An emergency medical technician is speaking out following an alleged incident involving Oklahoma Highway Patrol which nearly resulted in his being arrested.

Maurice White Jr. is a critical care paramedic with Creek Nation EMS. On May 24, he was one of two EMTs transporting a patient to a local hospital by ambulance. He was in the patient compartment; his partner Paul Franks was driving the vehicle.

White’s report states that while passing through the small town of Paden a state trooper approached the ambulance from behind at a high rate of speed, lights flashing but with no siren. Franks had been focused on the car in front of him. At White’s instruction Franks pulled onto the shoulder to allow the trooper to go by, but as the latter passed he heard over his radio on the emergency frequency that “you should consider checking your rearview mirrors.” Allegedly this was when Franks threw up his hands in a universal gesture of, “What did I do?” White recalled being stunned at the trooper’s lack of professionalism. 

Three blocks later, White reports, a trooper made a wild left turn from a side street in front of them, cutting off a car driven by a family member of the woman they were transporting. A trooper approached the ambulance from the rear and gestured to pull over. At that point, White reports that he noticed a woman in the front seat of the police vehicle. Thinking she might need medical attention and that this explained the troopers’ erratic driving, he leaped out to assess the situation, as did the driver.

To his surprise, the trooper was enraged, having misinterpreted Franks’ gesture as “flipping him off.” White informed the trooper that they were transporting a woman to the hospital and asked if they might continue. He was told he was “under arrest for obstructing a police officer” and grabbed by the right arm. White asked the officer if he knew he was committing a felony by interfering with a paramedic in the line of duty.

This only enraged the trooper further. A minor struggle ensued, after which he was able to return to the patient compartment. Both the patient and a family member who had been riding in the passenger seat were praying. Other family members who had been following the ambulance in a caravan had stopped and were looking on with mounting alarm.

Moments later, a loud knock sounded on the side door. Here we have a video of the officer, whose badge number was 606, restraining White with a hand around his neck for 10 to 15 seconds. Afterwards, Officer 606 released White, told him he could continue with the transport, but also told him he would be arrested at the hospital.

While attempting to deal with the police, White was also dealing with distraught family members, telling them to “stay out of the situation.” Not once, he reports, did any police officer show the slightest interest in the patient or her condition.

At the hospital, White filled out the routine report releasing the patient to the hospital and then walked outside to submit himself for arrest. He was told he would not be arrested at this time but to be prepared to respond when a warrant was issued. He gave his contact information, but received “nonresponse responses” when asked who he should speak to in order to report the conduct of Officer 606, who he alleged had assaulted him and prevented him from maintaining patient care. “It is not our job to receive criminal complaints against another officer,” he was told.

It began with the officer who claimed to have been “flipped off.” White reported what Paul Franks had been told, that Officer 606 “had determined in his mind to escalate to pulling his service revolver and using deadly force….  I find it very disconcerting to know that a person of this temperament is allowed to patrol our streets while possessing the profound responsibility of having the use of deadly force at his disposal.”

My generation was taught that police were our friends. But over the past couple of decades and especially since 9/11 we have encountered numerous accounts of police, FBI personnel, security guards, and others involved in one way or another with law enforcement abusing and sometimes using Tasers against citizens not accused of crimes or offering physical resistance. Such occupations have long attracted authoritarian personalities, but with the number of cases since 9/11 one must wonder if the federalization of police forces is slowly changing the psychology of the police. The bullies may be a small minority of all police officers, of course. But that such cases as this occur at all is troubling. As the power of government officials grows and their accountability lessens, law-abiding citizens—in this case two men involved with a critical-care situation—are expected to cease their work and display the mindless obedience one would expect in a country under the heels of totalitarianism.

If this isn't a call to roll back the federalization of police and the centralization of power, then I don't know what is.

Steven Yates earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1987. He is the author of one book, Civil Wrongs: What Went Wrong With Affirmative Action (San Francisco: ICS Press, 1994) and numerous articles both in academic journals and elsewhere. He has taught philosophy at Clemson University, Auburn University, Wofford College, the University of South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan University--Columbia, and Midlands Technical College, and has held fellowships with or worked on projects with the Institute for Humane Studies, the Heritage Foundation, the Heartland Institute, and the Acton Institute for Religion and Liberty.
 

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danwhitehead1 said:

The Law It seems that the various police departmants are hiring more and more of the high school bully types. What's even worse is that these myrmidons obviously feel that they are the law and above the law. They are neither and need to be sternly reminded that they work for and represent the law. I predict it's going to get much worse before it gets better, if it ever does even begin to get better. Our Founding Fathers would probably be in a rage to see what has happened to what they built upon peril of their lives.

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June 02, 2009
Votes: +5

Lal Wynstrom said:

Appreciate the commentary, however..., part 1 ...it is a tame and rather benign rebuke. There are just too many examples of this going on all over this country to continue making such statements as, "The bullies may be a small minority of all police officers, of course. But that such cases as this occur at all is troubling," for while that may be true, what we are witnessing now is the mentality of the *system* itself starting to change for the worse and the indoctrination of the police/law enforcement *as a whole* being taught that Americans who assert their rights and stand up for liberty are either people to be watched, or outright enemies of the State and its guardians. This, as the JBS well knows, is most recently documented in the MIAC report and its numerous similarities created by other state and local law enforcement departments, as well as the admission by DHS and the discovery of the same by various patriot groups, that COINTELPRO has made a habit of infiltrating and watching our movements at rallies and other pro-Constitution, pro-liberty organizational functions. The latter has been happening for years of course, but the brazen admission of such at this time in our history points to something bigger- namely the strides which the Homeland Garrison State believes it's made in accomplishing its goal of total control. The JBS has also known for years, as Robert Welch so keenly informed us decades ago, that the federalization of the police- turning them from peace officers who serve their communities to enforcers who rule over us in the name of bureaucracies and State controllers- has been the long-range plan of those who control the state altogether.

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June 03, 2009
Votes: +10

Lal Wynstrom said:

Appreciate the commentary, however..., part 2 It is therefore vital, not only that the Society advocate for the rolling back of police federalization and militarization, but also more outspokenly for citizens standing firmly (and asserting) for their rights. This means, in practical terms, knowing our rights, not allowing police to trample on them, carrying video cameras in our vehicles and elsewhere (to document police abuse), and turning wayward law enforcement personnel in to the correct agencies of punishment- which may in fact include the media as well as LE departments, the mayor, the courts, and other officials. If we fail to do this, American history has shown that, unlike China or Russia- whose people have had decades if not centuries of practice living under the heels of totalitarian domination of one kind or another- this people *will* (and should rightly) resist. Such resistance, particularly when conjoined with our 2nd Amendment rights, will produce a wedge between the people and the police. The Insiders know (and are preparing for) this just as well as many of us do. However, such divisions are already forming. It thus behooves the American People to assert themselves now, while there is yet time, and while the instruments of peaceful resistance, and maintenance of the Constitution, can still prevail. It's time to stop making excuses for the system and the Leviathan Security State that is foisting itself upon a (once) free people with alarming speed and efficiency. And it's time to stop being tame about where those abuses will eventually lead us.

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June 03, 2009
Votes: +8

MarkGlen said:

A Real Conservative McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy, Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. A real conservative would say that Joseph McCarthy did all he could under the circumstances. I read the Communist damage report and he did a lot of damage to them. Anyone that stands for truth can expect to be attacked by the left and forsaken by cowardly moderates.

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June 03, 2009 | url
Votes: +7

RL Applegate said:

... It appears to me that the extremists on all sides are finding it ever more difficult to restrain themselves. I expect that the "boil over" point is approaching at an ever increasing rate. As is in evidance here, a cop in a moment of perceived clairity, determines that it is a good idea to interfer with EMTs in an ambulance. Can anyone conceive of any rational thought that would lead someone in public service to arrive at such a conclusion? Society is in collapse and I fear, urreversibly. Is there anthing bad enough to happen to such a moron? My vote is for this idiot to be in jail for awhile.

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June 05, 2009
Votes: +1

rheiney said:

... Great comments by everybody. One point worth mentioning - decades of indoctrination by the socialist government 'school' system has created generations of adults who honestly do not understand the US Constitution or the principles of our Founding Fathers. Should we really be surprised at the type and quality of police officer we get today? Children raised in the post-modern Dewey-Mann government brainwashing factories a/k/a 'public schools', are trained to follow orders even when they don't make any sense. They have no political IQ so where is the 'wrong' in pulling over an ambulance driver for an alleged slight? It's not about the patient in the ambulance. It's not about rights. It's not about duty to Country. It's about 'I'm a government police officer and you'll do what I say - or else..." And these same people want to disarm Americans.

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June 06, 2009 | url
Votes: +4

MarkGlen said:

	No restraint on immorality In our city policemen throw drunken parties.
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June 07, 2009 | url
Votes: +1

Ross Richard Blankert said:

	The Future abuses by those in power There will be a police force working for Obama. He put 6 billion dollars in the stimulus bill for this force who is answerable only to him. They will be going house to house disarming the populace. It is this that we must really fear. I fear my government and I speak the truth. Obama is a communist.
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June 08, 2009
Votes: +0

Warren the writer said:

	... From the YouTube comments: "The officer that pulled the ambulance over is Daniel Martin badge number 606 to reach his captain 918-423-3636 Call the governor of oklahoma Brad Henry 405-521-2342" Now, you won't be talking to Governor Henry when you call that line obviously but he needs to know there is outrage about this. Thanks to Death2theNWO777 for posting it.
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June 10, 2009
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mayordave said:

	Baptist Preacher Beaten by Border Patrol - 11 Stitches! A must see youtube video of a preacher beat up by the Border Patrol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZqNb4gx1Ss
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June 10, 2009 | url
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Derak j said:

... yeah I saw the youtube of this before. what are those poor, egomaniac cops going to do now that everyone has cell phone video and picture? There is another of the officer trying to arrest the driver of a firetruck for following protocol and blocking off the scene. The fire captain happened to be in on that call and put the officer back in his place. It should show up in related videos I've already been called junior lawyer by a cop that I caught lying to me trying to threaten other people in the car with bogus charges. a state trooper or someone else in a big black suv showed up. After a few words with him, the wanna-be intimidator cop let us all drive away. He must have been re-educated that he was making up laws. I think what irritated him the most was that I was as nice as possible when talking to him. Killing them with kindness drives these high-school dropouts insane. I don't know how any of them make it through police academy. I ought to go rent that movie now. This punk must not have been trained by HighTower. Ha!

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June 11, 2009
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