We’re done here
You’ve probably seen the video of the Salt Lake City cop losing his temper when a burn unit nurse explained why she couldn’t give him a blood sample from an unconscious patient. You’ve probably seen how he arrested her with considerable violence because she was doing her job.
Gordon Crabtree, interim chief executive of the hospital, said at a Monday news conference that he was “deeply troubled” by the arrest and manhandling of burn unit nurse Alex Wubbels on July 26. In accord with hospital policy and the law, she had refused to allow a Salt Lake City police officer to take a blood sample from an unconscious patient. Wubbels obtained a copy of the body cam video of the confrontation and, after consulting her lawyer, the hospital and police officials, released it last week.
“This will not happen again,” Crabtree said, praising Wubbels for “putting her own safety at risk” to “protect the rights of patients.”
Margaret Pearce, chief nursing officer for the University of Utah hospital system, said she was “appalled” by the officer’s actions and has already implemented changes in hospital protocol to avoid any repetition.
The “officer”‘s actions were pretty amazing. There was no arrest, there was no calm “if you don’t comply I will be forced to arrest you”; there was only a shouty “We’re done here!” and an assault.
The incident, which has attracted nationwide attention in part because of the dramatic video, involved Detective Jeff Payne, who persisted in demanding a blood sample from an unconscious truck driver at the hospital who had earlier been involved in an accident stemming from police pursuit of a suspect.
The hospital and the law in Utah and nationwide require police to have a warrant or permission from the patient to draw a blood sample in such circumstances. Payne had neither.
After Wubbels politely and repeatedly read hospital policy to him and had a supervisor back her up on a speakerphone connection, Payne snapped. He seized hold of the nurse, shoved her out of the building and cuffed her hands behind her back. A bewildered Wubbels screamed “help me” and “you’re assaulting me” as the detective forced her into an unmarked car and accused her of interfering with an investigation.
It has occurred to me to wonder if Payne would have done that if Hubbels had been male and a doctor. I can’t know, of course, but I bet he wouldn’t. I bet he saw her as doubly an underling and someone who should do what she’s told when a cop does the telling, no matter what the law says. I bet he’s that kind of bully.
He also, of course, saw her as someone he could overpower easily. We can see and hear that he’s that kind of bully.
The sickness of ignorant power strapped with a gun. Probably privately thinks he owns every woman on the planet. Letter to US Police: People like that are not helping.
I watched the whole video a few days ago. It was disturbing a sickening. One of the things that stood out to me was not only that Payne claimed that he got blood from people in similar circumstances all the time without consent or a warrant (in contravention of the law), but that the other officers present were clearly also ignorant of the law. you can be ‘experienced’, but if you’re poorly trained you’ll always be ineffective, inefficient and potentially dangerous. Recall the horror of that Swedish trainee policewoman talking to the LA Police Captain you linked to a few months back. She was in her second year of three years training (?) compared to LA Police 8 weeks (?) training. You get what you pay for.
I think the goal is for people to be afraid of the police. The powers that be like it that way, because they think people will behave better. They also get high on power, and seeing people afraid of them gives them a real sense of strength and manliness.
It seems at times like the entire country has decided to act like Trump. Trump cops, Trump politicians, Trump everything. At least I haven’t yet noticed the Trump-infection spreading to waiters or receptionists. But it seems so contagious, I suspect that might not be long coming. We MAGA by Making America Nasty, Mean, and Brutish.
Of course, the cops were already there before the Trump-infection. The militarization of the cops, the big guns and fancy weaponry has made them believe they are invincible, they are all powerful, and they answer to no one. Since most of them are getting acquitted in court for the nasty things they do, that enhances the idea that they answer to no one, because in reality, they really do answer to no one. How they live with themselves, I don’t know. I guess they somehow feel they are right, and the rest of the world is wrong. So they can sleep at night, but I can’t…because I give a damn.
And there’s a bonus element–Officer Payne was apparently also Paramedic Payne, as a part-time gig. He was actually at some point in a position of responsibility for patents’ health and well-being. (Note the past tense, there–he got fired earlier today, in one of the most easily defended ousters in the history of the medical profession.)
A friend of mine who’s white, middle-aged, female and rich told me a while back she’s now afraid of the police, and has told her white, privileged children to be careful, not to make eye contact, talk back or question when (not if) they’re confronted by police (when, because they’re stationed outside the kids’ schools).
I read a while back that this confrontation can be viewed in the context of Mormon cultural norms; the person who was discussing this said the man was using certain terms that were supposed to signify authority and expectation of obedience in the church and snapped when the woman, either ignorant of this cultural communication or purposefully ignoring it, refused to play her part. But from what I’ve seen (I didn’t watch the video embedded in this post, but have seen what I assume is the same video elsewhere) it looked to me like the man snapped after something said by the person on the phone, not by the woman herself. Does anyone here know any more about this, and can anyone point out the specifically Mormon aspects of this interaction?
I had not thought of possible Mormon subtext before seeing #5. Now it seems an obvious connection. Like watching for hints about the constitution hanging by a thread, or ‘one mighty and strong’ in political speech.
What sickens as much, if not more, than Payne’s actions is the complicity of the three other uniformed officers present. Their non-intervention during the unlawful arrest and subsequent assault of a citizen is the epitome of “Hey, there are a lot of good cops out there too”. The disciplinary actions taken against Payne and revision of hospital policy are pebbles bouncing off the wall of modern police culture in the US.
I’ve seen a reference to those claims about the Mormon influence too, but I haven’t found the claims themselves. If anybody has any links, please share!
It doesn’t seem particularly likely, to me – he seems more like an ordinary secular police-style bully than a religious one.
Freemage @4,
Apparently Payne was also recorded as saying that he would make sure that in his paramedic job, he would only bring that hospital “indigents,” and send all the “good patients” to other facilities. In other words, he likes to abuse his power in every position. (And is dumb enough to do so on camera.)
Salt Lake City’s Finest, everyone!
Are you fucking kidding? (Checks google) Oh, six months…. No that’s no better. I am actually shocked.
In the UK a police constable has to have two years working as a Community Support Officer before he/she can even apply to formal training. Two years of walking the street – getting sworn at, spat at and vomited on – with no power of arrest and only their personality, a stab vest, and a night stick to keep them safe. Then you have to pass an exam (at least for the Met) which you have to pay for yourself (financial help is available). If you pass you then become a probationary trainee constable for two full years training. If you get through that – and there are some tough exams – you become a (very junior) full constable and are gifted with the awesome ability of the power of arrest to add to the stabby, the night stick, and your personality. It’s unsurprising that UK police colleges emphasize conflict resolution and communication to such a high degree.
(No, we’re not perfect, we seem to struggle keeping black men in prison alive in the same proportions as white men. But we do get them to the cells… )
I was a nurse for nearly 20 years. I am so proud of that burn unit nurse. Protecting your patient is a fundamental tenet of nursing care. Not to mention, at least in the UK, you could lose your career if you went along with an illegal request. Still, kudos to her.
South Park has done a lot of stupid and offensive stuff over the years, but it’s amazing how many police officers act like “Officer” Eric Cartman — a child ready to fly into a rage at anyone who doesn’t respect his auth-O-ri-TIE!