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This video of King County, Washington, Sheriff's Deputy Paul Schene, 31, has saturatedtheblawgosphere, but if you haven't seen it before, it's important that you see it now. Schene got angry with a 15 year old woman who appears to kick off her show toward/at Deputy Schene, and Deputy Schene gives this young woman a good tuning up.
3/1/2009 11:06 AMJdog wrote:
Maybe. Then again, if he beats the charges, it may persuade some folks that the worst that can happen in response to well-documented abuse isn't all that much.
Pretty clear that he was injured though -- when he slammed his shin against the toilet while attacking her. That's gotta hurt, although my sympathy is somewhat . . . limited. Reply to this
As a defender, what would you say in the cop's defense?
I think the only thing that I would be able to say was that she obviously wasn't hurt that badly given that she was walking out. She didn't have a concussion. Etc. You know... He was just trying to "scare her." Reply to this
3/2/2009 4:13 PM
Lisa wrote:
The police feel they can break the law and do what ever they want. this is an outrage and I will write the mayor, governor and whom ever to get bad disgusting police officers off the street before they kill more people or beat up any more children. This is sick and a shoe that didnt even hit u is not a reason to beat a little girl. I wish he would take off the badge and fight her father like that. Or hopefully when he goes to jail the inmates will punck him in the face and pick him up by his hair and slap him face first inot a wall! Reply to this
Even though it's very upsetting that this happened to that young girl, it's a good thing that this made it out into the public view and that it's gotten such wide coverage.
I personally believe that the deputy was cognizant of the fact he was being videotaped but his actions were rooted in that he felt safe to let his emotions control what he did because, up here in Seattle (which is part of King County) it is incredibly difficult to hold officers accountable and other officers have kept their jobs for doing the same thing he did, and some worse. Reply to this
3/1/2009 2:23 PM
Rage Judicata wrote:
Sadly, there is no shortage of videos of cops using excessive force. But you're right, the only way to stop it is to make it known. The same goes for all professions where misconduct is inherently difficult to bring to the attention of the general public. Cops, doctors, and lawyers all have a higher duty to out the bad ones among us, because in these self-policing groups, if we don't, who will? Reply to this
3/1/2009 2:57 PMJohn Kindley wrote:
The only other thing that might be said in his "defense" is that the incident with the mentally ill man, if reports are true, was fairly harrowing. The mental case was trying to strangle the deputy with his own car radio cord, after which he returned to his own car and appeared to be retrieving something from it and refused to stop. Of course, whether this story is true is a very big if, as I assume that the deputy was the only living witness to the incident.
You do have to wonder about the mental and emotional dexterity required by cops who have to deal with and distinguish between people who are real threats and people who aren't. Obviously in this case there was no rational basis for perceiving this 15 year old girl as a threat, but we can wonder whether cops' dealings with people who are real threats might have an impact on their very rationality.
This is no apology for cops and especially no apology for this deputy. Some cops presumably can handle the emotional stress of the job and make the proper distinctions. Perhaps this is a cop who couldn't. I suppose the lesson is that police administrations have to be very careful in evaluating the emotional makeup and capacities of their officers, particularly after they've been involved in violent and harrowing confrontations. Reply to this
3/4/2009 3:51 PM
Natalie wrote:
Actually John there was a witness, she was a passenger being detained in the cage unit of the police car the man attacked the officer as he went to loosen the womans handcuffs and drivers-by by also witnessed it. Reply to this
3/2/2009 5:45 PM
Jeanette wrote:
Saddened and sickened, I am a mother with a Washington state teenager and would be devastated if my child was this young girl. We can make a difference but only if we use our voices. If we keep our horror to ourselves, then we have no opinion. Email your outrage to the Burien Chief of Police scott.kimerer@kingcounty.gov. Maybe someone will hear you!! Either you can voice your opinion here for others to see but it will go nowhere or you can email this guy and maybe something will change! Reply to this
Maybe. Then again, if he beats the charges, it may persuade some folks that the worst that can happen in response to well-documented abuse isn't all that much.
Pretty clear that he was injured though -- when he slammed his shin against the toilet while attacking her. That's gotta hurt, although my sympathy is somewhat . . . limited.
Reply to this
Scott,
As a defender, what would you say in the cop's defense?
I think the only thing that I would be able to say was that she obviously wasn't hurt that badly given that she was walking out. She didn't have a concussion. Etc. You know... He was just trying to "scare her."
Reply to this
Sorry, but no free consultations.
Reply to this
The police feel they can break the law and do what ever they want. this is an outrage and I will write the mayor, governor and whom ever to get bad disgusting police officers off the street before they kill more people or beat up any more children. This is sick and a shoe that didnt even hit u is not a reason to beat a little girl. I wish he would take off the badge and fight her father like that. Or hopefully when he goes to jail the inmates will punck him in the face and pick him up by his hair and slap him face first inot a wall!
Reply to this
Thank you for posting about this one, Scott.
Even though it's very upsetting that this happened to that young girl, it's a good thing that this made it out into the public view and that it's gotten such wide coverage.
I personally believe that the deputy was cognizant of the fact he was being videotaped but his actions were rooted in that he felt safe to let his emotions control what he did because, up here in Seattle (which is part of King County) it is incredibly difficult to hold officers accountable and other officers have kept their jobs for doing the same thing he did, and some worse.
Reply to this
Sadly, there is no shortage of videos of cops using excessive force. But you're right, the only way to stop it is to make it known. The same goes for all professions where misconduct is inherently difficult to bring to the attention of the general public. Cops, doctors, and lawyers all have a higher duty to out the bad ones among us, because in these self-policing groups, if we don't, who will?
Reply to this
The only other thing that might be said in his "defense" is that the incident with the mentally ill man, if reports are true, was fairly harrowing. The mental case was trying to strangle the deputy with his own car radio cord, after which he returned to his own car and appeared to be retrieving something from it and refused to stop. Of course, whether this story is true is a very big if, as I assume that the deputy was the only living witness to the incident.
You do have to wonder about the mental and emotional dexterity required by cops who have to deal with and distinguish between people who are real threats and people who aren't. Obviously in this case there was no rational basis for perceiving this 15 year old girl as a threat, but we can wonder whether cops' dealings with people who are real threats might have an impact on their very rationality.
This is no apology for cops and especially no apology for this deputy. Some cops presumably can handle the emotional stress of the job and make the proper distinctions. Perhaps this is a cop who couldn't. I suppose the lesson is that police administrations have to be very careful in evaluating the emotional makeup and capacities of their officers, particularly after they've been involved in violent and harrowing confrontations.
Reply to this
Actually John there was a witness, she was a passenger being detained in the cage unit of the police car the man attacked the officer as he went to loosen the womans handcuffs and drivers-by by also witnessed it.
Reply to this
Saddened and sickened, I am a mother with a Washington state teenager and would be devastated if my child was this young girl. We can make a difference but only if we use our voices. If we keep our horror to ourselves, then we have no opinion. Email your outrage to the Burien Chief of Police scott.kimerer@kingcounty.gov. Maybe someone will hear you!! Either you can voice your opinion here for others to see but it will go nowhere or you can email this guy and maybe something will change!
Reply to this