I’m sitting here sipping my coffee, reading about the latest shenanigans from the Phoenix police department, and I just can’t help but think – what is going on here? Two police officers, Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez, got fired and arrested for allegedly assaulting a man and woman during an unreported traffic stop, and then shocking them with a Taser. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up, folks. The police chief, Matt Giordano, said the officers physically assaulted both the man and woman, and the investigation shows that a Taser was used on the victims during the stop. Now, I’m no expert, but isn’t that exactly what police officers are supposed to avoid doing?
The officers didn’t report the August 5 traffic stop, and they didn’t even bother to activate their body-worn cameras. I guess they didn’t want any evidence of their, ahem, “creative” policing methods. The police chief said there’s no video evidence, but they established probable cause that these crimes were committed. I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me that “probable cause” is just a fancy way of saying “we think they did it, but we don’t have any proof”.
The victims reported that the officers smashed the car window, punched the man, and threatened to shoot him. The woman was removed from the vehicle and handcuffed. Now, I’m not saying that the victims are angels or anything, but it seems to me that the police officers might have been a tad overzealous. The man managed to drive away and abandoned the car in neighboring Tempe, while the woman was released at the scene.
A police officer in Tempe responded to the abandoned car and started investigating. He talked to the car’s registered owner, the mother of the male driver, and eventually connected with the woman passenger and the male driver. The woman passenger told the officer that both of them had been shocked with a Taser, while the man said he had been punched in the face multiple times. The Tempe officer thought they might be victims of an attempted carjacking by people impersonating police officers. You know, because that’s exactly what you want to hear – that the people who are supposed to protect you might be impersonating police officers and committing crimes.
The Phoenix police chief, Matt Giordano, said he had a similar reaction when he initially learned of the incident. He thought it was “so far outside the bounds of our policies” that he didn’t believe it at first. But when detectives started looking into it, they realized that Phoenix officers might be involved, and they transitioned the case to a special investigations detail. Giordano said they started putting evidence together, including location technology in city vehicles, and that’s when they realized that the officers might be guilty.
Vasquez and Felix had served eight and nine years with Phoenix police, respectively. The police chief said both had previously violated department policy, but it was “nothing of this nature”. I’m not sure what that means, exactly. Does it mean that they had previously been accused of lesser crimes, or that they had just been really bad at their jobs? Either way, it’s not exactly reassuring.
The Phoenix department’s investigation and audit are ongoing, and the officers have a scheduled court date on Friday. I’m sure it’ll be a real nail-biter. I mean, who doesn’t love a good police corruption scandal? It’s like a real-life episode of “Cop Land” or something.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the Phoenix police department has a bit of a problem on its hands. Maybe they should start with some sensitivity training or something. Or maybe they just need to remind their officers that smashing car windows and shocking people with Tasers isn’t exactly standard procedure. Either way, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one – and probably drinking a lot of coffee to stay awake during the trial. After all, as they say, “justice will be served” – and I’m sure it’ll be a wild ride.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
