Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 9, 2007 11:49:06 GMT -5
TSU graduate Stephanie Taylor is the woman seen pleading with officers on a tape that has newly surfaced.
She's from Memphis and will remember her drive through Rutherford County for years to come.
In the video, you can see Stephanie Taylor on the ground in pain. She was pulled over January 3rd by former Lavergne Police Officer Shawn Temple.
How did a former Tennessee State University Tiger gem get in this position? She was pulled over speeding.
As the video shows, that traffic stop started badly and only got worse.
Victim: "please don't be rude to me."
Officer 1: "I'd appreciate it if you weren't rude back to me. I didn't snatch anything."
Victim: "I'm not being rude."
Officer 1: "I'm trying to figure out why you're so belligerent."
Victim: "Belligerent?"
Officer 1: "Yes, maam."
The officer returned to his car and ran a check on Taylor for any outstanding warrants. A second officer arrives. He also speaks with Taylor.
Officer 2: "Attitude from hell."
Officer 1: "I know. I'm almost praying for a hit just because she's got such a crummy attitude."
Officer 2: "Attitude from hell."
Officer 1: "I know. I'm almost praying for a hit just because she's got such a crummy attitude. Her record was squeaky clean, she was just going to get a ticket but she wanted to see the radar gun before signing her name."
Officer 1: "I need your signature on the bottom. It's not an admission of guilt."
Victim: "Okay. No. 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."
Offiicer temple gave her several chances to sign but she refused, and he had enough.
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?"
That's when the officer reached inside the SUV and grabbed the driver. She finally begs to sign the ticket. But by then it was too late.
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."
Taylor was led back to the patrol car and two higher-ups came to the scene. One of them questioned why Taylor was arrested and suggested that Officer Temple didn't follow department policy.
After that violent confrontation, a medic checked her out. Then taylor signed the ticket and, on the video, you can see her limp back to her car, free to go home.
Lavergne Police Officer Shawn Temple was terminated from the force following a review of Taylor's traffic stop. We were unable to reach Taylor in time for tonight's report.
What's not on the tape is also part of what prompted the Lavergne Police Chief to ask for the officer's badge. Our investigation found this isn't the first time that police officer has been cited for bad conduct.
We obtained a disciplinary report of the incident "caught on tape" that describes what you can't see on camera.
In the report, Police Chief Steve Lindsay writes about the extent Officer Temple went to get Stephanie Taylor out of the car. The chief writes Temple actually reached into the car and unlocked the door - then unbuckled her seatbelt - and finally slung her to the pavement.
This is all the chief could say on camera: "There's possible litigation - from Temple or from the victim. It's under appeal and i'd rather not comment on personnel issues."
But in the displinary report, he describes Temple's action as "excessive force" and "blatant disregard for policy." Officer Temple referenced all questions to his attorney, who told us "we're not going to comment at this point. We're going to let our evidence come out at his appeal hearing."
We also discovered in Temple's personnel file - a reprimand - for rudeness or unbecoming conduct, violation of safety rules and policy and procedure - all stemming from an indicent a year earlier, when Temple, "placed a shotgun in a non-threatening, handcuffed suspects' back - creating a safety hazard for both." Unlike this traffic stop, Temple is also reprimanded for not capturing the shotgun incident on video or audio.
Temple's file did not indicate if he was punished for that shotgun incident. He has already had one appeal hearing for this traffic stop. On his appeal form, he says his terminiation was excessive for what he's accused of doing.
There are several more steps in the appeal process.
www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6061674
********************************************
A La Vergne police officer fired for violating traffic stop procedures and using excessive and unnecessary force is appealing his termination.
Police Chief Steve Lindsay said former officer Shawn Temple violated department policy when he arrested Stephanie Taylor, 22, of Antioch, for her refusal to sign a speeding citation Jan. 3.
Temple took the first step of appealing his termination Tuesday by meeting with shift supervisor Lt. Ted Boyd, who upheld Lindsay’s decision. The next step in the process is discussing the matter with Lindsay. No date for that appeal has been set.
www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/COUNTY07/70208065
She's from Memphis and will remember her drive through Rutherford County for years to come.
In the video, you can see Stephanie Taylor on the ground in pain. She was pulled over January 3rd by former Lavergne Police Officer Shawn Temple.
How did a former Tennessee State University Tiger gem get in this position? She was pulled over speeding.
As the video shows, that traffic stop started badly and only got worse.
Victim: "please don't be rude to me."
Officer 1: "I'd appreciate it if you weren't rude back to me. I didn't snatch anything."
Victim: "I'm not being rude."
Officer 1: "I'm trying to figure out why you're so belligerent."
Victim: "Belligerent?"
Officer 1: "Yes, maam."
The officer returned to his car and ran a check on Taylor for any outstanding warrants. A second officer arrives. He also speaks with Taylor.
Officer 2: "Attitude from hell."
Officer 1: "I know. I'm almost praying for a hit just because she's got such a crummy attitude."
Officer 2: "Attitude from hell."
Officer 1: "I know. I'm almost praying for a hit just because she's got such a crummy attitude. Her record was squeaky clean, she was just going to get a ticket but she wanted to see the radar gun before signing her name."
Officer 1: "I need your signature on the bottom. It's not an admission of guilt."
Victim: "Okay. No. 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."
Offiicer temple gave her several chances to sign but she refused, and he had enough.
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?"
That's when the officer reached inside the SUV and grabbed the driver. She finally begs to sign the ticket. But by then it was too late.
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."
Taylor was led back to the patrol car and two higher-ups came to the scene. One of them questioned why Taylor was arrested and suggested that Officer Temple didn't follow department policy.
After that violent confrontation, a medic checked her out. Then taylor signed the ticket and, on the video, you can see her limp back to her car, free to go home.
Lavergne Police Officer Shawn Temple was terminated from the force following a review of Taylor's traffic stop. We were unable to reach Taylor in time for tonight's report.
What's not on the tape is also part of what prompted the Lavergne Police Chief to ask for the officer's badge. Our investigation found this isn't the first time that police officer has been cited for bad conduct.
We obtained a disciplinary report of the incident "caught on tape" that describes what you can't see on camera.
In the report, Police Chief Steve Lindsay writes about the extent Officer Temple went to get Stephanie Taylor out of the car. The chief writes Temple actually reached into the car and unlocked the door - then unbuckled her seatbelt - and finally slung her to the pavement.
This is all the chief could say on camera: "There's possible litigation - from Temple or from the victim. It's under appeal and i'd rather not comment on personnel issues."
But in the displinary report, he describes Temple's action as "excessive force" and "blatant disregard for policy." Officer Temple referenced all questions to his attorney, who told us "we're not going to comment at this point. We're going to let our evidence come out at his appeal hearing."
We also discovered in Temple's personnel file - a reprimand - for rudeness or unbecoming conduct, violation of safety rules and policy and procedure - all stemming from an indicent a year earlier, when Temple, "placed a shotgun in a non-threatening, handcuffed suspects' back - creating a safety hazard for both." Unlike this traffic stop, Temple is also reprimanded for not capturing the shotgun incident on video or audio.
Temple's file did not indicate if he was punished for that shotgun incident. He has already had one appeal hearing for this traffic stop. On his appeal form, he says his terminiation was excessive for what he's accused of doing.
There are several more steps in the appeal process.
www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6061674
********************************************
A La Vergne police officer fired for violating traffic stop procedures and using excessive and unnecessary force is appealing his termination.
Police Chief Steve Lindsay said former officer Shawn Temple violated department policy when he arrested Stephanie Taylor, 22, of Antioch, for her refusal to sign a speeding citation Jan. 3.
Temple took the first step of appealing his termination Tuesday by meeting with shift supervisor Lt. Ted Boyd, who upheld Lindsay’s decision. The next step in the process is discussing the matter with Lindsay. No date for that appeal has been set.
www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070208/COUNTY07/70208065