Bad Cop?

Officer McDonald is cleared of any wrong doing?    

Dumbass. He should have been fired.

Good example of how not to do things.

Not very smart on his part.  Just out of curiousity, why would you post that in a LE forum?  Everyone knows that the guy 'screwed the pooch'.  Do you post people committing violent crimes or murders with a gun in GD?  I feel that there is another motive at hand....but I could be wrong.

Some real poor choices displayed here.  

I realize we dont get paid shit but I dont think I would have gone through all that over $10. Thats just me though. I would have handled things differently.

That was really dumb on the cop's part. Really dumb. He should have been charged with assault under color of authority. He had no right to do that. It was not worth a $60k  award to the victim though!  Awards/ settlements like this promote frivilous lawsuits. But the officer should NOT have been cleared of wrong doing, he should have been punished and made to pay some of the award.... (Lots of departments have policies if your behavior is WAY out of line against training or policy, you get to bear some responsibility...).

That guy is out of control.  Would the theft of $10 be an arrestable offense?

j/k !

This is older than dirt to boot. Seen it long ago, seen it many times.

TBO

Terrible move on the cops part.  The lady sure wasnt very nice either

It appears discussion of this topic is not permitted outside BOTS, so I'll chime in here. What did the officer do wrong?

1. His situational awareness is so poor that he cannot correctly identify a bill he had in his hand. He is not competent to fulfill his professional responsibilities.

2. He is so arrogant that he was not deterred by the possibility that he was in error.

3. He acted without one of the biggest legal protections an officer usually has: reliance on the statement of a credible witness. Had he called it in and complained to another patrol unit, that officer would have had that protection. The complainant would still be an arrogant fool, though.

4. He used his official authority to try to gain a favorable result in a private dispute.

5. He used force, violence, and putting in fear to attempt to obtain property not his, to-wit: $10 that didn't belong to him. He is therefore a thief and a robber.

6. He forgot that he belongs to the badge, the badge doesn't belong to him.

7. He exhibited an appaling lack of judgment from start to finish.

Were I the chief prosecutor in that jurisdiction, I'd offer him the choice between resigning his job and his certification or being prosecuted for attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery (pepper sopray in the course of a robbery). He might not be convicted, but he wouldn;t show his behind quite like that again. This is no different from the occasional police officer brain fart that causes a guy to "investigate" his ex's new boyfriend, or to otherwise use his legal authority for personal gain. It is entirely unacceptable.

Quoted: It appears discussion of this topic is not permitted outside BOTS, so I'll chime in here. What did the officer do wrong?  It appears civilized discussion without generalization of the entire profession isn't possible outside Bots. 1. His situational awareness is so poor that he cannot correctly identify a bill he had in his hand. He is not competent to fulfill his professional responsibilities. 2. He is so arrogant that he was not deterred by the possibility that he was in error. 3. He acted without one of the biggest legal protections an officer usually has: reliance on the statement of a credible witness. Had he called it in and complained to another patrol unit, that officer would have had that protection. The complainant would still be an arrogant fool, though. 4. He used his official authority to try to gain a favorable result in a private dispute. 5. He used force, violence, and putting in fear to attempt to obtain property not his, to-wit: $10 that didn't belong to him. He is therefore a thief and a robber. 6. He forgot that he belongs to the badge, the badge doesn't belong to him. 7. He exhibited an appaling lack of judgment from start to finish. Were I the chief prosecutor in that jurisdiction, I'd offer him the choice between resigning his job and his certification or being prosecuted for attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery (pepper sopray in the course of a robbery). He might not be convicted, but he wouldn;t show his behind quite like that again. This is no different from the occasional police officer brain fart that causes a guy to "investigate" his ex's new boyfriend, or to otherwise use his legal authority for personal gain. It is entirely unacceptable.

I agree with and I think everyone else here agrees with the rest of your post.  That's not being disputed here.

Quoted: It appears civilized discussion without generalization of the entire profession isn't possible outside Bots.

Good point, well taken.

Quoted: pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~jungle/gallery/bacon.jpg j/k !

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMm Bacon!!