9 Comments

Mr. Clee:

Great article! Sadly, sports figures like Tyreek Hill have been artificially elevated to levels of societal status they simply do not deserve. So Tyreek can catch a ball. So can my dog. People like Tyreek think they are special and, therefore, are not bound by the same laws the rest of society must follow. This artificial elevation starts in K-12 and continues on into the collegiate system where athletes can obtain a degree without being able to write their names. But athletics is where the money is, so colleges and universities abandon their values like a used Kleenex to make sure they have winning sports teams. In the meantime, academics be damned. This is how the Tyreeks of the world make it through college and into the professional leagues. Who cares if they are criminals as long as they can play ball. If they can play ball, they are very “special.” They spend their lives risking nothing for a big paycheck. Juxtapose that risk/reward with underpaid and underappreciated police officers who risk their lives every day and during every shift for many people who could care less about them. So a police officer sees a puke like Tyreek Hill exceeding the speed limit by 80 MPH. He stops the car and encounters the very special Tyreek Hill. Predictably, Tyreek Hill is incensed that he is stopped. The gall of a police officer to stop such a very special superstar. But he does the police officer a HUGE favor and actually stops. However, the cooperation does not last long because very special people like Tyreek Hill should not be bothered by pesky police officers. So Tyreek Hill resists the officer’s lawful commands and is amazed when he is taken out of his car and placed in cuffs. Surely, very special superstars should not be subject to the orders of police officers, thinks Tyreek Hill.

People like Tyreek Hill make me sick. Low-IQ people like Tyreek Hill would be working at a fast-food place if they could not play ball. And then the Dolphins issue a statement condemning the police? WTF? Maybe the police should stop working Dolphins games and let them take care of their own problems. Better yet, let Tyreek Hill work security at Dolphins games. Since he is very special, he should have no difficulty doing both jobs. Show us how it is done, Tyreek.

Tom

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Well written and information, as always. Thank you, and I agree!

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Good Job Roland.

Wren v US is clear about vehicle stops.

Speeds like that of Hill could never be considered a minor traffic violation.

The agency needs to stand up for their officers and shut the talking heads down! Too much of this going on today.

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Sep 12Liked by Roland Clee

Roland. Wanted to make sure you saw this Matt Walsh take on this incident, from last night’s show. https://youtu.be/8PkMX2D47sc?si=XBfUBSapKfHqEOFl

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author

He made a great point, the vicarious trauma by some of these very privileged talking heads made it sound like someone had died. I did have the knee surgery, then play tackle football but found it flowed better when I took it out. After stripping everything away, you just had some clown speeding recklessly and then acting like a fool after getting pulled over. Pretty predictable result. Thank you for sharing!

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I’m surprised that 120mph is a cut and release offense. In many states that driving behavior could rise to the level of a felony if it clearly endangered others, at a minimum would be a jailable misdemeanor offense. Not only could the citation be issued with a trip to the jail for processing, even if it would be a book-in/book-out process, the vehicle would be impounded. Not sure Hill would have made game-time if the officers went that route.

With that being said, it’s important to consider not just what you do, but how you do it. Even though officers are not to be viewed through the lens of hindsight 20/20, that is what a majority of the public does. Sometimes even if your right, you’ll be judged wrong.

Hill has demonstrated over the years that he is selfish and reckless and has little regard for the value of other lives, but like Mark Twain told us, “be wary of arguing with idiots because people watching might not be able to tell the difference.”

A suspension of the officer before any formal investigation was conducted seems inappropriate. It will further exacerbate the problem and erode the trust and confidence of the officers who have to make quick decisions in real time. It denigrates community trust. It doesn’t mean an officer didn’t violate policy, it just means everyone should get a fair shake. Just like we don’t want suspects holding court on street level stops and arguing with officers, we should extend the same professional expectation to the officers when it comes to administrative process.

Now the process is tainted. An expectation has been set by the agency that the officer was wrong. The Dolphins organization quickly seized on that opportunity to protect their asset. If the formal review finds the officer followed policy and the reasonable officer standard, the agency will have to explain this publicly or fight it privately, either way, everyone loses again. Maybe it’s just a difference in how internal processes are designed, but my initial thought was the suspension was issued to set a public expectation and appease the initial reaction from a potential vocal minority. In other words, get out in front of the problem and control the narrative.

Just my two cents, for whatever it’s worth. I’ll be waiting for the IA investigation findings to be made public before I make any additional comment. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

One thing is clear, my childhood love of Dolphins - the Don Shula days, seems like a universe away.

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author

Thank you for this well thought out and insightful reply. Going the infraction route with careless instead of reckless - nobody wants to spend their high-dollar detail reverting back to standard pay. A commander may suggest that the detail is short enough that he can't be another two motors down just before the game. This may be another example of cutting a break and causing a backfire.

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Ask, Tell, Make. It’s simple enough to teach a cadet and effective enough to keep cops and the citizens they interact with safe. I’ve see over and over how this newfound hesitancy to be aggressive has led to greater injury to suspects and cops alike.

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Sep 12Liked by Roland Clee

The road back from the victimhood cult begins with clarity. You have provided it. Thank you.

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