complaint that are consistent with abuse of authority and brutality. These events happened in 2005, 2006, and 2007. While the last case was still in litigation that lasted until 2009, Fields was placed on SRO duty in 2008. This unfortunately is a common practice for many police departments to assign their troubled officers to school duty and it does not matter if the cop won the cases brought against them. Someone of a higher ranking must have deemed him “reckless” and assigned him to SRO duty. Of course it looks like it was the officers choice but when you only have two items on the menu, quit or become an SRO, they in all reality are forced to take the job. Its just documented it was the officers choice. And don’t forget Fields still has another open case pending trial and in my opinion, its not looking good for him now. Point here is that schools need to demand background checks on the cops that are assigned to their school. And if there is one report of misconduct, they need to get rid of that officer and find one with a clean slate, period.
“a common practice for many police departments to assign their troubled officers to school duty”
I believe you but am appalled. Your finale recommendation is right on target.
I see the officers that are laid back, experienced, and community oriented in the schools. They are also able to conduct investigations and serve as mentors to the children.
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Slick, you’re dead wrong about this. Like most of the rest of the “media”, you jumped the gun. More videos are out, and it’s pretty obvious the girl was hitting the officer. Yes, you hate cops because they’re government. We get that. But show a little integrity and tell the whole truth about what happened and what has been said. BTW, use-of-force experts from around the country who have looked at those videos all came to the conclusion that the deputy was right.
Oh, and Todd “the rod” Rutherford now has her all dressed up in casts for sympathy.
The FERGUSON EFFECT is coming to our neighborhood soon. My sympathies to the Richland County Deputies. Your chief law enforcement officer became a politician this past Monday. Inflammatory statements have clouded and tainted a fair and impartial internal affairs investigation for the deputy. When politicians are involved in law enforcement, bad things happen.Good Baltimore officers are applying to other departments.. Morale is low. Having the Department of Justice and the US Attorney involved is “window dressing” for the voters. What about the deputy’s rights. Was he afforded an attorney before questioning? Was he suspended with pay? Was he allowed to file a grievance for an unfair termination? If he had Fraternal Order of Police or PBA representation, he would have been afforded these rights. No, none of these. He has no income and has to pay for an attorney out of his pocket. Each deputy should consider his/her actions to any confrontation while attempting any proactive police work. Confrontation to those who have no respect for law enforcement, could land you with a criminal indictment.If you do your job well, complaints by citizens will come. Its part of the job.
Dean Wormer and Doug Neidermeyer on lines 1 and 2 …..
I see Todd Rutherford is using a new scheme to collect payment for his lawyer fees, GoFundMe. He’s opened funding sites for both of the girls, idiots have donated $42k for the girl who started all of this and the other one who video taped it has $3000. Todd states that it will be used for medical expenses, lawyer fees, and educational expenditures for the girls… I bet there won’t be much left over after his legal fees are paid.