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General discussion

Don't plead guilty when you jog for this.

Apr 8, 2016 8:43AM PDT

Discussion is locked

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I wonder how many remember the old rule
Apr 8, 2016 9:48AM PDT

about pedestrian traffic on the roadways. I was taught this in the '50s by my parents that bicycles travel with the traffic and pedestrians against it. If on foot, you walk in the lane that faces oncoming traffic so you can see who is coming at you and step out of the way. I don't know if's a law where this happened or what other circumstances surrounded this incident. It may have been that many people complained about joggers or pedestrians there and it's possible there had even been people struck. If that was the case, I'd say the officer wasn't just being persnickety but actually trying to look out for people's safety. This didn't need to get out of hand but it does take two to make a fight. I doubt she was simply a victim of an officer with an attitude as she surely showed one herself.

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discussion
Apr 9, 2016 4:31AM PDT

there is always too much discussion when some cop does something to some common person.. and it completely evolves into a whole other thing..

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(NT) So the plebs complain too much?
Apr 9, 2016 10:23AM PDT
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In this particular case, I think it unfair
Apr 9, 2016 10:59AM PDT

if not irresponsible to come down too harshly on the cop. All we have is few minutes of audio and a third party account of what happened. The rest is left to which ever way our imaginations turn. My imagination wonders what led up to the officer's attempt to reroute the jogger. Is it possible he saw a dangerous situation? Perhaps she was in violation of some traffic law. Perhaps he saw something going on with automobile traffic trying to avoid her. If that's the case, he would be duty bound to take corrective action and his own career could be in jeopardy should he do nothing. The audio does suggest that the woman became combative. I'm not surprised at this given today's posture about police authority. Her becoming obtuse after refusing to heed the officer's direction is not reason for him to shrug and walk away. If physical force is needed, the officer has no obligation to offer to participate in a fair fight. His actions are to be swift and decisive in controlling a person. That's done for his safety, that of the person he's putting under submission and for the public around the area. You can read up on how these officers are trained to handle such situations. They'll make mistakes as will anyone but my guess is she'd be better off encountering this officer than an angry motorist.

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The lawyer she had wasn't very good.
Apr 9, 2016 11:09AM PDT

Remember you don't have to give up your name and identity to the police in this instance. " the officer didn’t charge Pecaj with any underlying crime. If she resisted arrest, what crime did she commit, for which a lawful arrest was authorized for the cop?"

Sadly her lawyer blew the defense. Our police do not have the right to arrest without charging you with a crime.

Also, if they are arresting you without charge, the resisting arrest charge has been so far dismissed if there is no charge prior to the arrest.

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Maybe he shouldn't have gotten involved at all
Apr 9, 2016 12:16PM PDT

and let her take her chances and not become the third fatality he'd need to respond to. My knee jerk reaction is that some people just aren't worth an officer's effort to try and help and, from the audio, she's one such person.

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To that I agree.
Apr 9, 2016 12:34PM PDT

There have been too many deaths by police actions that would have been avoided if they would have walked away.

Being arrested for resisting arrest? The lawyer blew the defense on that one.

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The lawyer's reputation should be the last worry here.
Apr 9, 2016 12:54PM PDT

He wasn't in, and didn't place himself in, any jeopardy here. Proper conduct in public or when challenged by safety officials isn't aided by lawyers. Their job is to win whether laws are broken or not. Thanks...I'm done.

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"Their job is to win whether laws are broken or not."
Apr 9, 2016 1:09PM PDT

That's a sad statement of current cop attitudes.

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Guess I'm not done...to clarify, I'm speaking of the
Apr 9, 2016 3:42PM PDT

defense lawyer's job and not the cop's. It seems, for lawyers, winning takes priority over justice. Winning means finding a way to get someone off the hook or minimize their penalty if they case is cut and dry. The cop's job is to try to prevent illegal activity (and the harm that comes from it) if they can but to clean up after it if they can't. Those of us who want police to be successful in their jobs and make them feel that they are welcome in our communities need to show some respect when we encounter them. Cursing and threatening them does neither of these. Keep that up and you'll end up with cops that will server poorly.