Officer Robert Powell resigned today… and made a statement of contrition with a hope that others learn from this incident (see previous posts).
In the end he was contrite, maybe even convinced that he’d done wrong. It was *obvious* he knew he’d screwed up, but there is a difference between knowing you got yourself in trouble vs believing your actions were wrong.
He didnt acknowledge error during the incident, nor when questioned by his superiors after they were alerted by an officer from Plano that witnessed the travesty of justice.
He DID start to acknowledge he’d been wrong after:
- The Dallas Police Dept suspended him and started an Internal Affairs Investigation
- The City Council launched a separate investigation
- One Council member publicly called for his removal
- The dash tape generated a worldwide viral uproar of outrage
Yeah, that might be a sign you messed up.
Unfortunately a change of heart at that point is like a confession obtained under torture, you may say whatever you think somebody wants to hear in order to stop the pain.
Besides, it isnt that theres a need to see this kid grovel, even though he himself seemed to want others to do so in the presence of his badge. The issue is that until hit with the brunt of public fury it really never occurred to him that threatening people and saying things like “Shut your mouth… I can screw you over” is NOT a normal part of a traffic stop. He truly walked away from the incident thinking he’d done his job.
We ALL screw up. Unfortunately the problem isn’t JUST that he screwed up, it’s that he got into this job believing this is how people with a badge and a gun are allowed to treat the public. They can intimidate people and it is OK, because they ARE the law. Add his Xenga site posting where he looks forward to getting out of the academy so he can shoot people… and you have the profile of the last person I want to see with a badge.
I hope you find peace in another line of work Mr Powell, but apply for a job in law enforcement anywhere in this state I hope you are run out of town on a rail. Get counseling, but I dont want you to be pulling over any of my loved ones. You havent the maturity or judgemnt needed to babysit a houseplant.
Everyone has met their own Officer Robert Powell. The job attracts some for the wrong reasons. Hopefully this serves as notice for anyone that wants to use a badge as a boarding pass for an ego trip that the public will NOT tolerate abuse.
Rob Jones for President 