The video:
What. An. Ass.
A San Marcos, Texas, police officer has been accused of inappropriate behavior during a traffic stop which may have lead to a dog’s death.
Officer Paul Stephens spotted driver Michael Gonzalez speeding down Interstate 35 and pulled him over for clocking 100 miles per hour. After a brief pursuit, Gonzalez pulled alongside the highway and emerged from his car, saying, ‘He’s dying.’
…
Gonzalez and his girlfriend said they were speeding because they were rushing their choking teacup poodle Missy to an emergency veterinary clinic for treatment.
But on the video, Stephens sounded less than empathetic as he berated the driver for putting others’ lives at risk as he sped down the highway.
“You’re driving down the highway at 100 per hour,” he said sternly. “It’s a dog, it’s OK. You can get another one. Relax.”
If my dog is choking, I take the speeding ticket – the cop can go screw himself.
Shitty, sad story.
Hi Oliver,
Sounds like you and/or some of your readers might be interested in signing the petition at boycottsanmarcos.com.
P.S. I’m driving to the vet too–the screwball can ticket or arrest me as he sees fit once the vet’s treating my dog.
P.S. I’m driving to the vet too–the screwball can ticket or arrest me as he sees fit once the vet’s treating my dog.
That’s clearly the correct lesson to draw from this. Slow down, call 9/11, and don’t stop for idiot cops.
Also, a good idea is to find a defense attorney that you like now, and keep his number in your cellphone and call him from the car when the cops lights go on.
(It’s in some ways like the lessons many states drew from our invading Iraq — time to get the bomb.)
You guys have that privilege. I would get shot trying these shenanigans with cops.
So would you Oliver, in PG County.
Also, I agree with the cop on this one; that hysterical guy was endangering PEOPLE for a dog.
It sucks that the dog died… but what is the cop supposed to do there? You can’t be driving 100mph down the highway regardless of the circumstances. Had he been driving the speed limit (or 5) the guy might’ve been able to get to the vet and save the dog.
Let me give you an opinion of someone who has lived in many countries. I’ve never seen so many cops as here in America pull attitude and bullshit tactics. We should all understand they are human and make mistakes but they are here to enforce the law. Sadly, those two things are frequently blurred. I’ve personally seen half a dozen shit-head cops driving around my town, lounging on the centre console with a mobile phone up to the ear – since laws banning such use of mobile phones came into effect recently. Possibly because they see so much shit in their daily work, plenty of cops seem to forget they are merely here to enforce the law, and to do so fairly. This guy should be berated soundly for the callous attitude and made at the very least to apologise publicly. Just follow the guy to the vet at a normal speed and ticket him there – unless of course you’re an animal hating tool.
By the way, in Europe we drive at 100 miles an hour freely and happily on a regular basis and I would posit that the safety record on the highways there is far better than the US average. Get a grip, and sue the prick.
I have to agree with Caged Lion and Mambochicken on this one. Mr. Willis is off base and his advice about blowing by police trying to stop you is stupid. It’s a dog. Triple digit speeds, at night, in a high-stress situation is begging for a tragedy far beyond the death of an animal.
Honestly, the dog was going to die anyway. The closest 24 hour emergency animal clinic to San Marcos, TX is in Austin, over 30 miles away. The dog died during the 15 minute traffic stop. Even if Mr. Gonzalez had avoided the SMPD he wouldn’t have made it to Austin, let alone the vet clinic, within 15 minutes, unless he was traveling over 120 MPH, which would be homicidally stupid on I-35 at night.
Officer Paul Stephens likely prevented this driver from injuring or killing himself, his girlfriend, or some innocent motorist by stopping this vehicle when he did. The sensitivity training he will be required to attend for having the gall to tell someone they can replace a pet is more punishment than he deserved.
I agree that Gonzales deserved a ticket for driving so dangerously, but would it have been such a hardship for Stephens to escort him to the nearest veteranary clinic and then write it out?
“It’s a dog”? Eff that. It wouldn’t have killed the cop, as others said, to escort the car to a vet and then write out a ticket to his heart’s content. Why piss on the guy and his pet? Even before I was a pet owner, this kind of thing was bad, but after? Screw. That.
Also: You think I don’t like this? CK demands the death penalty.
When you drive at 100mph, it’s technically considered Reckless Driving. It is then the cop’s decision as to what will happen. You can be arrested for it, or they may just give you a ticket for the speed. At the very least, it will not be a quick pull over and a citation. You will have to spend some time being nice and explaining yourself very convincingly in order to get away with just the ticket and keep driving.
Also, I can’t imagine even the nicest cop escorting you to an animal clinic. As he said, human life vs animal life. If he is escorting you, a non-professionally trained driver, and you have some sort of a problem at 100mph, you could easily kill yourself or others.
Really too bad about the dog, but seriously, the guy was wayyyy too freaked out to be driving that fast in his grocery getter.
I can’t overstate how much I love dogs, and Stephens was clearly acting like a prick — but you can’t go driving 100 miles an hour and endangering people’s lives.
I’ll grant that if it had been a person dying in the car, almost anyone would have escorted the family to the hospital first and written a ticket later (if at all), and that would have been appropriate in these circumstances too, “just a dog” or not. But the officer was clearly not the only person in the wrong here.
I can’t overstate how much I love dogs, and Stephens was clearly acting like a prick — but you can’t go driving 100 miles an hour and endangering people’s lives.
That’s right, so you give the guy an escort, and you ticket him once you’ve reached the vet.
Or, you call up 9/11 and ask them to get a vet on the phone and you f’n heimlich the dog and give it mouth to mouth.
But keeping the guy on the side of the road for 15 minutes while the dog dies? Don’t be surprised when everyone thinks you’re a jackass.
Out here, they’ve got a cop on trial because he left his police dog in the car and it died from the heat. He’s going to go to prison for that.
~
But the officer was clearly not the only person in the wrong here.
Thad Aug 19th, 2008 at 2:57 am
The officer was not wrong, Oliver Willis is wrong. Oliver, how many people would you be willing to kill or maim in order to get your dog to the vet?
1
Gonzales was wrong to be going that fast, even in an emergency–driving recklessly created more risks than was worthwhile (and included the risk that the police would pull him over for speeding). That’s a fair verdict. Revoking the ticket was an act of charity, not an act of justice.
The sensitivity training he will be required to attend for having the gall to tell someone they can replace a pet is more punishment than he deserved.
But after Gonzales was stopped, the police officer was beyond insensitive, he was outright cruel. Maybe you can tell your friends that a dog can be replaced a few days after they’ve lost their pet, you don’t make such remarks–and certainly not in a casual, flippant manner–while the dog is choking to death a few feet away from you.
I understand that some people don’t value the lives of dogs or other animals, and hey, that’s why you hopefully don’t own any. But others among us share a very fulfilling relationship with our pets, and yes, for us, they are family. That you don’t “get” the relationship is your own damage, but don’t attempt to convince us that our relationships are weird and that the dog is “just a dog.”
I still see people wearing Vick jerseys and it’s all I can do not to give them the finger. Even when it’s a child wearing it.
Several months ago there was a similar event involving a man driving his WIFE to the emergency room. She was having a heart attack, I believe. The officer was not quite rude, but did stand there for several minutes lecturing the man. He clearly didn’t believe or didn’t understand the situation. The poor woman died.
I have two dogs of my own and have been in a situation where I have had to take them to the emergency room. I don’t necessarily agree that Gonzalez should have been driving at 100mph, but I can understand why he was trying to get there in a hurry.
However, this cop was rude, demeaning, and disrespectful to Gonzalez when he was talking with him outside the car. He called him “stupid” and made many other comments that degraded this man while his dog was dying in the car. All this cop had to do was shut the #%@$ up and follow the man to the hospital where he could have continued his lecture. Even the cops partner was trying to explain to him that the dog was dying. As a person who loves their dogs as if they were my children, I would do almost anything to try to save their lives. I know that people can’t understand that, but that cop could have saved the dogs life if he would have shut up and not lectured that man so long.
“I understand that some people don’t value the lives of dogs or other animals, and hey, that’s why you hopefully don’t own any.”
That’s where you’re wrong. It’s just that I value the lives of human beings several orders of magnitude higher than any animal. One of the frustrating and disgusting characteristics of american pathology is this tendency to give animals, especially dogs, higher priority, sympathy and concern than some groups of people.
The *risk* of endangering women, children, and men on that highway is greater than the life of a dog. Does anyone disagree?
That guy is lucky to walk away from a potentially lethal situation (in many ways) and to have so much support. As I said before, many other people would have been arrested on site and possibly shot. The guy committed a felony, for god sakes, and gets to walk away. Injustice indeed.
I don’t disagree. But I do think that you have a very scary view of law enforcement powers if you feel that an unarmed man who was going 25-30 mph over the speed limit on the freeway deserves to be arrested and/or shot.
My point remains that Gonzales broke the law and deserved to be charged for it. But the police officer displayed a nonchalance towards the suffering of these distraught individuals that doesn’t make me feel any safer about him being a member of the police force.
It’s fairly clear the cop should have said ‘Jump in my car, we’ll get him there.’ Endangering people at the expense of a pet, however beloved, is unacceptable, but there are much, much better ways to handle this than reinforce everybody’s Texas stereotypes.
One of the frustrating and disgusting characteristics of american pathology is this tendency to give animals, especially dogs, higher priority, sympathy and concern than some groups of people.
CL, to be fair, we only accord certain groups of animals this special protection. Clearly if it applied to all most corporate farms in America would be guilty of animal cruelty many times over.
But others among us share a very fulfilling relationship with our pets, and yes, for us, they are family.
After the Vick story broke I heard a woman on Hannity’s radio show arguing that what he had done shouldn’t have been a crime, because he was just a man doing what he wanted with his property. Kind of an old school way of looking at it, a perspective that I think is dying fast.
“But I do think that you have a very scary view of law enforcement powers if you feel that an unarmed man who was going 25-30 mph over the speed limit on the freeway deserves to be arrested and/or shot.”
I think you have misinterpreted what I said. I don’t think the man deserves to be shot, but he does deserve to be arrested. “25-30 mph over the speed limit” is a euphemism for felony reckless driving.
As far as being shot, I am simply pointing out the man’s privilege. Many of us would be shot as a result of leading the police on a 100mph chase, as folks have been shot for far less. And I do think harsh police tactics are a problem, but one that has been around for decades for many of us.
Yes, the cop should have escorted the guy and the dog to the vet, and arrested him there. That would have been the most humane for everyone.
>>>One of the frustrating and disgusting characteristics of american pathology is this tendency to give animals, especially dogs, higher priority, sympathy and concern than some groups of people.
>>CL, to be fair, we only accord certain groups of animals this special protection.
No group of animals should be accorded this kind of protection, which can put them in higher priority than a human.
One of the frustrating and disgusting characteristics of american pathology is this tendency to give animals, especially dogs, higher priority, sympathy and concern than some groups of people.
Sure, but you have to look at why such attitudes exist. It’s nurturing instinct…the dog or cat is pretty much dependent on you for food and shelter its entire life. It’s very similar to the mentality of “women and children first”–there’s a hard-wired idea that the least capable of helping themselves (and I’m not saying that women are less capable, I’m saying they’re thought of as less capable, wrong as that might be) deserve special consideration and priority.
I’m not a fan of giving dogs “higher” priority, but I find it disgusting when they’re given such low priority as to be given none at all, which is my problem with Officer Stephens.
So sad and tragic. The fact that this cop bascially received no reprimand is outrageous.
My dog went into shock after being stung by a group of jellyfish, I rushed him to the emergency hospital which was about 15 miles away, I was speeding and had my flashers on, I was pulled over by a state trooper, I was in a state of panic already as my dog’s tongue had swelled to the point where he could not breathe, when I was pulled over I actually peed my pants. I remained calm as the trooper approached my vehicle and explained my situation. The trooper immediatley assisted me by escorting me to the hospital with sirtens and lights blaring. My dog was treated and and came tyhrough with flying colors. I sent a thank you letter to the trooper and letter to his superiors as well.
Here is the contact/comment page for the San Amrcos Police Department, please send them a letter about how youe feel about this incident.
http://intouch.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/web/selectStandardIssue.jsp
Apparently some of y’all missed the part about how, no matter what, the dog was going to die. The police officer could have went lights and sirens and escorted Mr. Gonzalez and his dog all the way to Austin at the fastest speed possible, and it would not have changed the outcome of this situation. Mr. Gonzalez was stopped in San Marcos. San Marcos is over 30 miles from Austin, and almost 45 miles from the nearest 24-hour emergency vet clinic. If the dog died during a 15 minute traffic stop, there was no way it was going to make it through the 30-45 minute drive that Gonzalez still had ahead of him. Officer Stephens did the job he was hired to do which is protect the people of San Marcos.
No, I caught that part. I still think that Officer Stephens was right to pull over Mr. Gonzales for speeding, and that he was also a complete asshole for treating Mr. Gonzales as he did after the stop.
Just because the outcome is inevitable doesn’t give you license to be a jackass.
I am actually surprised the dog wasn’t tased.
@ SFC B
Wrong retard, the nearest 24hr vet clinic is in New Braunfels. They COULD have made it as it’s only 17 miles away from San Marcos and I’m sure they were already closer than that. The officer was a dick, period. I sure the hell wouldn’t want him “protecting” me. If he has no compassion for an animal I’m sure he’s a real p.o.s. who shouldn’t be allowed a badge and gun.
There’s a petition to fire Paul Stephens:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/fire-san-marcos-police-officer-paul-stephens
Please sign and pass it on!
Most people who become cops do not do so to “protect & serve”, unfortunately many have deep seeded control issues, low self esteems and high egos. Officer Stephens is a prime example.
The couple was putting lives in danger and were rightfully pulled over, the officer could have easily advised them to slow down, assisted them with either an escort or directions to emergency vet, and let them go on their way.
Officer Stephens is not only a “rookie cop” but a rookie human being. It is not about a dog, it is a about an emotionally disturbed individual that is in position of power. He should be fired without question.
@ Diaf
My mistake. I did not find the New Braunfels Clinic. It was not mentioned in the original story and Google Mapping “Emergency Animal Clinic” doesn’t have it come up. I guess it’s fine for someone to risk the lives of other Texans to save their dog since they were close enough to make it at dangerous and excessive speeds.
The cop came off as an insensitive prick by telling the couple they could get another dog.
That having been said, my wife’s dog bit down on a cap, clenched her jaw, and started convulsing while bleeding from the lip. I loaded her up in my car and got to the emergency vet as fast as I could by doing 60 in a 45 down a main thoroughfare in Southlake, TX.
I certainly wasn’t doing 100, however.
Now as for the calls for the officer to be fired…tap the brakes. Plenty of prime examples as to why you shouldn’t allow emotion to become the basis for your argument.
I think by focusing on whether or not the life of the dog is worth anything, you neglect to see the other damning detail about Officer Stephens–he showed absolutely no compassion to the suffering of the human beings in front of him. He saw nothing wrong with letting them sit in their car as their pet died in their arms.
Even if you place no value on the life of a dog, it’s a basic test of humanity to feel empathy for people in pain. Stephens failed this test abysmally. And he carries and badge and gun.
We have no room for this officer on any force – it could be your child next. At best he needs to go back to school and learn a few more human eco classes. He looks like one of the first to freak out in a high intensed situation – yeah they really need that. He will stroke out soon enough with that attitude – or a banger will take his cheap ass out one. DISMISSED! Yeah it was a dog … easily could be a kid next …. Oh can’t you make another???
The way I see it, the only realistic option for getting the guy and his dog to the clinic was to put them in the cop car and drive them there. (Which does seem like it would have been possible.) That said, the way that guy was out of his f’ing mind, I wouldn’t want him driving a bicycle, much less a car, and the cop clearly thought that was the case also. He needed a slap to the face to maybe get the idea through his head that the best way to help his dog is to not panic.
I think everyone is missing the point here. Yes speeding down the road at 100 miles an hour is nuts and dangerous. The point is once the officer saw the dog was dying they should have gotten him immmediate help. Then he could have berated the driver all he wanted. If you or I let a dog suffer like that we would have been arrested for animal cruelty. No matter how wrong you think the driver was does that mean the dog has to pay with his life. After all what did he do to deserve that.
Bottom line both were wrong. But it was handled completely wrong. Yes the driver gets the ticket. But do you really think the cop should get off scott free????
The officer was not wrong, Oliver Willis is wrong. Oliver, how many people would you be willing to kill or maim in order to get your dog to the vet?
The cop intentionally made the dog’s owners wait for 15 minutes for a ticket while the dog was dying. How is he not wrong for that?
The owner should have been driivng fast but that does’t give the cop a free pass to allow a dog to die all because he thinks that pets can be easily replaced, like they are a pair of old shoes or a book.
Get a grip, it is just an animal and you cannot shake a stick at it compared to a human life, which is much more important. Sorry the dog died but better the dog then a person.
“The *risk* of endangering women, children, and men on that highway is greater than the life of a dog. Does anyone disagree?”
“Get a grip, it is just an animal and you cannot shake a stick at it compared to a human life, which is much more important.”
Everything is relative. You should respect the things that I value and I should respect things that you value. You probably value the well being of your family, and I respect that… I would help you if you needed help saving them and I was nearby. I highly value my dog’s well being. The least I ask is that you respect that and my desire to protect it.
That being said, I value my dogs’ well being more than most other human lives.
“I think by focusing on whether or not the life of the dog is worth anything, you neglect to see the other damning detail about Officer Stephens–he showed absolutely no compassion to the suffering of the human beings in front of him. He saw nothing wrong with letting them sit in their car as their pet died in their arms.
Even if you place no value on the life of a dog, it’s a basic test of humanity to feel empathy for people in pain. Stephens failed this test abysmally. And he carries a badge and gun.”
- SpiderJ
This hits the nail squarely on the head.
I dont see why a dogs life is any less than a humans. You people amaze me with your ignornace. Replacing a dog to alot of people would be like replacing your son/daughter after they died. They are not an inanimate object, like your car or TV, its a living creatue and you should at least respect that.
nice title too bad the first thing the driver says is that “she’s dead” his early interview also states how the dog was limp and lifeless before they left the house. nice acting job. i love the people wasting their time on a petition READ THE CIVIL SERVICE LAWS he cant be fired for hurting their feelings. the dog was dead after eating too fast when the owners admit to have gotten home late and feeding her much later than normal. i am so glad he wasn’t taking care of a sick relative, oh wait it was JUST HIS DOG, it was ok to make it wait late to eat.
I for one I’m in support of the cop. I love dogs but I would never put the life of a dog at the same level of a human. If it was such an emergency then call an ambulance, oh yeah, there is no animal ambulance, I wonder why?
I do agree that the cop could’ve been more sensitive, but it complete make sense what he said “at the rate you are driving you are putting everyone else’s life at danger.” Even his own family. And look at him, his bipolar, certainly not the best person to be driving at 100mph. If he would have crashed into someone else, then everyone else in here would be saying, “all that for a dog.” I doubt that anyone in here would be ok with him crashing into your family and possibly killing one of your kids just to save an animal.
Seems like very few people in here have any common sense, so far Ian and few others have shown any.
That cop was an a heartless jerk….
Hey some cops have a dog as a partner I wanna see how those cops react or drive when something is wrong with their dog (or as they call them their partner). What’s good for the goose is good for the gander and I’m sorry they’d (the cops) would be doing the same thing and expect to get away with it.
The problem here is the cops forget who pays their miserable salaries and maybe half these cops should consider military careers instead of public service. This one like many was defiantly not serving the public
If you look in the dictionary under “ASSHOLE”, this wanna be city “door shaker” picture is in there!! They have been feeding off I 35 traffic for 20 years!!
The people who say, “It’s just a dog” really are showing how mean-spirited and stupid they are. When a blind person or someone who cannot physically get around has a dog to help them, is that really just a dog? How about the people who have been rescued by a dog? Hmmmm…. doesn’t sound like just a dog to me. Actually that dog is showing more humanistic compassion than most of you humans who think you are so much more superior than an animal. Maybe you should take a few of these qualities and use them for yourselves. Anybody who has an animal and treats it right knows there is nothing more special than that bond. Do you honestly think you are doing anybody a favor by responding with such insensitivity? No wonder our world is in the state it’s in. There is a reason dogs are known as “mans best friend”, it’s for their loyalty. I doubt if any of you can say someone could be that faithful to you.
Dogs are important, but not more important than human life. What would the argument have been if this driver would have hit a car with a child inside, taking the life of the child? Is driving that fast really worth it?
I originally read the speed limit was 80 and he was going 95. I felt like if the policeman was using good judgement, which in my opinion he definitely wasn’t, once he found out the problem, he should have followed the guy to the vet asking him to take it easy, and then if there was an issue with the driving, take it up there once the dog was being treated. The problem all actually started with the policeman’s attitude in general. He appeared to be looking for trouble. He just couldn’t get it out of this driver. Instead, he found someone needing help and he was trying to “make” trouble. He behaved terribly. I always thought fireman and police were trained “somewhat” in saving people and animals as much as possible. He also even went so far as to blame the poor guy for the other police showing up! He could have gotten on the radio and said whatever the code is for whatever type situation he wanted to call this but no, he had to blame the poor guy. Then, prior to that, asking him was he on something? and did he want to go to jail tonight? He really should loose his job. I don’t know how anyone can ever respect this man. If I were his wife, which I never would be, I would leave such a cold hearted bully. He should be required to clean dog poop at the SPCA for a year if he does loose his job and if he doesn’t, he should be made to do it on his off hours. Doesn’t he realize DOGS are police officers too? Please get a petition together and fire this man and never, ever let him be on a police force again. It is evident why he is there. I agree, just keep driving with your emergency lights on, if possible make a call to 911, and get to the vet or hospital. Don’t stop. I know I won’t ever stop because this has taught everyone what happens if you do.
Also, I would like to add: it might have been a “little” more understanding had the hour have been rush hour. This was late at night, after 12 or 12:30 when the traffic is low so the rish was lower for something to happen. I can see why the policeman pulled the man but once he found out, and it was obvious why the man was going faster than the speed limit, he did not handle the situation properly. He did everything in his power to hold the guy up. Why? I still want to know what he would have done had this have been the Bushes? I think I know how this would have been handled and it would have been nothing like this. He probably would have been a hero today. That’s the thing about being a policeman, you must make quick and sudden judgements. Suppose this had been a gun fight and he would have made such a poor judgement? Think about it. Judgement is verything in policework. There is no room for mistakes. Also, I would like to add, no matter what the speed limit seems to be, people fly by going over the speed limit all the time. I drive the speed limit always and I am lucky I don’t get run over.
I am sorry but the light keeps going out in my computer and I can’t see what I have typed. Sorry for the type’o’s.
WHAT a horrid excuse for a human being.100 miles per hour,big deal..I have driven 125 often in my happy younger years, and duh,I didn’t hurt a soul,not that I count human life nearly as important as my dogs’ lives. Patrolman Stephens needs to be fired,he showed total lack of compassion..it was disgusting.He had other options and did not even bother.He uttered callous comments.The young man tried to reason with him,HE was the better man.Stephens inflicted unbelievable suffering on two individuals,an innocent animal,and those of us made furious by his stupidity.
if it was his k-9 dog or their partner k-9 dog they would speed and turn on their lights to speed past trafic lights to save their dog.What two face,cops dont care about nobodyelse but themself.
I can’t understand why cops are so friggin stupid today. Don’t they realize everything they do is caught on tape? Cops have a hard job as it is, but in this day and age, they piss on every tax payer who is contributing to their paycheck, to PROTECT and SERVE US! If we said screw it, we will let the dog die because we can replace it, then OUR asses are thrown in jail for animal cruelty. Cops are dickheads and have the attitude they can walk on water so bow down and kiss their ass! Driving 100 mph may not have been the right thing to do, but have you seen or heard an animal or person choking to death? Not being able to breathe? No one can judge someone to how they react to an emotional situation. The cop could have tried to help the dog, after all…..it’s just about the same procedure to do the heimlich and CPR as to a human and it would have shown some compassion to the pets owners. I don’t care what class they send this cop to, he’s aggrivated he has to go so the attitude is already set. If anyone finds themself in a shitty situation such as this, put your flashers on, reduce your speed but continue to get to where you need to go in an emergency situation.
The recent news media blitz on the San Marcos Police Department following an interstate police pursuit and subsequent traffic stop brings to light the public’s ignorance to the perils of law enforcement combined with irresponsible news media reporting. The media was quick to jump on a single quote by Officer Stephen’s, out of context to the full situation, to stir raw emotions without reporting the full story of events which took place. The public was quick to play monday morning easy chair cop quarterback and condemn the officers, ignorant to the survival mindset of today’s well trained law enforcement, and the multiple threatening possibilities presented.
A vehicle traveling at 100 mph down an interstate highway shortly after midnight is going to bring attention to itself no matter what city they are recklessly driving through. Phone calls were made to the 911 emergency operations center about the reckless vehicle, possible DWI suspect, with many unknowns involved. Officer Paul Stephens, along with other responsible San Marcos police officers, intercepted the erratic vehicle and began a 5 mile pursuit before the vehicle finally stopped near Centerpoint road. The vehicle crossed all three lanes of traffic multiple times, around 18 wheelers, drove on the shoulder of the road, and around construction signs before finally pulling over a second time. The end of the pursuit eliminated further danger the reckless driver was causing the citizens of San Marcos and those motorist passing through.
Officer Stephens is a combat veteran having served in Iraq and is well trained with the police department. He knows that the percentage of officers killed or injured greatly increases in the hours of darkness on the night shift (1), where most new officers start out. He also knows that vehicles, traffic stops, and pursuits contribute to a high number of line of duty assaults and deaths for officers. In the back of his mind he also knows that 140 peace officers were killed in the line of duty in 2007, and with over half of those that were killed feloniously, their deaths occurred in the southern states.(2)
Stephen’s approached the vehicle with the mindset of officer survival, with his hand on this gun ready for the many dangerous threats and possibilities. Is the driver armed? Is the driver fleeing a crime? Am I going to be shot? Why is the driver flailing his arms at me? What other threat am I missing? The driver’s first words spoken may not be completely audible in the digital video recording, but they are “SHE’S DEAD!! SHE’S DEAD!!”.
Now I ask you to put yourself in officer Stephen’s now perspiration soaked body armor. You have just been in a chase with an unknown suspect at 12:30AM at speeds up to 100 mph. You have seen combat in Iraq and know what the words “Dead” indicate. You don’t know if the suspect is armed or why they are fleeing the police, and you are trained to think and survive the worse case scenarios. What would “She’s DEAD!” mean to you? It means there is a dead body in the car.
Imagine the RELIEF Stephen’s felt when he realized he was not dealing with a dead human body, not a dead baby girl, but a dead dog. His comment of “It’s just a dog” may seem insensitive, and those words were better thought than spoken, but it was a comment of relief that all those other more dangerous and horrible possibilities were no longer relevant. As a combat and police veteran myself, the shouts of ”She’s Dead!” have a very literal human meaning and bring back some memories I would rather forget.
The media captivated and capitalized on those 4 words spoken by Stephen’s, took them out of context, and initially disregarded the second in car camera provided by Officer Joyce Bender of the passenger side of the stopped vehicle. Officer Bender immediately cradled the dog, attempted to clear the airway, and made the accurate determination the dog was in fact deceased. This action was taken within minutes of the second and final vehicle stop. The news media would have you believe that the pursuit and subsequent stop CAUSED the death of the animal. Fox news reported the death was “subsequent” to the police stop. This is simply not true.
As an animal lover myself with horses, dogs, goats, and some occasional barn cats, I sympathize with the Gonzalez family in the loss of their pet. My family also suffered the recent sudden loss of a pet. The clinic the Gonzalez’s were traveling to in New Braunfels was 15 miles away from where they finally pulled over. It would have been nothing short of miraculous for them to continue on with triple digit speeds and arrive safely at the clinic, especially with the emotional state of the driver, which Officer Stephen’s points out. It also would have been in vain.
It was responsible for the police department to pursue and stop the reckless driver. It was responsible for the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the high speed pursuit. Back up officers acted responsibly in assessing the condition of the dog and did in fact determine the dog was already dead. With nothing more that could be done for the dog, it was responsible to issue a traffic citation although with the current media frenzy, I doubt any fines will be assessed. Officer’s Stephen’s remarks were better thought than said but brought to light his relief that the situation was not more serious.
In the end the news media got their headlines, the Gonzales family is getting their attention, and the police are again unjustly portrayed as the bad guys. Oprah will play on the emotions of animal lovers, broadcast the officer’s comments out of context, and portray the police as the villains. Imagine what would have happened if the Gonzales family was allowed to continue at speed, with or without escort, and had caused another tragedy possibly involving you or someone in your family.
Most progressive police departments such as the San Marcos police department have a “Citizen’s police academy” which I strongly recommend all San Marcos citizens attend. Before you jump to conclusions based on irresponsible, emotional, out of context reporting, attend the citizen’s police academy and learn the full pot-pourri of multitasking challenges and dangers modern day law enforcement officers face every day.
Dan Misiaszek
(1) – Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) FBI annual publication
(2) – 2007 Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s annual report FBI UCR
would like to know where this “cop” s family lives and hopes he gets the worst kind of ass cancer that modern science is aware of
The fight hasn’t even STARTED. A pity that the City of San Marcos felt it necessary to support the unsupportable–it’s going to cost them dearly in every way and ALL of it could have been prevented if Williams had merely suspended Stephens without pay for a couple weeks–it was doing NOTHING that precipitated getting out the big guns.
Someone on one of the countless forums covering this event wished the Mother of all lawsuits on San Marcos. I am happy to report that this is looming on the horizon. Stephens, Williams, Narvaiz, and the whole City of San Marcos are going to suffer–differently than Missy, but suffer nonetheless.
In addition, we are hoping that someone steps forward tomorrow (August 26 is the last day) to file as a candidate for the office of Mayor of San Marcos so he/she can run against Narvaiz in November. If no one does, then we are going to mount a write-in campaign if someone wants to be the candidate.
If anyone wants to know more about this, please use the contact links on the petitions to write to the Friends of Missy. We will help with the paperwork, provide donations, donate a website and maintain it, and do everything else necessary to guarantee a victory for a qualified and (what we deem) electable and clean candidate.
There’s always the possibility of a recall election, too, should Narvaiz run unopposed. So many options, so much time.
Missy is happy and carefree now, playing with other faithful doggies on the Rainbow Bridge–she is no longer suffering while her precious little life is held in the dirty hands of an ugly, cowardly bully. We can take all the time in the world to avenge her needless death.
The petition calling FOR SHAME on Mayor Narvaiz is here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/shame-on-san-marcos-texas-mayor-who-supports-dog-hater-cop
To all of those defending Officer Stephens,
Yes, the speeder was wrong, but being a police officer myself, I am upset and embarrassed by his lack of compassion for people, so clearly in a panic situation. We often get a bad wrap for being bullies, pigs, on power trips, cheating spouses, dumb jocks, and all around jerks. He exemplified this in his behavior and unfortunately, there are several of us out there that do have those awful characteristics.
I cannot believe he asked if the guy was on something. What a jackass. That was the perfect example of a cop on a power trip who could clearly see a man in a weakened state and rather than help, pounced. On paper, those police officers may look good, but in reality, they are the men and women who give us a bad name.
He was forceful in telling the speeder to calm down – easily said when you’re the one holding the gun and being aggressive. His handling of the situation was inexcusable and I can only hope and pray that he will not last very long on the force (and never be in a position of power again). It goes well beyond having poor judgment; it shows very little skill, sensitivity, and is making me think he is simply not a good person.
We have a lot of things that come up everyday. This could have been handled positively and we are not always offered an opportunity to help people like this. Yes, the speeder should have used better judgment – ABSOLUTELY, the so-called “law professional” should have reacted differently (especially given the fact that this was not a drunk, drugged up, or violent speeder which could have potentially had a far worse outcome for Officer Stephens). I hope the K9 officers give him an earful.
Not all cops are like Officer Stephens. There are sympathetic ones out there and I am one of them.
I say start a FIRE.PaulStephens.com…
Hey Paul… it’s just a job. You can get another one.
Clearly, all of the people defending the cop’s actions either don’t own a pet or just aren’t thinking logically about what happened after the stop. YES! he should have stopped the vehicle. And did! But once the cop saw it was an emergency situation, he should have tried to get the animal medical attention. Waiting 20 minutes was not the correct thing to do and shows his inability to handle a critical situation properly, i.e. he shouldn’t be employed as a police officer!
Anyone who doesn’t respect life, ALL LIFE, should never, ever be placed in a position of authority where they can determine what life should be deemed important and what life is expendable. Everyone defending officer Paul Stephens keeps saying the driver’s action could have caused a death, but seem to be overlooking the fact that the police officer’s actions DID cause a death!
Anyone who loved their pet would be hysterical in that situation. The police officer should know this and be able to handle it properly. Anyone who would make or defend the quote “It’s just a dog, you can get another one,” doesn’t care very much for humans or animals and thinks of pets as mere possesions like a cd player or cell phone. What if he were ever placed with a K-9 unit? Would he think of the police dogs in this way? Remember, this is one of the people sworn to protect and serve you.
He stopped the car to keep the driver from causing an accident, but then decided that the circumstances didn’t matter to him beyond that point and let an innocent creature die for no reason when he could have, and was SUPPOSED TO do something to save Missy. In other words, he didn’t do the job he’s paid to do. And when you’re a cop, that’s a big deal!
I just have to wonder, if it had been the mayor’s or police chief’s dog that died, if the officer would just be getting an “oral reprimand,” on the clock, at taxpayer expense, at his hourly rate of pay. What a punishment!
I see that most of you have bought in to the media sesationalism. I live about 10 miles from San Marcos. A lot of what was reported nationally was taken out of context or some parts were edited out. Let me give you some facts and offer a situation for you.
Suppose you are a cop with only about 1 yr experience and you see a vehicle going 95 mph and swerving across 3 lanes of traffic. You chase the car and pull him over, but he stops on an overpass with a very narrow shoulder. On your loud speaker you tell the driver to pull forward off the overpass. Instead of pulling forward the driver takes off down the road. You take up the chase again and the car finally pulls off the interstate a couple of exits down.
Let me ask everyone something. What do you think your thoughts would be at this point? Did these guys just hold up a convieniece store? Are they going to jump out of the car with guns blazing? Do you think that your adrenelin might be pump up a little? One thing I bet you wouldn’t is that there must be a sick doggie in that car.
Most of you are very good a being a Monday morning QB, but most of you under the same circumstances would not of done things much differently. Were some of Officer Stephens comments unsensitive? Yes. Most of that is because of inexperience.
Since I have to drive these same roads, I’m glad Officer Stephens is out there.
If it were another cop bring a police dog to an emergency vet bcause it was chocking, or worse yet shot in the line of duty, do you think he would be saying “Its just a dog, you can get another one”.Why dont you go talk to some canine officers and see what they have to say. Instead of yelling at the man, he should have helped him get to the hospital faster. I can say after seeing this, if I were in the same situation, I wont stop until I get to the hospital. For all you people who agre with the officer, You Are Heartless.
I don’t agree with the driver going well over the speed limit at all. I’m an animal lover and would do anything for one. He should have stopped before and not given chase no matter how flustered he was. I certainly DON’T think that the officers degrading remarks were professional or warranted. I’m not going to compare a dogs life to a humans life, but there should have been more sympathy and less insults and degredation on behalf of the officer. Should he lose his job? No…. Should he have been suspended without pay? Yes and sent back to do some communications course on how to deal with people.
That’s just my two cents.
Texas Cop Paul Stephens Kills Family Dog By Being An Ass <- this article very good.. i put this article to my bookmarking page. thx for post.