Posted on Aug 13, 2015
Florida police officer investigated after challenging US veteran over use of disabled parking space
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Cop Harasses Disabled Veteran for No Reason!
Officer Wilson is going to have some explaining to do.
[Warning: Video has explicit language!]
From: Fox News
A Florida police officer is under investigation after he allegedly ordered an Army veteran to remove his car from a handicapped-accessible parking spot despite the veteran’s vehicle displaying a disabled placard.
According to WPBF-TV, Riviera Beach Police Sgt. Gary Wilson is now on paid administrative leave while he is being investigated by internal affairs following an incident Sunday involving Isiah James, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served nearly 10 years.
The incident, caught on James’ cellphone video, shows an angry exchange between James and Wilson after the officer allegedly asked the veteran to move his Dodge Magnum out of the disabled parking spot outside a Walgreens because he did not look disabled.
Wilson is seen on the video challenging James, 29, saying the veteran is “in the wrong” because he “can walk.”
“What I’m saying is there are people in wheelchairs who can’t get out and you just get out of the car and float right into the store,” Wilson says to James.
“You are not the arbitrator of my disability; you don’t get to decide if I’m disabled or not,” says James, who reveals during the exchange that he served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. James also explains that he has screws in his leg and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Wilson, who asks for James’ license and calls in the plate number to check for outstanding warrants, also appears to knock James’ cellphone out of his hand as the veteran records the exchange.
“Move the camera out of my face,” Wilson says.
“You can’t do that, officer,” James says. “You broke my phone.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VkkOMMmQIg
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/12/florida-cop-investigated-after-challenging-veteran-over-use-disabled-parking/
From: Fox News
A Florida police officer is under investigation after he allegedly ordered an Army veteran to remove his car from a handicapped-accessible parking spot despite the veteran’s vehicle displaying a disabled placard.
According to WPBF-TV, Riviera Beach Police Sgt. Gary Wilson is now on paid administrative leave while he is being investigated by internal affairs following an incident Sunday involving Isiah James, a U.S. Army combat veteran who served nearly 10 years.
The incident, caught on James’ cellphone video, shows an angry exchange between James and Wilson after the officer allegedly asked the veteran to move his Dodge Magnum out of the disabled parking spot outside a Walgreens because he did not look disabled.
Wilson is seen on the video challenging James, 29, saying the veteran is “in the wrong” because he “can walk.”
“What I’m saying is there are people in wheelchairs who can’t get out and you just get out of the car and float right into the store,” Wilson says to James.
“You are not the arbitrator of my disability; you don’t get to decide if I’m disabled or not,” says James, who reveals during the exchange that he served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. James also explains that he has screws in his leg and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Wilson, who asks for James’ license and calls in the plate number to check for outstanding warrants, also appears to knock James’ cellphone out of his hand as the veteran records the exchange.
“Move the camera out of my face,” Wilson says.
“You can’t do that, officer,” James says. “You broke my phone.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VkkOMMmQIg
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/08/12/florida-cop-investigated-after-challenging-veteran-over-use-disabled-parking/
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 250
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Ok that's really a police officer? Cuz he doesn't embody one! He might have eaten a police officer but he isn't one
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I have been challenged 3 times in the last year. I have lower back problems and had procedures for that. Have constant knee problems and get injections of synvisc annually to help keep them from cutting them open. Have left hip and foot problems after getting ran over by an idiot on a cell phone who blew a stop sign. Had left side of face repaired, tons of titanium there.....if i have a fresh dose of pain killers, i can walk and move.... when challenged, i have a practiced rant that lasts 3 minutes. The challenger always quickly leaves as i hobble after them, seeing as they instantly find out they screwed with the wrong pissed off injured tbi suffering vet who wont take crap from anyone. Cops might get less drastic action but the practiced rant still lets them know that they will have to arrest me before i will move my car and their lawyer at the departments expense is very much so, not worth the bad publicity or resulting lawsuit. You cant threaten them but you can challenge them. Wisconsin is also a single party permission state in that only one party needs to give consent to record the i trraction, and as such, cops are breaking the law by telling you to not record the interaction. Know the laws of your state, that is the true power of the citizen. Just dont threaten them with the laws, do it passivly by asking questions in which the answer is obviously in your favor.....
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whether he is disabled in our eyes or the police officers eyes is not the issue. Some doctor decided that he was disabled to the point that a placard was necessary. The police officer is not a doctor and his opinion on this veterans disability is irrelevant. His job is to check the status of the vets disability and not to personally rate his disability as compared to somebody elses, i.e., the old lady he referred to, or a person in a wheelchair.
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The Police Officer was wrong, plain and simple. Speaking as a service connected veteran myself. I would be pissed off if a Police Officer did this to me. I would want his badge too. If you have a handicapped placard, it's for a reason. Simple as that. I get tired of people treating our veterans like second class citizens.
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It is unfortunate that we can ask for the police to be arrested for assault, on the spot, in the same manner that a common citizen gets arrested. There is no administrative leave with possible suspension or loss of job for the common citizens. We get jailed!
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I don't think being a disabled vet entitles you to park in a handicapped parking spot, I think you still need the handicapped placard..
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A few things pop into mind here.
-- In light of incidents involving police (when the officers are antagonists AND when they are the victims), and considering the litigious society we live in, it's prudent to video things as they happen. Cops have dash cams in their cars, and routinely video encounters with civilians when the cops pull them over. I think it was unreasonable for the cop in this case to tell the veteran that he shouldn't be videoing.
-- The cop at least a few times was aggressive, coming toward the veteran as he was backing away. When "get that camera out of my face" happened, it didn't seem to be "in his face" as most people would consider it.
-- Both the cop and the veteran needed to tone it down. I understand why both of them got heated, but the cop was on the job, meaning he was in his professional working environment. Unfairly or not, cops are held to higher standards, and the burden was on him to keep things calm or calm things down. He failed.
-- If I understand the situation correctly, the cop told the veteran to move his car from the handicapped spot as the veteran was coming out of the store. Wasn't the veteran going to move his car anyway, having completed his business? If so, the veteran's response showed a pretty significant lack of judgment, even if he was being challenged about the legitimacy of his handicap.
-- In light of incidents involving police (when the officers are antagonists AND when they are the victims), and considering the litigious society we live in, it's prudent to video things as they happen. Cops have dash cams in their cars, and routinely video encounters with civilians when the cops pull them over. I think it was unreasonable for the cop in this case to tell the veteran that he shouldn't be videoing.
-- The cop at least a few times was aggressive, coming toward the veteran as he was backing away. When "get that camera out of my face" happened, it didn't seem to be "in his face" as most people would consider it.
-- Both the cop and the veteran needed to tone it down. I understand why both of them got heated, but the cop was on the job, meaning he was in his professional working environment. Unfairly or not, cops are held to higher standards, and the burden was on him to keep things calm or calm things down. He failed.
-- If I understand the situation correctly, the cop told the veteran to move his car from the handicapped spot as the veteran was coming out of the store. Wasn't the veteran going to move his car anyway, having completed his business? If so, the veteran's response showed a pretty significant lack of judgment, even if he was being challenged about the legitimacy of his handicap.
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This cop was clearly in the wrong, but he's on to something. The states should not be so lenient when issuing disabled placards. In my state, you get DV plates and a handicap placard regardless of your disability. Mental disabilities, and many other injuries do not prevent you from walking an extra 10 seconds from your car to the store. I have the DV plate but declined to accept a handicap placard because it's bullshit. Many veterans use it without needing it. In my opinion this only serves to feed their need to be a victim or gain sympathy.
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He may be a disabled veteran, but he was completely out of line with the officer. I think the officer handle this situation with great restraint and professionalism. If this gentleman is veteran he should be embarrassed about how he handle this situation.
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