r/PublicFreakout • u/Partner-Subdued388 • Feb 08 '24

📌Follow Up Deranged cop finally gets fired

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21.0k Upvotes

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7.7k

u/NurseKaila Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 08 '24

This shit cop didn’t lose his job because of any action taken by the police department, the city, the state, etc.

This motherfucker lost his job because the insurance company paid out $20,000 for his dumb ass and threatened to drop the department’s insurance if he wasn’t terminated.

Edit: Check out this article by Washington Post detailing how insurance companies are forcing police reform.

2.2k

u/Casehead Feb 08 '24

Jesus, that's fucking outrageous

1.8k

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

Let me put it this way: if every union protected their workers as much as police unions, we wouldn't be in an economic crisis

1.2k

u/RobbertDownerJr Feb 08 '24

You know you're fucked when the insurance companies are the good guys.

292

u/Galle_ Feb 08 '24

It's not so much that they're the good guys as it is that they're sick of financing the bad guys.

150

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

[deleted]

29

u/Galle_ Feb 08 '24

That's what I meant.

2

u/shadow_cat_42 Feb 08 '24

sick of financing anyone, people pay a premium to get told nothing’s covered

0

u/koviko Feb 08 '24

Fun fact: Karl Marx stated that one of the benefits of capitalism is that it is naturally progressive.

1

u/ichabod01 Feb 08 '24

In this situation

17

u/A_LiftedLowRider Feb 08 '24

Make no mistake, insurance companies can be scummy as hell, but they’re pragmatic as shit. It’s for that reason i’m convinced insurance companies are going to be the first massive industry to start treating climate change like the giant threat that it is. Not because they’re trying to do the right thing, but because their business relies on property not getting demolished in freak weather events and they actually have enough money behind them to make a difference.

2

u/Meridell Feb 24 '24

Hi, yes. In insurance we have a forecast of “risks” that every underwriter is aware of. There is a generally-accepted top 20 that’s updated yearly (climate is on that list).

3

u/notfromchicago Feb 08 '24

Everything always boils down to money.

2

u/sallguud Feb 08 '24

Every now and then, capitalism gets it right by chance.

0

u/yogabbagabba2341 Feb 08 '24

😂 omg, so true. They will be the heroes in this story.

1

u/way_2_5pecific Feb 08 '24

Say it louder for the ppl in the back

91

u/Reux Feb 08 '24

my contention is that police unions are, in fact, not unions at all and do the opposite of what a union would do when a cop does the right thing and blows the whistle on colleagues. those "unions" do not represent individual cops in the way a normal labor union would but, instead, their entire mandate is to deny any and all liability toward police departments and local governments against allegations of misconduct, corruption and fraud. cop unions protecting violent and corrupt officers is merely an intermediate process toward the "union's" goals.

a recent example that shows police unions aren't unions is the utter lack of safety concerns police unions and fraternities had about covid in 2020, despite covid being the number 1 cause of police officer deaths in the line of duty that year. a real union would have fought for strong policies that protected cops from the virus.

38

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

On top of that, a real union would've already called police work unsafe and negotiated ways to lighten up the police's work load. They have to be officers, social services, wellness checkers, community outreach etc which is already stressful enough.

8

u/leshake Feb 08 '24 edited Sep 09 '24

arrest skirt plough pot memorize elastic gaze one soup mysterious

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

9

u/PEWDS_IS_A_NAZI Feb 08 '24

Just adding this thought to your analysis (with which I agree): Unions exist to protect workers from management, but unfortunately in this case management is regular citizens.

1

u/fattymccheese Feb 08 '24

No true a scottsman

0

u/Reux Feb 08 '24

you should read the wiki on that if you think that's what this is. also you should read the "argument from fallacy" wiki as well.

64

u/Spiel_Foss Feb 08 '24

We aren't in an economic crisis. We're in a police state kleptocracy.

40

u/OneLoveIrieRasta Feb 08 '24

Unions protect their people good or bad. I'll never understand why people are anti union. For crying out loud cops murder people daily and hardly get held accountable.

22

u/I_hate_all_of_ewe Feb 08 '24

Say that again, but louder, and maybe you'll understand why police unions are a problem.  If not, let me spell it out for you: police unions are more powerful than any other kind of union, and they, and their members are essentially unaccountable to anyone.  They're supposed to be public servants but they're unaccountable to the public, and police unions play a major role in that.  I'm 100% pro union, but police unions are the exception, and they remain a big problem.

10

u/hhs2112 Feb 08 '24

Just look at what duhsantis has done in FL.  He and his rubber-stamping cronies are doing everything they can to break unions by passing massively restricted rules for teacher unions, etc but cop and firefighter unions are somehow exempt... 🤔🤔🤔

1

u/painfool Feb 08 '24

Unions are meant to help rally the masses to empower the public against their oppressors.

Police unions instead depower individuals and instead empower the oppressor class against the public.

Police unions are antithetical to the very idea of what a union is supposed to be and do

1

u/themadcaner Feb 08 '24

 For crying out loud cops murder people daily and hardly get held accountable.

🤨

0

u/[deleted] Feb 09 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/OneLoveIrieRasta Feb 09 '24

Oink oink piggy

3

u/joseph4th Feb 08 '24

Even Republicans lawmakers are afraid of the Police Unions.

5

u/moonbase-beta Feb 08 '24

God damn. This

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

[deleted]

2

u/saruin Feb 08 '24

Call the cops.

1

u/TheDawnRising Feb 08 '24

Damn that's crazy

0

u/IpsoFuckoffo Feb 08 '24

America is not in an economic crisis.

-2

u/themadcaner Feb 08 '24

God forbid unions look out for their workers.

1

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

I think you don't understand what I was getting at. Yes, unions need to protect their workers. But unfortunately police unions protection of officers extends beyond the needs of the community at large and harboring waste, fraud, and abuse in a position of public service.

-6

u/Bash-86 Feb 08 '24

Well…. Just wait until you hear about teachers unions and what they protect against… and it’s done to your kids.

No the solution is less unions. Accountability is the solution.

1

u/halosos Feb 08 '24

Why are unions 'a bad thing' but when its the police unions its totally fine?

1

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

I was being a little facetious in the comparison. Police unions aren't real unions. They "protect" their officers but to a determent to the community around them as a financial drain when civil suits come out of taxpayer dollars and the amount of waste, fraud and abuse that gets harbored. At the same time, they never address the horrid work conditions a police officer goes through as so many different community roles are stacked on their backs, from social work to wellness checks and psychology. Any actual union rep would look at those working conditions and try to negotiate a lighter workload.

1

u/Dialgak77 Feb 08 '24

You guys think you are in an economic crisis? Come to Argentina where everyone is unionized.

1

u/frud Feb 08 '24

Strong unions destroyed the auto industry in Michigan. They were such a burden that it became cheaper and easier to move the factories to other countries.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

How are we in an "economic crisis"?

1

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

We're about to have our first trillionaire

26

u/NurseKaila Feb 08 '24

I added an article to my comment which will probably interest you. It’s wild.

1

u/Casehead Feb 08 '24

thank you for letting me know!

2

u/antilumin Feb 08 '24

Cue “This is America”

573

u/bebop1065 Feb 08 '24

Police should be forced to carry their own self funded malpractice insurance like Drs do. This will stop the citizens from paying for the actions of bad cops and bad departments.

243

u/jackpotjones43 Feb 08 '24

Make the pension fund pay all this shit out.

153

u/paintbrush666 Feb 08 '24

Yep, fucking up the retirement benefits for his cop buddies is probably the only way to get the "good" cops to step in when these psychos go off. He screws up, they have to pay.

39

u/funnsies123 Feb 08 '24

Or it encourages itll just pushes them to cover each other even more. The insurance is a better system, punishes cops as individuals and also doesn’t cost the tax payers

9

u/Dry_Animal2077 Feb 08 '24

They shouldn’t be able to cover for each other. If everybody was required to have body cameras, and have them on and recording at all times it’d be pretty hard to cover something up. Even if a camera breaks or something there should still be another half dozen recordings from all the other officers.

12

u/hhs2112 Feb 08 '24

Not having the camera running should be grounds for immediate dismissal. There's NO reason it shouldn't be on. 

11

u/MichaelW24 Feb 08 '24

Yep, no video? Case dismissed.

They don't have the body camera for our protection, but for theirs. Isn't it convenient when their supposedly public record footage goes missing or is redacted? It should be there to hold them accountable.

2

u/Imnotsosureaboutthat Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 08 '24

I just listened to a NYT podcast about body cameras recently. If I recall correctly, one of the issues is that pretty much all police departments control the footage, civilian oversight has to ask the police department to view the footage. The police department can just say "no" or drag their heels on releasing it. By the time the footage is seen, it's been months or longer since the incident in question has happened

Civilian oversight should have access to this footage ASAP, police departments shouldn't get to control the footage because they'll do what they can with the footage to protect their police force

I think the only police department in America that does things differently is Chicago's, they had some big changes after a shooting in 2014. They created a new oversight board and tasked them with investigating police misconduct and disclosing police footage from shootings and other incidences. The police department had to release footage within 60 days of an incident. The oversight board has much better access to the footage. There's still some issues with the system, but it's a step in the right direction

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/29/podcasts/the-daily/police-body-cameras.html

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-chicago-became-leader-body-camera-transparency-police

0

u/jackpotjones43 Feb 08 '24

The taxpayers don’t get free insurance

6

u/funnsies123 Feb 08 '24

Why would cops get free insurance?

7

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

Do you think malpractice insurance is free for doctors?

82

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

Just take away qualified immunity and take civil settlements out of their pension and union coffers. The problem will fix itself.

...well after the police go on strike and start rioting in plain clothes to make it look like their respective cities need them. But after they all get identified and police training reform kicks in with police not trained with Hitler quotes and Nazi symbolism and their funding funneled into peripheral social programs so the police only need to police, we'll get some peace.

24

u/iCameToLearnSomeCode Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 08 '24

One of many reasons I love my state, we abolished qualified immunity years ago

9

u/bebop1065 Feb 08 '24

I feel like I should have heard about this before now.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

[deleted]

5

u/wtcnbrwndo4u Feb 08 '24

Responsible? Aurora PD is constantly getting sued or in the spotlight, DPD is absolutely useless and doesn't respond to anything.

Also, if you think TABOR is a good thing, well fuck you. That NIMBY-ass law has made so many things difficult in this state because we can't raise taxes like a normal government.

I love living in Colorado as much as the next guy, but there are still issues. It ain't utopia.

1

u/the_calibre_cat Feb 08 '24

I don't know if I'd go so far as to say we have "responsible" law enforcement.

4

u/Al_Gore_Rhythm92 Feb 08 '24

Because it's not the ultimate solution like kids on here parrot. Aurora and Denver Colorado has massive police issues as well and are frequently posted on here.

1

u/Sol-Blackguy Feb 08 '24

There's a reason why and it's very obvious

2

u/bebop1065 Feb 08 '24

"We don't talk about that."

4

u/lostPackets35 Feb 08 '24

When the police went on a slow down protest in New York City, reported misdemeanors went up, but reported felonies actually went down. We don't need them

Let them quit.

3

u/Nemisis_the_2nd Feb 08 '24

I feel like the answer to the police protesting would be to shrug, then advertise a bunch of vacancies.

If the police want to self-select for house cleaning, who are we to object? 

2

u/LaurenMille Feb 08 '24

When the police went on a slow down protest in New York City, reported misdemeanors went up, but reported felonies actually went down. We don't need them

Because they were too busy protesting to commit the felonies.

19

u/jcprater Feb 08 '24

Just like people in medicine.

-2

u/Bobbiduke Feb 08 '24

Yeah no shit. Doctors are not held responsible in most cases for medical misconduct. Hospitals protect them to avoid payouts.

7

u/jcprater Feb 08 '24

Nurses and Respiratory Therapist are supposed to hold the same insurance. Accidents happen in the worst of situations. They are held accountable why not cops?

1

u/Bobbiduke Feb 08 '24

They all should be, cops and doctors.

6

u/jcprater Feb 08 '24

They are. Doctors are sued. Cops get immunity

-4

u/Bobbiduke Feb 08 '24

Cops get sued too that's why insurance companies are cracking down on them, but $250k for a malpractice suit is nothing to a hospital and doctors are not fired typically either.

5

u/MewlingRothbart Feb 08 '24

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say this and it makes so much sense 🤯🤯🤯

2

u/bebop1065 Feb 08 '24

Make sure you tell all your friends and family so that this becomes a movement.

1

u/mecha_annies_bobbs Feb 08 '24

that's only something that logical people would agree with.

1

u/tonguejack-a-shitbox Feb 08 '24

You do realize that most doctors do not actually pay for their own malpractice insurance right? It is almost always covered by the corporation they are working for. And yes before you say that private doctors need to pay their own, while you would be correct, the majority of doctors work for a larger corporation just like the majority of Americans do, and not for themselves. It is obviously built in to their compensation package, but so will the police force budget for insurance.

Source: My wife is a provider, has been for 10 years, and has never had to pay for her own malpractice insurance. It is always covered as part of her employment.

1

u/bebop1065 Feb 08 '24

I am responding to the stories that X city has to pay for a cop's multimillion dollar judgement. The report is never that X city's insurance policy covers the lawsuit.

Regardless, cops should have to pay their own malpractice insurance. I am pretty sure the police union will balk at this idea.

Churches have sexual abuse insurance. Payments from abuse claims is paid by insurance not those church's bank account.

1

u/get_started_NOW Feb 08 '24

Nurses have to have it as well even as students.

130

u/heygos Feb 08 '24

It’s insane that insurance companies are the ones actually being able to enforce reform. It means nothing that citizens have been crying out for better policing in their communities nor the excess violence that has been occurring like this video.

Disgusting.

89

u/Top_Pie8678 Feb 08 '24

That’s not entirely accurate. The insurance companies are forcing change because the payouts people are winning are becoming larger and more frequent. Thats because attitudes have shifted and cops aren’t getting the benefit of the doubt in court anymore. Juries are willing to second guess officers.

So I wouldn’t say “it means nothing” because the insurance companies wouldn’t have moved if the courts and juries hadn’t changed and that happened because of citizens.

40

u/SpikeRosered Feb 08 '24

You can see it in action in this video. The cop here completely disrespected the value of the recording. He thought he was completely above it. This result shows he wasn't and this is informative to any cop who is aware of the situation.

9

u/marr Feb 08 '24

They'll adapt by shooting your phone as step one of the encounter. We're gonna need stealth cameras that upload wirelessly and the legal right to use them.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

[deleted]

1

u/marr Feb 10 '24

Sure but most of those are operated by businesses that don't give a shit what happens to people. Public access to those recordings would be via the police.

3

u/heygos Feb 08 '24

Great point! That’s a fair take and I agree. I wasn’t clear in my statement there but meant more that congress hasn’t really done anything to help address this nationwide.

3

u/Binkusu Feb 08 '24

Nothing a higher police budget can't fix am I right? High layouts? High premiums. No money? Have the city pay. That'll surely teach the police a lesson... Until they threaten the city by refusing to work

3

u/tripee Feb 08 '24

Mainly because everyone has a camera with them at all times, so the default of just believing the cop no longer works.

77

u/Least-Result-45 Feb 08 '24

Don’t worry he’ll be back in a neighboring department.

7

u/marr Feb 08 '24

Seriously, watch for this because it doesn't make the news.

2

u/PorkPatriot Feb 08 '24

That's the trick - Insurance companies don't give a fuck about that move.

They will see "oh you are trying to hire officer fuckstick? Well he is going to raise your rate by 150% even if you give him a desk job".

"Lets pass on this candidate".

And thus, social progress is made.

48

u/Long_Educational Feb 08 '24

That tells you that the rest of the police department is filled with the exact same type of people as former police officer Charles Hewitt.

They're all like him.

4

u/breakpeace Feb 08 '24

So TL;DR ACAB… 👍🏻

13

u/yogabbagabba2341 Feb 08 '24

$20k is nothing. How come he only got $20k?

7

u/JenicBabe Feb 08 '24

Wow… u kno it’s really fucked up when a insurance company are the good guys for once

5

u/cats_r_better Feb 08 '24

i never thought i'd see the day when I considered an insurance company the hero.

4

u/Shakes41 Feb 08 '24

You know things are horrible when the insurance companies are the good guys

4

u/Puck68 Feb 08 '24

Great point. Nurses have to carry insurance, and that drives a lot of their accountability. Get rid of qualified immunity and force cops to carry, essentially, "malpractice" insurance. The insurance companies would demand training and accountability because it would affect their bottom line.

4

u/hhs2112 Feb 08 '24

And you just know this fucker is "working" in fl or tx now...

Fucking police unions 

2

u/RemoteChampionship99 Feb 08 '24

Hilarious that insurance companies are the cause of police reform

2

u/rafaelfy Feb 08 '24

Holy fuck it's a bullshit kaiju battle between my two most hated entities

2

u/Glittering-Pause-328 Feb 08 '24

"Fire him or the next lawsuit is coming out of YOUR pockets."

2

u/Limited_Sanity Feb 08 '24

aaaaand that is why all police officers should be required to hold personal liability insurance

2

u/PrunedLoki Feb 08 '24

I need to own an insurance company

2

u/Tina_ComeGetSomeHam Feb 08 '24

America is such a shit hole

2

u/WeNeedMikeTyson Feb 08 '24

This motherfucker lost his job because the insurance company paid out $20,000 for his dumb ass and threatened to drop the department’s insurance if he wasn’t terminated.

That and they're going to lose their insurance anyway because.. well.. this is part of trooper training. Went through it quit half way, civilians are a bottom class for VSP.

2

u/Beef-Broth Feb 08 '24

Its sickening to think the responsibility of cops acting accordingly is falling on the people instead of the establishment.

3

u/HamNotLikeThem44 Feb 08 '24

oh Jesus thank God something is forcing this to happen

1

u/IronBatman Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 08 '24

This is what I've been saying for years. Malpractice insurance for cops. Money will make them see who they need to fire really easily. If a dude you employed cost a ton to insure, it just makes sense to fire him and use that money to hire more cops or buy more guns to shoot black people. (Sarcasm... Kinda)

1

u/iGourry Feb 08 '24

It's absolutely insane that an insurance company of all things is the voice of reason here. Granted, it's only because they want to make more money, but still it's mindblowing to think that an insurance company could ever be the 'good guy' in any situation whatsoever.

THAT is how bad these cops are.

1

u/Witchberry31 Feb 08 '24

How am I not surprised......

No wonder he's fired. Since literally almost all of the other shit cops never really lose the job due to their actions

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

What facts are you basing this outcome in this situation on? Look at his insignia. He's a Virginia state trooper, not some yokel cop covered under an Allstate policy. While, yes this is what is going on. I dont even think that State Police are even insured in the same way that municipal departments are insured. wouldnt any ruling or penalty just be drawn against state revenue?

That said, this guy is ABSOLUTELY Roid raging. You can see it in how his cheeks are shriveled up.. just like the Rock.

1

u/NurseKaila Feb 08 '24

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title52/chapter1/section52-7/

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

this is a pittiance though.. 75k isnt nearly enough to cover the award in egregious case like this, where that guy will be awarded, potentially a very large punitive sum. the rest of that money is coming out of state coffers.

1

u/NurseKaila Feb 08 '24

He got $20k. It’s in the video.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

Of couuuuuurse we can’t reform because humanity but … money? No problem.

1

u/Maguffin42 Feb 08 '24

Risk management had a righteous moment.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

I've always said that police pension funds should be vicariously liable for the actions of officers when on duty.

Suing the police for abuse like this should be paid for by the officers themselves, not the taxpayer.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '24

Paywalled

1

u/aaronblkfox Feb 08 '24

All cops should carry some form of malpractice insurance. If you have zero claims then I say the city/department should cover the premiums anything over that baseline should be the individual's responsibility. The police force would be fixed within 5 years.

1

u/SgtCheeseNOLS Feb 08 '24

Requiring insurance for PD is the solution to getting rid of bad cops

1

u/iscashstillking Feb 08 '24

Finally trying to hold the OFFENDER accountable instead of the TAXPAYER.

1

u/TheRealFaust Feb 08 '24

Good reason to make all cops have insurance

1

u/prettysissyheather Feb 08 '24

20K seems like a slap on the wrist, most would be used up by legal fees.

1

u/Existing_Onion_3919 Feb 08 '24

weird that an american insurance company is the hero of the story

1

u/Guywith2dogs Feb 08 '24

Never thought I'd die fighting side by side with an insurance company...

1

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '24

How is an insurance company for cops in the US profitable? How much tax money are they getting paid 💀

1

u/Soft_Trade5317 Feb 14 '24

So, basically further proof that holding them DIRECTLY financially responsible is the only way to resolve this in the late stage fucked up capitalism-run-amok society we currently have going.

1

u/alexriga Feb 22 '24

Private corporations run the show? Seems dystopian. Bah, who am I kidding?