Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin reinstated after investigation of excessive force complaint. Martin previously scuffled with paramedic. Video released of most recent incident.

And some Police Officers wonder why all studies show Military Officers are the most Trustworthy and Respectful. Why not Highway Patrol? Well because they wake up most mornings with the hope they can beat the hell out of someone. I couldn’t find any law in my State that gives Police the right to pull EMS vehicle over in an Emergency. This cop makes the whole Department look unprofessional and arrogant. I cannot understand how they would still employ a BAD cop like this. I think they should send him to Afghanastan to act tough. What a punk!

I strongly believe trooper Martin should have been fired over the EMT incident. I believe he has a short fuze and I shudder to think what he might do when he is not on video. Despite this arrest being poorly conducted, and Martin’s unnecessary use of the baton, I don’t believe the two officers were too far out of line. The man walking up on them should simply have complied with what was a polite and reasonable request at the time. I remain convinced Martin should not be employed as a trooper, but this video is not the reason.

I am emt first i didn’t see lights going on the ambulance yes the driver should pulled over but another thing is driving an ambulance there is a lot of blind spots on those ambulances no doubt and cant see in your reaview mirror because it is blocked by a hole. The trooper should have got on the p/a told ambulance to pull to the right so trooper can go by. but there is no need to be that of a jerk to emts and paramedics because when cops get shot who do they send not doctors or nurses emts and paramedics so think about before becoming a jerk to us remember we can save your lives. we can drive slow or fastt to the hospital yall decision. Don’t get me wrong i am proud of law enforcement for what they do but we are on the same team. You help us we help you. easy to remember. but i think this ohp officer should be fired and let go and black balled from any other police depts. or security job.

This Daniel Martin seems like a very disturbed man. I’m just glad I don’t live anywhere near this crazed fool.

when you are a cop to nice can get you shoot they are trained to be tuff you really want a cap to be a push over someday that training may save there life and yours

Okay, let’s back up to the ambulance incident. For those arguing along the lines of “John”, let me stop you there. This was not a normal traffic stop. If, as a silly-vilian, you get pulled over and a passenger jumps out and starts to act confrontational, they can (rightly so) expect to be “drawn down upon” and restrained to a degree necessary to contain what is considered to be a threat. The most dangerous call for all police officers is Domestic Violence. A VERY close second is traffic stops. What everyone has to realize is that many, many officers are killed in the line of duty on traffic stops every year, and that they have weapons that can, and do, get taken away form them and used later on someone else when they are overcome.

That said, THIS was another emergency vehicle. A certain degree of professional courtesy takes precedence here. It is correct that, in the video, it appears there were no lights flashing (it is possible to have lights, no siren). However, on an overcast day, on grainy cam footage, at the speeds he was traveling, those rear lights can be harder to pick up (did you notice the car that pulled off the road for the ambulance just before he passed it- they don’t tend to do that unless they see flashing lights). He also used an internal emergency band radio to communicate with the ambulance just after passing to say “you might want to check your rear-view mirrors”. He had other prudent options, such as moving to follow then asking if they were en route to a call. Upon a positive response he could have made a more reasonable and prudent decision to follow, and conduct a more professional interface with the ambulance driver once the patient was tended to properly.

Finally, his attorney states that he did not hear Paramedic White state that they were with patient en route to the hospital or that it “just didn’t register”. I’m sorry- when did an Officer’s situational awareness and attention to detail become secondary in these situations? At what time did an Officer’s observational skills become optional in the course of their duty day? My understanding, and correct me if I am wrong here, is that a HUGE part of an Officer’s job is to observe their surroundings and be a “professional witness” to events- especially in the course of tense, stressful situations. It is what makes them unique in tense, stressful situations- their ability to remain calm and process data. When did ignorance become a defense. In my own experience, a suspect who claims “I didn’t know”, is still going to jail if there is enough evidence of an act being committed.

Could Mr. White conducted himself better? Absolutely. Does the onus of responsibility lay with him to ensure that all of the facts of a given situation are understood before making decisions and taking action that have legal repercussions? Absolutely not. Is Trooper Martin a “good cop”. I don’t know, but the evidence thus far, and the past record that has been found and printed, suggests that he is someone with whom the authority and responsibilities that come with being a Law Enforcement Officer should not be entrusted. I would not feel safe as a citizen, nor do I feel he would be the kind of representation of the agency that I would want.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, Trooper Martin has exercised enough poor judgment to render himself ineffective as a representative of the state or as a trusted member of the Law Enforcement Community. He has forgotten that a Law Enforcement Officer exists by and for the will of the people they serve, not the other way around. Like it or not, he is a public servant just like the rest of us, and he needs to act with the humility and restraint that comes with that position.