Tennessee Police Officer Caught on Tape Assaulting Woman During Traffic Stop

[warpedskydiver 0]

Tennessee Police Officer Caught on Tape Assaulting Woman During Traffic Stop
Tuesday, February 13, 2007

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A Tennessee police officer was caught brazenly assaulting a woman he pulled over for a traffic violation when his vehicle's dashboard camera taped the entire incident.

After Stephanie Taylor refused to sign a traffic citation being issued to her, the dash cam video shows the police officer reaching into her car and physically pulling her out into the street, Tennessee's WBIR reported.

For More on the Story and a Link to the Video, Click Herehttp://www.wbir.com/video/player.aspx?aid=39661&bw=


The police officer, Shawn Temple, was fired after supervisors saw the tape. The other officer on the scene, who did not take part in the assault, was put on leave.

On the tape, Temple asks Taylor to sign her citation, but she requests to see his radar. He continues to demand that she sign the ticket, but she refuses.

Officer: "Ma'am are you going to sign this?"
Victim: "No! Are you going to arrest me?"
Victim: "Stop, stop. Oww!"
Officer: "Down!"
Victim: "Oww!"
Officer: "Down!"
Victim: "You are hurting me. I have a metal rod in my leg!"
Officer: "Quit moving around."

A medic was called to the scene of Taylor's traffic stop before officers allowed her to go home. She has hired an attorney and is currently considering a lawsuit.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,251781,00.html

www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=42200

Dash cam captures West Tennessee police officer assaulting woman

Date created: 2/13/2007 8:15:45 AM
Last updated: 2/13/2007 8:23:17 AM



A Tennessee police officer has been fired, after a dash cam video showed him reach inside a woman's car and pulled her onto the street.

It all started when the woman wouldn't sign a traffic ticket.

There's Stephanie Taylor on the ground in pain. She was pulled over January 3rd for speeding by former Lavergne Police Officer Shawn Temple. The traffic stop began badly and only got worse.

Officer 1: "I need your signature on the bottom. It's not an admission of guilt."
Victim: "okay.. Where's your radar?"
Officer 1: "Maam, I need your signature here."
Victim: "no where's your radar?"
Officer 1: "if you refuse to sign it I'm placing you under arrest."

"I don't know that there's anything different she could have done."


It's hard for Anita and Gene Teamer to watch this tape.

Victim: "no. Ya'll obviously don't understand."
Officer 1: "apparently you don't understand english like coming out of my mouth. You need to sign this or you're going to jail."
Victim: (unintelligible.)
Officer 1: "Maam are you going to sign this?"
Victim: "no! Are you going to arrest me?"
Victim: "stop, stop. Owww.:
Officer 1: "down!"
Victim: "owwww!"
Officer 1: "down!"
Victim: "you are hurting me. I have a metal rod in my leg!"
Officer 1: "quit moving around."

"It hurts no one wants to see their children treated like that. Hearing her cry out in anguish and pain and I not be there."

"There were two officers there and personally I feel like other officers should have intervened, call one's supervisor."

When a supervisor got a look at this tape they fired one officer and put another on leave.

"The officers are to protect the citizens it didn't seem to happen that particular time."

Stephanie Taylor's parents don't think race was a factor in the way their daughter was treated. She's hired an attorney and considering a potential lawsuit. Her parents will be watching.

In a report, the Lavergne Police Chief said quote: "former officer Taylor actually reached into the car and unlocked the door, then unbuckled Taylor's seatbelt and slung her to the pavement."

Medics were called to Taylor's traffic stop before officers let her go home.

Taylor's parents said the metal rod she referred to in the video was the result of a car crash two years ago.



Andrew Douglas, WMC-TV, Memphis, Tennessee


video

[sundevil777 102]

Damn!

Of course most know that you will get arrested if you don't sign a ticket. Shouldn't get slammed down like you had tried to evade the police though.

My father refused to sign a ticket, he got arrested. When he got in front of a judge, he was able to show how the cop had lied about him supposedly going 60 mph in a 25 zone. My dad was able to show that he had pulled out from a street (left a customer of his - he's a pool service guy), and would have had to get up to 60 mph in about 200 feet. He was driving an old, beat up, loaded up '64 Chevy truck, with a 3-speed on the tree tranny - they don't accelerate very fast.

The cop had to lie, saying that my dad had pulled out onto the street long before where he actually did. The judge was wanting to do a little rough math 'figuring, and my dad helped him with the fact that 60 mph = 88 ft/sec (the cop didn't know how to 'figure that). It only took a couple more minutes for the judge to throw the case out.

Fortunately, the lying, asshole cop didn't drag him out of the car to arrest him.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[BIGUN 1,424]

All of it could have been avoided if she'd signed the ticket and gone to court instead of arguing. Was he excessive in the arrest? I think so.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[christelsabine 1]

Could someone kindly explain to an alien what it means to "sign a ticket"??? For what is a signature needed?

If I get caught in the act at speeding, parking on forbidden places, driving wrong way into a one-way-street or such .... OK, there is a chance for me that either I'll receive a ticket announcing that within next few weeks, I shall receive an offical paper giving me the chance to explain if needed - or just to accept a forfeit to be paid at the spot (which mostly is cheaper). Period.

If I'm not on board of my car which is parked on a wrong place, such ticket will be stuck under the wiper blades.

What is necessary to be signed? And why such violence?

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Could someone kindly explain to an alien what it means to "sign a ticket"??? For what is a signature needed?

You're signing a notice to appear. It's ackowledges that you've received this ticket and will either appear in court on the day specified (about a month ahead), or pay the bail (fine) and plead guilty.

Signing it does not plea guilty and refusing to sign it is rarely productive. IIRC per California law, the LEO does not have to show you the rader gun. If you wanted to challenge it, his refusal to show might help, but it's still not grounds for refusing to sign the ticket.

She should have been arrested. Obviously she should not have been manhandled like that.

We do not (yet) have photo tickets for speeding or tailgaiting like they do in Germany. With the unfortunate exception of red light tickets, you can't be ticketed by inanimate objects that can't testify in court, and therefore can't be questioned.

[Richards 0]

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All of it could have been avoided if she'd signed the ticket and gone to court instead of arguing.

I don't get why some people need to argue with a cop. If you are right then sign, appear in court and state your case. Even if the cop is a goof, why push a confrontation? Too easily avoidable. He overreacted but she is still an idiot for argueing with him.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Scoop 0]

Yeah I agree. She didn't deserve that but maybe she wont be such a wise ass in future. If you refuse to sign the ticket the officer should just note 'refused to sign'. Its no big deal. Just because you didn't sign it doesn't mean your going to get away with anything.

I love speeding cases, people always argue the old urban legends they hear from their friends like certificate of calibration, how do you know you were aiming at me etc. It makes me laugh and its even funnier when they fight it in court, lose and get a heftier punishment than they would have done if they'd just admitted it.

I've never lied about anything in my job, I have never needed to. We are all professionals and there is enough dumb people out there to catch without persecuting innocent people.

I got a ticket the other day, annoying I know, but I deserved it. Paid the fine, got the points, I'll live with it. What I won't do is start bitching when I've got noone else to blame but myself. In a way I understand that some cops lose it and react in this manner.

[Richards 0]

Quote

I love speeding cases, people always argue the old urban legends they hear from their friends like certificate of calibration, how do you know you were aiming at me etc. It makes me laugh and its even funnier when they fight it in court, lose and get a heftier punishment than they would have done if they'd just admitted it.

While a cop may not be a lawyer it amazes me how many people feel that they are more legal savy than the cop they are talking to. Buddy of mine and I got into a wee bit of trouble when we were young and the cop had that look that he was going to just scare us and then let us off with a warning. Then my budy with all of one or two whole college law courses under his belt started smat-assing the cop with all kinds of legal bulshit that sounded like it came straight from Matlock. The usual shit terms like warrant, probable cause...etc. I think the fact that the cop saw the oh-shit-don't do-that look i gave my freind and it saved the moment thus allowing us to still get off with a warning. Why the fuck do people think they can outwit a cop with legalese (lawyers excepted)?

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Scoop 0]

Funny you should say that. I arrested a law student once and he thought he knew everything, to be fair to him he was coming out with some really technical sounding legislation. But I personally witnessed him smash up a phone box. Quite how he thought he'd get out of it I don't know. He also tried staring me out but he was only about 5'8" and built like a pipe cleaner To make things worse for him, instead of getting a car to come (I was on foot patrol) I just marched him all the way to the police station in cuffs with his friends in tow shouting at me. When his solicitor turned up he advised him to just admit everything and take the ticket for criminal damage.
SCOOP 1 - LAW STUDENT 0

[ECVZZ 0]

Quote

We are all professionals

While I believe most strive to be, LE has it's share of unprofessional employees. What makes it particularly egregious in the case of LE is that they have the legal authority to take away your ability to move about freely (arrest/detention/physical restraint), or (as in this case) to be physically abusive without immediate accountability.

G. Jones

"I've never been quarantined. But the more I look around, the more I think it might not be a bad idea."

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Quote

Damn!

Of course most know that you will get arrested if you don't sign a ticket.

Nope. It depends on the jurisdiction. I got a ticket about a month ago in BC. The cop asked me if I would sign the ticket and then informed me that I didn't have to if I didn't want to; it just made his job easier and got us both on our way a bit sooner.

[Scoop 0]

Yeah, I know in the UK you don't have to sign any documentation at all. You will however, be arrested if you fail to provide the information. name, address etc

If you're clever you'll just go with the flow. Court is your opportunity to argue, not on the streets, thats how the system works.

What interests me is if in some states in the US you have to sign or face being arrested what do they do if they have someone who cant read or write?

[georgerussia 0]

Quote

What interests me is if in some states in the US you have to sign or face being arrested what do they do if they have someone who cant read or write?

Looks like in this case people just get a warning. Some people from Russia visiting U.S. were caught speeding (something like 90 in 70mph zone), and were just getting a warning and an explanation that speed limit is 70.

I have no idea what else could be done in this case.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[Zipp0 1]

Can you sign "Bart Simpson"?

--------------------------
Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[waltappel 1]

It just doesn't pay to be wiseass with a cop. Although I don't think anything she said was disrespectful, she clearly failed the attitude test and the cop overreacted.

It could have been much worse, though. Check out this video.

Walt

[sdt2h 0]

Thank you for calling me an "idiot" because obviously I did nothing wrong. I am obviously smarter than the average Tennessean because I know that I have the right to request the radar reading before I sign. Have a nice day and next time think before you type because you do NOT know me nor anything about me other than a tape that was released to the public that has much more information on it than any of you have seen or heard, courtesy of former officer Shawn Temple and the LPD>
By the way, this is Stephanie Danielle Taylor and I am the subject of this discussion.

[ladyskydiver 0]

I've heard that if you request to see the radar gun and it's recorded speed, you have a right to see that as well as when it was last calibrated.

I'll have to do some searching on state laws, etc., but arresting someone for not signing a ticket sounds excessive.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[Erroll 80]

Quote

We do not (yet) have photo tickets for speeding or tailgaiting like they do in Germany. With the unfortunate exception of red light tickets, you can't be ticketed by inanimate objects that can't testify in court, and therefore can't be questioned.

We (SA) have had fixed speed cameras for years and on any given day I'll drive past three or four hand-held speed cameras going home from work.
Our courts started unconditionally accepting 'camera evidence' several years ago. Although a pain in the *ss, the system works well, especially at known speeding spots. Lately we have also been able to check and pay our traffic fines via the Internet. So, from seeing the camera's flash through to paying the fine, no contact with any law enforcement agency is required!

[pirana 0]

She's a ding-a-ling who probably watches too much court TV and felt the need to exert her "expertise."

He's an asshole for forgetting his job is to serve and protect (even ding-a-lings) even when moronic Judge Judy wannabees push his buttons.

Two great examples of Those Darn Humans (TDH's).

TDH's; you never know when they are going to unplug their brain next.

" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

[Richards 0]

Quote

Quote

All of it could have been avoided if she'd signed the ticket and gone to court instead of arguing. Was he excessive in the arrest? I think so.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts. Why argue with a cop? Argue it in court.

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.