OK City police officer charged with sexually assaulting at least 6 women

[chiguirre]

http://newsok.com/article/5334344

 

This is profoundly disturbing! Remember when there were warnings about fake cops pulling over women? That was bad. This is an actual OKC cop abusing his authority to rape and orally sodomize women he threatened with arrest. I'm livid! I'm also deeply concerned about where this leaves us as a society if we really can't trust the police not to shoot unarmed people (usually young men of color) or refrain from using their power to victimize women.

[Moxie]

One case does not an epidemic make.

[kiana]

Yes it is.

 

I do have to say, though, that I consider the police response in this case to be absolutely appropriate. They placed him on leave immediately, investigated the allegations, including searching for all the women he had stopped in traffic stops, then arrested him.

 

They don't seem to have closed ranks or tried to cover it up or transfer him elsewhere.

[Anne in CA]

It is disturbing, but any job that involves power will attract a certain amount of people who get the job simply to feel powerful for different reasons. This guy wanted power over women, but I have met jerks who work at the DMV to feel powerful, jerks in Support Enforcement who take thousands of dollars in child support they know people do not owe to feel powerful, the IRS has some evil employees who deliberately ruin people's lives too. My BIL who works in the financial industry says there are IRS agents who blackmail women into sleeping with them to keep their dh's out of jail for tax fraud.

 

And lets not forget politicians who abuse power. I would love to see all of us hold these people more accountable as a society.

[Truscifi]

Yes it is.

 

I do have to say, though, that I consider the police response in this case to be absolutely appropriate. They placed him on leave immediately, investigated the allegations, including searching for all the women he had stopped in traffic stops, then arrested him.

 

They don't seem to have closed ranks or tried to cover it up or transfer him elsewhere.

 

Yes. The difference in how this is being handled vs the situation in Ferguson just highlights all the more what is wrong in Ferguson.

[CTmom]

what should we do if we feel uncomfortable with a traffic stop and are alone in the car? Lock the car and call 911? obviously we cant drive away from a traffic stop. Never had to deal with anything like this but now that my teens will be driving soon, I need to know all these things

[TammyS]

I actually have no problem with police in general (EVERY position that includes power is going to have people who abuse it, I don't think that is new or surprising), but this is really good information, IMO:

 

Longish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

 

Lots of good information specific to traffic stops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkgo3Q_xBSNw5InIvVQo9g

 

For Fun:

[chiguirre]

What really bothers me about this case is that not all of the victims were driving, some were stopped while walking. During a traffic stop, you have time to mentally prepare to interact with the police. Being stopped and harassed while you're walking down the street seems more random and invasive, and more frightening.