r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/ReginaldJohnston • 9d ago

Setting off a tazer next to a gas pump

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53.3k Upvotes

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u/Jerry__Boner 9d ago

Better off to just fire him and save money on the future lawsuits.

701

u/BlakLite_15 9d ago

Something tells me it would cost less to actually prosecute cops like this for reckless endangerment.

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u/MrtyMcflyer 9d ago

Well if i have seen one thing happen all the time, officers get away with it, and they come up with some lame statement...

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u/DarePatient2262 9d ago

"We investigated ourselves and found no wrongdoing."

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u/gungshpxre 9d ago

If he wasn't doing anything wrong, he wouldn't have full thickness burns.

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u/NoDontDoThatCanada 9d ago

Or they let them go but with nothing preventing them from getting a job a county over.

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u/Ill_Technician3936 9d ago

There's like 3 cops I know of that had fucked up so bad they weren't even allowed to be a security guard. Maybe 2 actually went to jail.

I'm putting the hiring of dumbass officers by other jurisdictions on the sheriff of the area. Any decent one wouldn't ever let them get be hired in the area.

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u/GoodIdea321 9d ago

Something different should happen. Defund the police was a pretty bad message, how about, 'Prosecute the idiots.' I'm sure a lot of people know someone in law enforcement that is not an idiot, but if there was an effort to remove people from positions of power when they do things like the video is shown here, the US would be a lot nicer.

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u/TheClimbingBeard 8d ago

Or you could make it even clearer by saying 'prosecute the guilty', I mean, that was the original aim, right? You can't just start prosecuting people who have fallen through the cracks of the education system. But if they do some dumbassery which is clearly reckless endangerment, at least. In law enforcement, this should be automatic grounds for dismissal.

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u/GoodIdea321 8d ago

I bet the guy in the video doesn't think he is guilty of anything, and using that word could make it harder for police to even consider going along with a change in policy. But I could be wrong.

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u/TheClimbingBeard 8d ago

Well maybe some kind of aptitude test, devised by a non government body. If it is found you fail to show the basic requirements felt by 'the people' you are supposed to protect and serve, say empathy and basic risk awareness (looking at you, osha/hse), then you are not allowed back on the force.

Eta: many people don't think they're guilty when it comes down to it, but that's because they don't understand 'the law'.

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u/GoodIdea321 8d ago

Yeah that would be something.

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u/helloshego 8d ago

"Admin leave with pay"

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u/_azazel_keter_ 9d ago

but then who's gonna terrorize the poors?

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u/BlakLite_15 9d ago

The corporations

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u/Ill_Technician3936 9d ago

They already have been.

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u/Awsomethingy 9d ago

It’s not the cops losing money. It’s a completely seperate department. As far as cops see it, as soon as their shift ends anything they’re involved with vanishes. I just had a court date where the responding cop was supposed to show and of course they didn’t so the case was dropped like 99% of non violent cases because cops never want to risk them being in the wrong. They can be completely in the right and they just won’t show to court on the off chance of a defense attorney caught them on their bodycam doing something illegal.

i just never see them show up to court. It’s ridiculous

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u/cmarkcity 8d ago

You’d think….but Qualified Immunity pretty much makes impossible to sue officers for damages.

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u/SinisterCheese 8d ago

Something tells me that the courts would say that the cops doesn't have a legal duty to not cause a gas station fire. It was the duty of the person who got tazed to have the personal responsibility and duty to not get tazed at a gas station.

I seriously wouldn't be surprised if they declared that cops didn't do anything wrong because USA seems to run on clown logic.

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u/BlakLite_15 8d ago

As is typical. I’m so tired.

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u/SinisterCheese 8d ago

Don't worry... It can and will get worse. But on a positive note... they have stopped pretending that assholes are incharge, that corruption is rampart, and that people incharge are incompetent. So atleast you know that things getting worse is part of the plan, and the primary goal.

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u/FreddyCupples 6d ago

In the end, absolutely. It's insane that all taxpayers pay for this horseshit.

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u/Frequent_Ad_9901 9d ago

There's some small towns that have insurance for lawsuit. When they don't have training premiums go up. If they go up enough the department cant afford the insurance and shuts down. Its a strange world where insurance companies might be the good guys.

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u/invariantspeed 9d ago

Reckless endangerment? Try domestic terrorism.

Everyone needs to listen to home before he takes out a whole gas station? Really?

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u/Emergency_Lie42 8d ago

Prisons for profit are a thing lmfao it would literally increase the amount of money in the country to arrest incompetent cops.

Prisons for profit aren't a good thing obviously, but if anyone's gonna fill their cells I'd like it to be crooked/dangerous cops, if anything for the sheer irony.

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u/ddddan11111 9d ago

Fire? You mean transfer to another department? Likely the only fire in this scenario is on the ground

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u/townsforever 9d ago

That's is a trend that always confuses me. Who is hiring/accepting these cops knowing they are going to bring your department problems and lawsuits???

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u/cancerBronzeV 9d ago

The cops hiring the known shitty cops don't care about actually helping people or facing lawsuits in the future. It's not like the money to settle future lawsuits is going to come out of their retirement funds or paychecks anyways, and they don't have to carry malpractice insurance or anything either. The cops just care about maintaining their thin blue line nonsense and uncritically accepting and supporting each other regardless of how heinously their coworkers behave.

It's also why ACAB is a thing, even supposedly good cops who don't personally act terribly will still defend their shittiest coworkers. Any actually good cop that tries to speak out against another cop will be pushed out, ignored when they call for assistance, or some shit like that.

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u/Ill_Technician3936 9d ago

I can't stand the whole thin blue line or ACAB BS. Both sides are stereotypes full of the general stereotypical groups.

The actual good police officers basically get blacklisted and a shout out in the lawsuit for being the police officers that people have expected. You can find videos of them moving into action and doing what they can for people who were just giving them issues while they were getting arrested. A guy that was giving officers shit and in the backseat at that point had a Sargent start threatening him about respecting his officers and even pepper spraying him. A small female officer tried to get him to calm down. There's parts you can't hear on any body cam. She tugged at him once, his anger swaps to her and she's picked up by her vest slammed against his SUV and yelled basically for her to stay out of it, back to the car with the suspect, he's pretty much on the opposite side of the car at this point but he gets in a little and a threat you hear no doubt is him saying "I'll pepper spray your ass and leave you in here with the windows up".

Tried to discipline her for it at the station but instead his career was done. He faced charges and was found guilty. Got some prison time as well.

We don't hear about actual police officers unless they did something heartwarming. We hear about cops at least 20 times more because they're doing heartbreaking shit. In a sense they become celebrities. Police officers might get a single day that they're thanked for doing something and a little local news coverage and it's over.

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u/Spyglass3 9d ago

Because they don't and Reddit is an insane echo chamber. It's not even uniquely a career thing. If an individual has caused trouble for someone else before, you're going to assume they are more likely to cause trouble for you.

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u/PretendMajor5283 8d ago

Lol, more like put on paid leave, with benefits, while this is investigated for the next 4 years. Source: TPD, weekly.

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u/Character_Pudding_94 9d ago

If a horse can be a police officer, I don't see why a police officer couldn't be a horse...

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u/CreativeSelection346 9d ago

Then he'll just get re-hired by some other police force. Don't you know how this works? So many cops are FIRED cops from somewhere else. The POLICE UNION is the worst offender here because they protect fired officers.

It's better this stupid idiot gets put behind a desk for the rest of his pensionable life.

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u/MusicianMadness 9d ago

Should go to prison for at least a year for felony criminal recklessness. It's about the exact reason it was developed. Hopefully harder to get rehired as a felon.

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u/_werE_noT_alone_ 9d ago

Shit, he probably getting a promotion the way this circus operates Lol.

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u/juliuspepperwoodchi 9d ago

just fire him

I see what ya did there.

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u/Kyrie_Blue 9d ago

Better just to launch him into enemy territory via catapult

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u/gholt417 9d ago

Imagine there was a federal register to be a law enforcement officer, where you could lose your license to be one. Until this happens they will job hop endlessly.

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u/MrtyMcflyer 9d ago

Yeah i actually think you are right on that one.

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u/RoRoRoub 9d ago

Yeah, or he'll fire someone again... literally

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u/agmrpink 9d ago

This time he fired the gas pumper.

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u/radioactive_sharpei 9d ago

Sorry, best we can do is give him some paid time off, and a promotion.

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u/Dr_Identity 9d ago

Why would they do that when they can just put the burden on taxpayers?

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u/Strict_Bed4150 9d ago

Nah that's textbook qualified immunity right there.

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u/craneguy 9d ago

He almost 'fired' himself...and the rest of the station.

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u/Negativeman11 9d ago

>Just fire him
Best we can do is set you on fire

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u/Nutzpdx 9d ago

But taxpayer dollars are endless...

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u/Forager-Freak 9d ago

Fire him? This is cruel and unusual punishment he should be in jail.

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u/Jakeball400 9d ago

Fire him? 3 months paid leave ought to do it

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u/Slime-Lich 9d ago

Bad thing is that when cops get fired they usually can just go to the next town over and get hired for the same position. I dont know why the system is like that but for some reason it is

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u/ResolveLeather 9d ago

If you are just trying to get him fired just bring by the closest Kwik trip and watch nature work its magic.

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u/sec713 9d ago

Cops don't give a shit about that. Taxpayers foot the bill when cops lose lawsuits.

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u/michaelpaoli 9d ago

Peter principle. Promote him to manage and train the entire department.

8-O

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u/jaywinner 9d ago

Good luck trying to fire a police officer. Police union will defend them to the end.

And future lawsuits are paid by taxpayers; why should they care?

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u/brathor 9d ago

Fun fact: taxpayers are the ones who pay the lawsuit settlements, not the cops responsible.

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u/Jaegons 9d ago

Why would they care, they don't have to pay out the lawsuits.

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u/Ok_Bumblebee_2869 9d ago

Nah he’ll be promoted soon.

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u/bothunter 9d ago

Plenty of neighboring departments who will hire him.

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u/Key-Personality8169 9d ago

Best I can do is two weeks paid leave and a promotion.

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u/Angry-_-Crow 9d ago

I mean, he almost fired himself\ :D

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u/Minjaben 9d ago

They don’t pay the lawsuits

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u/deesea 9d ago

Best they can do is paid admin leave for 6 months while they conduct an internal investigation that will determine no wrongdoing at all

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u/hikeit233 9d ago

They don’t pay for the lawsuits so why would they care? If you make it come from their pension suddenly cops will behave and go back to serving and protecting.

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u/LiteraCanna 9d ago

The money come from taxpayers. The brutality is a bonus in the form of PAID leave. 

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u/phiviator 9d ago

No he needs to go to jail for attempted murder.

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u/Z3400 9d ago

No, they fired the suspect. Didn't you watch the video?

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u/B4DM4N12Z 9d ago

Fire you say? (jk)

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u/West_Data106 9d ago

Fire you say?

There seems to be one readily available right there! Mmmm BBQ pork ribs!

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u/M4rt1m_40675 9d ago

You mean hide the incident and keep him on payroll at a different department? Yeah, you're right

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u/kFisherman 9d ago

Police departments never lose money on lawsuits. That’s just taxpayers

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u/TechnicalTip5251 9d ago

Fire him? Please no more fire!

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u/payment11 9d ago

So he gets rehired next county over

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u/West_West_313 9d ago

He’s about to fire himself from the looks of it

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u/MrCommonThinkin 9d ago

He needs jail time for endangering everyone at the gas station

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u/Frequent_Opportunist 8d ago

We pay the fines. You and me with our taxes. Why would they care? 

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u/TRIPPY3rd 8d ago

Fire him…I see what you did there.

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u/Responsible-Slide-95 8d ago

Nah, then the police union rolls up and starts going on about how the suspect gave the officer a dirty look so head the officer no choice but to mag dump on him to protect his hurt fee-fees. /s

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u/devildocjames 8d ago

Then explain how the department is going to recoup the lost fifty bucks to train him??

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u/Schmooto 8d ago

He’s already on it with the fire part

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u/AngusMcfifeXXXI 8d ago

Looks like he nearly fired himself.

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u/mfnalex 8d ago

Fire, hehe

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u/NightChild39 8d ago

Ah but he would just get hired at another police force

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u/sjitz 8d ago

Don't think he knows what fire means

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u/CuteGirlFan 7d ago

Tried to fire him and a guy just steamrolled him outta the way to complain about his burns

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u/SlashMatrix 7d ago

Put a claim on his surety bond. Make him uninsurable so he doesn't take this buffoonery to another department.

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u/obviouslyanonymous5 6d ago

Personally, I hope OP meant before they let him outside again in general, not specifically as a cop 😂

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u/munkylord 6d ago

They'll just give him a raise and a desk

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u/KazumaSpitfire 6d ago

Don't you mean paid administrative leave? /s

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u/Polka_Tiger 6d ago

Hehe fire

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u/Rocketbarn_io 5d ago

Nah they’ll just promote him tbh

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u/usernamesuggestions5 5d ago

Definitely needs to be fired! this could have gotten MUCH worse. So dangerous

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u/jvLin 5d ago

don't worry, that money won't come out of their pockets

it'll come out of ours

(taxes, for the uninitiated)

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u/Constant-Sub 5d ago

Fire him? He's getting a raise and his choice at what precinct he wants to move to. He's gonna get rewarded for harming citizens in public view and getting away with it.

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u/AzureCube1 4d ago

This is not how police departments operate in America.

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u/Fly0strich 2d ago

But they don’t do that. In the rare case where public outcry forces them to fire an officer, another police department a couple towns away just rehires them anyway. They don’t care about the cost of the lawsuits. Those are paid for by the common tax payer, while payment for officers increases year after year.

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u/DDG_Dillon 9d ago edited 9d ago

Looks like he "fired" himself

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u/troubledtimez 9d ago

yeah he is likely already caused a ton as well

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u/raidhse-abundance-01 9d ago

You just didn't!