I got IOD'ed

[ReverendJ]

Cheers, man. You sound like exactly the sort of fellow that should be on a force. It sucks that stories like yours get so little coverage, while the couple jackasses who statistically will pop up in any occupation get so much attention. Moreover, you have to deal with the paperwork and bullshit spewed from modern litigation crazed societies. You know how to handle a situation, and determined you didn't need a weapon. What bothers me is that the bureaucrats would have you jump to using one so quickly, considering that there is a small risk of permanent injury or death, and is the sort of stupid crap that gets blown out of proportion by a scandal-happy media. Keep up the good work, and don't let the bastards grind you down.

tl;dr Good cop, that sucks.

 

[GrimTuesday]

One of my old football coaches was a cop in Portland Oregon and he was telling us about one time when he got a call about two guys fighting. He rolled up on them got out of his car and gave them two choices, either they stop fighting and start answering questions or they can keep fighting and the winner gets tased.

OT: wow that sucks man, you subdued the assailant, it shouldn't matter how you did it.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

You got owned by an Improvised Ocelot Device? As in, surprise cats?

*reads post*

OH! Yeah, that sucks. Can't say I have experienced anything similar, but it is still ridiculous that people will be punished for doing good things.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Except they're blue and look like they've been around since nixon was president.

There's your way out son. Health and Safety.

"Did you suffer an accident that wasn't your fault?"

(Yes, it hurts me to recommend one of those snakes, but if it's to fight a bigger snake...)

 

[Cogwheel]

Well. That's just ridiculous. Sorry to hear you had to deal with that, there's no way it's at all fair.

Unfortunately, I can't really suggest anything in the way of help. Except maybe getting Watson to take the hit next time.

 

[Keepitclean]

I'm assuming that they are reprimanding you because they believe your alleged negligence has caused you to be injured in such a way that requires you take time away from work and reducing the man power of the force for a period.

I can understand their frustration and I don't know if the people who decided that you deserve a reprimand have ever been cops that interview people or not.

One of my old football coaches was a cop in Portland Oregon and he was telling us about one time when he got a call about two guys fighting. He rolled up on them got out of his car and gave them two choices, either they stop fighting and start answering questions or they can keep fighting and the winner gets tased.

What a badass.

 

[Krunchybars]

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! Doesn't sound fair at all mate

 

[ace_of_something]

Of course this isn't how things work in the real world, but the administrative people who reprimanded him aren't involved with the real world.

You're right. On paper laws are black and white. But since day one of training we are told to be flexible and to be able to think on your feet. Everything, in reality is gray.

Sometimes, it really feels like administrators aren't even from this planet.
That's true in any job though.

 

[Jamash]

Why am I being reprimanded?
Because I didn't use my taser. In the fucking sheriff's office. It is stated that he was 'using a weapon' with the table and I should've used my taser or baton.

If he was "using a weapon", then surely the fault lies with the Sheriff's Office for supplying that person with a weapon for the interview.

Rather than expect you to have to conduct the interview as equally armed as the person you're interviewing, they should furnish the interview rooms with tables and chairs that can't be used as weapons, that are bolted to the ground so they can't be used as weapons against you during a simple interview.

If your employer had the foresight to realise that tables and chairs can be used as weapons (perhaps if they had watched more WWE), and if they cared enough about your safety & well being not to furnish the interview rooms with "weapons", then you wouldn't have been injured doing your job.

If you're at fault for not using your Taser against an armed person, they your employers are more at fault for arming that individual. However, it they say they're not responsible because they couldn't have predicted him using the furniture as a weapon, then neither could you and it the reprimand is baseless.

That's what I would try and argue if I was in your situation, and I would try and turn it around, turn myself into a martyr, talk to the Union and start a campaign for every interview room in the district to be furnished with immovable, un-weaponised furniture, so that no other fellow Police Officer would ever be injured in the line of duty like you have been, and no officer would ever again face reprimand for being assaulted with a table at work.

 

[ace_of_something]

Why am I being reprimanded?
Because I didn't use my taser. In the fucking sheriff's office. It is stated that he was 'using a weapon' with the table and I should've used my taser or baton.

That's what I would try and argue if I was in your situation, and I would try and turn it around, turn myself into a martyr, talk to the Union and start a campaign for every interview room in the district to be furnished with immovable, un-weaponised furniture, so that no other fellow Police Officer would ever be injured in the line of duty like you have been, and no officer would ever again face reprimand for being assaulted with a table at work.

My Sargent (supervisor) is a union rep and said "This happens too goddamn much but no fucking taxpayer bonehead wants us to spend money on any goddamn thing let alone something they can't see. I've had it I'm going...."
and she rants on like that for a while (she is quite a colorful character) She intends on bringing it up again in the appropriate channels. With any luck they will have at least tables that are bolted down in like a year... things go slow, bureaucrats and all that.

 

[Ipsen]

In any case, this story feels pretty revealing.

I apologize, what do you mean by that?

Well, this isn't the typical Escapist rant; not many talk about what they do for a living. It could be just my inexperience talking, or maybe Im deluding myself...In any case, its put up a interesting discussion, so Im satisfied.

 

[spartan1077]

First off, you job sounds sweet. Secondly, you shouldn't have any weapons in an "interrogation room" or anything like that. It does cause a threat if they take your weapon(like you said), intimidates the suspect/witness and may cause them to act irrationally(like you said) and it's just plain stupid. Even federal agents leave their guns at the door of an interrogation...it's bullshit that you will be reprimanded. Anyone you can complain to? Otherwise I guess you'll just have to pay some drug dealer to egg her house or something
[sub]I don't recommend the egging part. Slashing tires is more effective[/sub]

 

[IzisviAziria]

Off Topic:
I hate when people quote the OP for no reason just so he'll definitely see their post.

Well, if the OP is irritated by it, there IS an option to disable notifications for quote.

PS: I totally quoted you to make sure you'd see this.

OT: Really hope that "reprimand" amounts to a figurative slap on the wrist. You certainly acted as I would expect an officer of the law to act in that situation, and if you feel that a tazer is detrimental to your investigation, by all means you should be able to conduct your investigation without using one. Especially within the damn station.