Army officer sues Virginia police over violent traffic stop

[Trooper224]

So, SMA Grinston apparently approves of the Lt's disrespect of authority and refusal to acknowledge same.

[Joe in PNG]

So, SMA Grinston apparently approves of the Lt's disrespect of authority and refusal to acknowledge same.

But it's not SMA Grinston's authority. Big difference.

[JHC]

But it's not SMA Grinston's authority. Big difference.

The bleachers would be shocked at the acceptance of defiance when “authority’s” abuse is captured on tape.

[DDTSGM]

I didn't realize there was a statute that said 'must be cheery to police when they stop you.'

It never ceases to amaze me when officers get upset when someone isn't happy to see them on a traffic stop.

Here's an idea, don't want to deal with difficult people? Become a fireman, everyone likes them.

Several years ago one of our local 911 dispatchers hung up on a distraught lady calling to report her boyfriend had/was beating her because when the dispatcher told her to calm down, she didn't. Annnd, the Director of dispatch backed the dismal employee.

Dayum, does it never dawn on some folks starting these careers that everyone might not be all perky and at their best when calling or meeting the police?

And some of us talk about millennials and other entitled people.

Can we just admit this was this was the confluence of two assholes? I say two because from what little I watched of video, the backup, was mainly guilty of not telling his partner to knock his silly shit off and actually deal with the situation as a professional.

[Wise_A]

This is dumb. Headline should be, "Dumbass Gets Sprayed For Being Dumb; Other Dumbasses Get Fired For Forgetting About Policing By Consent".

Pull over. Don't escalate to a "failure to comply". If you actually think you're getting pulled over by an impersonator, hit 4-ways and dial 911. I can then either advise you and the deputy that you're stupid in 20 seconds, advise other agencies of the same in 40, or roll police because it's legitimate.

Obey commands. Sue later.

I don't care if it's a 60-year-old white lady in a nun's habit. Doing some dumb shit is going to get guns pointed at you. Complaining about the guy being dressed in a military uniform is stupid, because (a) wearing clothes doesn't mean you are, and (b) .gov employees are just as capable of being crazy/shitheaded as regular folks.

Interacting with the police is not hard. Don't be an asshole. If the cop is an asshole, presume there's a reason and file a complaint later.

Walking up and pepper-spraying the guy was dumb, if only because the optics on it are shit. I mean, it sure beats having to drag the guy out of the window, seems to be the kind of thing an irritant is good for. No longterm damage, and also no need to risk getting hurt/killed dragging an idiot out of a car. The alternative is to either sit there for hours, or let him go. But the uninitiated public will not generally understand the necessity of this, because they're a bunch of little bitches (if you'd like to see why this is a problem, understand that every officer this motherfucker tied up is another guy that's not out on patrol, ready to do 90mph at the drop of a hat to perform CPR on a baby). Hence, we need to be sensitive to his personal disability. And to be frank, there should be a street cost to being this particular brand of selfish and stupid. There would be less of it if there was. People are fucking encouraged not to obey lawful police commands these days, and that's dangerous for everybody.

That said, you can successfully avoid getting pepper-sprayed by (1) pulling over, and (2) getting out when they ask. It's not hard. I've spent 35 years with the police at my house and place of employment--never got maced even once.

[okie john]

Cops and soldiers in the South do NOT get along as well as they might.

I spent quite a few years as an enlisted man in the South. Lots of soldiers like to fight recreationally and have fucked with cops in so many situations that no wise police officer would ever assume that we're on the same side. Officer or enlisted, we were treated like the lowest common denominator until we got a chance to prove that we deserved better. That chance rarely came--and I had zero problem with that. Too many asshole soldiers out there, and the cop deserves to go home at the end of his shift. It was a better use of time to just obey the law and if you ran into the police, then do what you were told when you were told to do it.


There's a joke that I heard early in the game that explains it:

Cop pulls over two paratroopers outside Fayetteville, NC. Cop walks up to the driver, punches him in the mouth, and asks to see his license. Driver produces his license. Cop walks up to the passenger and punches him in the mouth without saying anything.

Passenger says, "Why did you do that!?"

Cop says, "You paratroopers are all alike. As soon as I leave, you would have said, 'I wish he'd done that to me.'"

That joke is enlisted-man shit so I'd bet either the LT hasn't heard it or didn't think it applied to him.

In this case, I think that both sides were out of line but the LT started shit he couldn't finish. When I was in, the UCMJ made it possible to get rid of people for making the military look bad. The charge would have been conduct unbecoming an officer and he would have been out of our unit if not separated from the Army entirely within 30 days.

Not sure if anyone today has the backbone to shitcan a high-profile guy like this, though. They'll probably let him collect his check from the city then quietly torpedo his career with shitty OERs until he gets out on his own.

That works, too, I guess.


Okie John

[Borderland]

Cops and soldiers in the South do NOT get along as well as they might.

That was my experience but it was in Pensacola so sailors instead of soldiers. Lots of bars, lots of fights, lots of interaction with local LE. The Navy frowned on ones inability to conduct oneself in an orderly manor off base. A friend received a general discharge (less than honorable) for a civilian arrest.

[Trooper224]

Cops and military service members don't get along anywhere.

[Hambo]

Predictable, but disappointing response from the SMA on this incident:
Attachment 70098

"I'm very proud of him." Wow.

[JDD]

Senior members of the armed forces and DoD need to stay the fuck out of social media squabbles and stuff like this. This is getting out of hand with the Biden administration.

I seem to remember that the LT's Army service and chain of command were invoked by the police officers at one point either during or after the interaction. At that point, comment from an appropriate member of the Army chain of command becomes damn near an inevitability.