I came across this story a couple of days ago and while I thought it a pretty convoluted story I wasn’t going to touch this one. Why? Because both Audra Harmon and Deputy Sean Andrews of the Onondaga Sheriff’s Department were at fault. If stupidity were a crime they would both be in jail right now. I’m not a law expert nor am I a law enforcement procedures expert. This is just a hobby. I am however a stupidity expert and that part of me that makes me look at car accidents as I pass keeps returning my attention to this. That and the fact that two different readers have suggested this story for two entirely different reasons and points of view. So here’s mine. Love it or hate it.
First off let’s look at some things that Audra Harmon could have done differently that might have led to a different outcome. Number one, she never should have gotten out of her van in the first place. She immediately turned it into an antagonistic situation by doing so. Yeah, I’ve watched the video several times and at no time did she get out of hand or look like she was yelling or upset but that’s apples and oranges. She should have stayed in her vehicle. Since she did get out she should have jumped her happy ass right back in the first time the deputy told her to. Rather than do that she demanded to see the video.
Andrews accused of her of talking on her cell phone. If the officer refused to listen to her explanation she should have just sucked it up and let him write her a ticket, taken her itemized cell phone bill to court with her which would have proven she wasn’t on it (if she’s not lying about that) and had the charge dropped. That’s pretty much a no-brainer. What point does it prove to argue with a cop? That’s like sticking your head in a crocodiles mouth. Only booger-eaten’ morons stick their heads in the crocodile’s mouth.
If Audra Harmon had shown up to court with her cell phone bill and requested to see proof that she was speeding or that she was actually using her phone chances are pretty good it would have been thrown out and that’s if Andrews had even bothered to show up for traffic court in the first place. Lot’s of times the officer doesn’t even show.
That’s enough bashing on Harmon, now it’s time for Deputy Andrews. I figure he must have been having a really bad day up to that point or he’s an arrogant asshole who likes to abuse his authority. Either way there’s no excuse for the way he acted and the fact that he was so willing to tase and arrest an obviously harmless woman makes him negligent and he should be out of a job. It’s his job to serve and protect and he did neither.
From the outside it looks as if Andrews pulled Harmon over for what he initially thought were good reasons and then he let his anger get out of hand when she acted like a dumbass. If “Deputy” Andrews thought that the woman and her two children were so dangerous that he needed to tase her on the roadside he should have called for assistance. Instead he went all Dirty Harry on 38-year-old housewife. What a tough guy. Makes me wonder if he beats his girlfriend/wife, if he has one.
Cops (and teachers alike) for the most part are good people. Most of them really just want to do their underpaid job to the best of their ability. Unfortunately there are enough incidents across the country so that assholes like Sean Andrews and Bill Arganda make them all look bad. The good things that they do, the long hard hours they work and the people they help aren’t reported in the newspapers or on the news stations. Unfortunately any job that puts people in a position of responsibility is also going to attract people that enjoy abusing that responsibility as well.
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I wonder what happened after the fact?
She was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, speeding and resisting arrest. All the charges were dropped after the DA reviewed the video but the woman is suing the Sheriff’s Department.
Her kids were also left alone in the van for 40 minutes in the cold while she was being arrested. Someone should file child abuse charges against the officer for that as well.
Hey, again, Richard! I don’t disagree with you on any of the points you’ve mentioned on this incident. I would, however, like to add that if we were counting points on either side, I believe the cop would have won for jerking the mom, when she was on the ground submitting, and then rolling her around into the lane of traffic. If ever there was a recipe for disaster that was it. In those actions, the jackass cop put her, himself, AND the children in the car, in jeopardy. From what I have read, that road was fairly busy.
Did you ever find a picture of the cop? The law enforcement people in the cop’s county, seem to be playing any pictures of him “close to the chest”!
V
Oh certainly. People are assholes and don’t follow directions. Cops are trained to deal with people like this and are supposed to be much more sensitive to the nuances of the way people behave. Just the fact that he did an about-face and told her that she was under arrest after arguing with him and then dragged her out of the car shows a severe lack of give-a-shit about the people he’s supposed to be protecting. It’s the same kind of attitude that people in government service get after they have been there for awhile, as if we are here to serve them, not the other way around.
Still haven’t found his picture yet. It makes it easier when they have a Facebook or MySpace account. Will keep looking though. It’s harder to find info about deputies. Local cops within towns and cities tend to do community outreach and visit schools and other businesses and there is usually some type of photographic evidence of that but the deputies, not so much. Same thing with State Troopers.