Lady in labor asks cop for help - gets ticketed instead

[jks9199]

Personally I believe in right and wrong, and not much of has any gray area for me. LEO's like this guy, have there priorities confused. There job is to protect and serve. In this situation he should have jumped in his car,
flipped the lights on and said follow me. That's it. That's the right thing to do. He doesn't know how much of an emergency this is, he knows that she's pregnant. That's it. You get her to a freaking hospital, cause if it was his wife, or girlfriend, or if it had been his mother. He'd of gave them no grief and got them to the hospital. Period, how funny. Right and wrong, it's wrong to give a pregnant mother trying to get to the hospital to deliver her baby a ticket Period! It's right to do what you can to help her in this situation. It comes down to the 'and serve' part.:erg:

Sorry -- that's not the right thing to do.

In fact, playing "follow me" is the absolute wrong thing to do. Let's game it out and see why, because I think understanding this is important. The trooper's car is equipped with lights and sirens to get the attention of the drivers around them as they drive fast, ignoring some traffic laws. Drivers don't always notice a fire truck -- let alone a cop car! Now, let's add a car BEHIND the cop car that doesn't have lights or sirens. And is being driven by someone who is probably not in exactly the best frame of mind for something like the complex demands of driving fast, through and around traffic, looking out for what everyone is doing. How many times have cops been criticized for chasing some violator, because the high speed pursuit is too dangerous? Is it any safer if you reverse the sequence?

The "right" thing to do, in my opinion, consistent with my training and experience, is simple. Stay put, get EMS started, and get ready to deliver the baby if the medics don't get there in time. And if the medics get there and say "She ain't pregnant/isn't in labor"... deal with that situation appropriately.

 

[arnisador]

While, I would have to agree that the dad was taking a risk in doing what he did...and a lot of accidents do occur ironically in the breakdown...
[...]
The trooper could've given them the escort and then afterwards talked to dad about being a bit more safe and etc. etc. etc.

Makes sense to me. Driving in the breakdown lane is dangerous all the way around, and the trooper was right to stop him. Once he saw what the situation was he should have found a way to help, then educated the father about how he could've been making a bad situation worse by what he did. (Mind you, after the questionable decision to drive that far to a hospital, the father may have done the only thing possible for him once he hit the traffic jam.) I don't see a big problem here--perhaps ths trooper didn't notice she was pregnant at first? In Mass. in the Winter with obese Americans, that happens.

 

[Archangel M]

Hmm. They managed to get the ticket and then wait in the traffic jam afterward (I would assume) before managing to get to the hospital. Somehow I don't think the contractions were extremely close. Be that as it may, what happened to officer discretion? Some officers confuse doing whats right with a flowchart of procedure.

And not intending to cause trouble between LEO's but what is it with troopers? I have some stories, but will keep them to myself to avoid infighting.

 

[grydth]

No, not for the average police officer. I think the term "exigent circumstances" pop into mind when I read this.

The problem is some agencies (like State Police in many cases that I have dealt with) really try to foster that robot mentality and some officers only see things in right/wrong. If it is wrong, there are no exceptions...because if I make an exception for you, I have to make an exception for everyone and what would be the point of the law?

To bad stories like this happen and tarnish LEO's image.

I don't see this as a robotic response or mentality of that department. The version of the story I read indicated that the couple had encountered 2 other troopers before this guy, and those troopers had waved them on.

I also don't see this as tarnishing all LEO's in general or even all the members of one department. Every organization seems to find a few thoughtless or senseless clods.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Massachusetts, where murderers and rapist get weekend furlows from prison and women in labor rushing to the hospital get ticketed for speeding.

.....and they say we're crazy in the South! LOL

 

[GBlues]

Sorry -- that's not the right thing to do.

In fact, playing "follow me" is the absolute wrong thing to do. Let's game it out and see why, because I think understanding this is important. The trooper's car is equipped with lights and sirens to get the attention of the drivers around them as they drive fast, ignoring some traffic laws. Drivers don't always notice a fire truck -- let alone a cop car! Now, let's add a car BEHIND the cop car that doesn't have lights or sirens. And is being driven by someone who is probably not in exactly the best frame of mind for something like the complex demands of driving fast, through and around traffic, looking out for what everyone is doing. How many times have cops been criticized for chasing some violator, because the high speed pursuit is too dangerous? Is it any safer if you reverse the sequence?

The "right" thing to do, in my opinion, consistent with my training and experience, is simple. Stay put, get EMS started, and get ready to deliver the baby if the medics don't get there in time. And if the medics get there and say "She ain't pregnant/isn't in labor"... deal with that situation appropriately.

Yeah, no your right. I just mean you know do something to help, not try and hinder an emergency. I mean I guess it really wasn't that big of a deal, as they were waiting, anyways. But still it just makes me think gosh what an A--Hole! You know? I've met alot of cops in my life time. SOme are very good at what they do and don't have the I'm a badA-- cop and I ain't taken any s--t, attitude. Just good guys, doing there job. Others not so true. But those ones I've met with that attitude are few and far between. There's alot more good cops out there that would have handled it much better and not the way I was thinking of either. Maybe this was a rookie cop? Whou knows still stinks to me. Psst....hey maybe that was his last ticket to make his quota? Figured there here now anyways, just right them up.LOL!!! AHAHAHAHA

 

[Empty Hands]

Somehow I don't think the contractions were extremely close.

Three minutes is close. Not baby-poking-its-head-out close, but close enough. Definitely close enough to avoid unnecessary delays.

 

[Big Don]

Three minutes is close. Not baby-poking-its-head-out close, but close enough. Definitely close enough to avoid unnecessary delays.

Like driving to the hospital that is farther away?

 

[grydth]

Massachusetts, where murderers and rapist get weekend furlows from prison and women in labor rushing to the hospital get ticketed for speeding.

.....and they say we're crazy in the South! LOL

So.... in the South you let pregnant women out on furlough and ticket the murderers??? Seems odd to me.....

 

[theletch1]

Like driving to the hospital that is farther away?

No, like driving to the hospital that you figure will give your child the best chance of survival. Like avoiding a hospital with a reputation for "losing" babies. Like (maybe) driving to the hospital that your primary ob/gyn is going to be at. If it had meant a better chance of getting my kids here safe, sound and going home with me I'd have gotten on the frickin' space shuttle and gone to the ISS when they were born. Could be that their insurance company required they go to such and such a hospital. I know that I drive by at least one other hospital to get to the one in my area that my insurance will cover without a ton of hassle and referrals.

Three minutes apart on the contractions isn't an indication that one more push is gonna get you a baby but it's close enough that everything can take a turn in a flash. The stress that a parent feels when "It's time" is incredible. I don't fault the guy one bit for attempting to use the break down lane.

 

[theletch1]

So.... in the South you let pregnant women out on furlough and ticket the murderers??? Seems odd to me.....

Nope, pregnant women get no furlough for at least 18 years.

 

[tshadowchaser]

seems to me a judge might tend to throw ths ticket out if he is any decent person

 

[MA-Caver]

Like driving to the hospital that is farther away?

True, yet unless you've had a baby on the way or it's your first baby... heads aren't always clear and concise on the right choices and taking better alternates. Their plan might have been with the OB to meet at the hospital designated but they didn't have no alternate should the delivery come fast and hard, as they sometimes do.
Three minutes apart is close and Dad could've been seeking an alternate hospital but decided to choose the one they were headed for... they've might've been pretty close to it either way.
Around where I live there are three hospitals less than 5 miles of each other, problem is they're located smack in the center of the city. There are a few emergency clinics here and there but I'm not wholly sure if they're capable of handling a childbirth ... likely they are... common sense would dictate it.

 

[Drac]

And not intending to cause trouble between LEO's but what is it with troopers? I have some stories, but will keep them to myself to avoid infighting.

I don't know if there are any troopers here, but there is a definate riff between the LEO's and them..I cannot understand why..I have met and trained with a few and they were TOUGH individuals, they have to be as there backup if things go South could be a 1/2 hr away...I and a lot of others have given a breaks to them when they are caught speeding, however they never seem to give us a break...Maybe they are angry at having to wear that Smokey the Bear hat??

 

[Jade Tigress]

Like driving to the hospital that is farther away?

One thing to remember is, you go to the hospital that your doctor is on staff at, and the one that is covered by your insurance. The hospital that my children were born at was not the closest to me. With my second, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart as well. That's very close, you'd be surprised at how fast it can happen. We still couldn't have pulled into the nearest hospital, that's not the way it works.

I didn't realize I was in labor until they got so close and so painful there was no denying it. Women have Braxton Hicks contractions throughout their pregnancy, and they become stronger the further along you get. So it's easy to dismiss early *real labor* pains.

I think in this instance the best thing would have been to call EMS to get them to the hospital quickly and safely. Or, if they asked to use the emergency lane, which is apparently legal there in some instances, allow them to proceed.

Not everything is black and white, sometimes you have to make a judgment call. For this poor cop, it was the wrong one for the situation.

 

[Ninjamom]

I got pregnant with Baby #1 while I was still active duty in the US Air Force. We had moved to southern Maryland, but the closest military hospital with full OB service was Andrews AFB, about an hour and a half drive away. I went in to labor in the morning, went to the hospital first thing, and was told to come back when the contractions were 5 minutes or less apart. I went home, and later that afternoon, rushed to make it in time. My husband and I headed for the car with contractions at 5 min apart, and reached the hospital with contractions around two minutes apart, passing two hospitals en route. The poor two-striper that greeted me cheerfully at the door nearly had a heart attack when I started to push just inside the door. They wheeled me in and managed to find a doctor before I gave a few more heave-ho's and delivered our healthy 8 lb, 3.4 oz son.

Points being -
1. the closest hospital isn't necessarilly where your care, records, and doctor are,
2. for first babies, especially, you never know what to expect, making it difficult to plan, and
3. having a baby isn't like passing a calculus test - things change quickly, each one is different, and even if YOU have a plan, the baby may not share it.

 

[jks9199]

I work closely with troopers and state police special agents in my current assignment.

I think it's simple. Just like most local/county agencies have a few jerks who don't exercise common sense or decency... the state police agencies do too. But where the local jerk impacts on a small, local level, and may only be known in the area -- the trooper impacts LOTS of people as they travel through the state, and they spread the story. It's not that they have more jerks -- it's just that there jerks get a better chance to "spread the word."