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Title: Couple Nearly Gives Birth in Car As Cop Holds Them on Roadside, Tickets Them for Rushing to Hospital
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/co ... ital-minutes-before-baby-born/
Published: Nov 16, 2017
Author: Rachel Blevins
Post Date: 2017-11-28 06:18:17 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 1435
Comments: 29
When a couple was pulled over for speeding in Lakewood, New Jersey, they explained to the officer that the wife was in labor, and they were on their way to the hospital—a logical emergency that would justify exceeding the speed limit. However, the officer responded by delaying the couple’s arrival and issuing the husband a citation for speeding. The couple, who has remained anonymous, told The Lakewood Scoop that when they were pulled over, the husband explained to the officer that he started out driving at the regular speed limit, but only increased his speed when his wife’s symptoms became urgent. “My pregnant wife had been to the doctor that day, and was told that as soon as labor begins she should rush to the hospital, since the baby will be born very quickly. That night labor began, so we immediately set out to Monmouth Medical Center driving at regular speed. While driving on Squankum Road. my wife told me she is starting to feel it is getting closer to birth. I became quite frantic, so I automatically picked up speed, without realizing I was going way over the speed limit.” A report from the Jersey Journal claimed that when the officer clocked the speed of the car, the husband was driving 78 mph in a 50-mph zone. The husband told TLS that he immediately pulled over, and explained to the officer that they were in an emergency situation, and had been instructed by a doctor to come to the hospital as soon as possible. “I respectfully explained that my wife is in advanced labor and I am headed to the hospital. I tried explaining the severity of the situation, but he cut me off without inquiring in what condition my wife is, and just asked for license and registration. We pleaded with him to please make it fast as we are in an emergency, but he answered curtly, sit tight.” The husband then claimed that the officer took his license and registration, and proceeded to hold the couple hostage for over 15 minutes, even though he was made aware of the wife’s critical condition. When the officer finally let the couple go to the hospital, the husband asked if he would escort them there, and the officer replied, “we don’t do these things.” “While stranded, my wife reached a critical point. I immediately started calling out, ‘officer, officer,’ and motioned with my hands, but he completely ignored me. He left me stranded close to 15 minutes while my wife was moaning away. Afterwards he gave me a speeding ticket. I then told him that my wife has reached a critical point, and asked if he could escort us to the hospital. He answered ‘we don’t do these things, but I can call an ambulance,’ which I declined saying I can do the same.” The couple concluded by writing that their baby was born almost immediately after they arrived at the hospital, “20 min. after the officer let us go.” In a statement provided to the Jersey Journal, the Howell Police Department was quick to defend the officer’s actions, and claimed that the “video evidence” of the encounter shows he acted appropriately. “We certainly understand how stressful the moments leading up to birth can be, especially on a woman, and we commend them for their respectful demeanor under the circumstances. However, the officer acted appropriately and any suggestion that the officer’s conduct was improper, unprofessional or inhumane simply contradicts the video evidence.” While the department did not specify as to whether the “video evidence” they referenced will be made public, the idea that a police officer would encounter a couple in labor and rushing to the hospital, insist that they delay their trip by nearly half an hour, and then refuse to escort them to the hospital in an emergency, shows that the officer in question was doing the opposite of “serving and protecting” the public, and he should be held accountable for his actions. Here is the Facebook page of the Howell Township Police department, if you’d like to peacefully express your thoughts on this matter to them. 
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#1. To: Deckard (#0)
The Howell Township Police Department is defending an officer who gave a speeding ticket to a Lakewood man who was driving 78 mph in a 50 mph zone as he took his pregnant wife to the hospital earlier this month. Police issued a statement and a shared a portion of the officer's body camera footage of the stop, after The Lakewood Scoop, published a story featuring a first- person account from the anonymous driver criticizing the stop. The headline on that story read, "SHOCKING: Howell police officer tickets Lakewood driver for speeding minutes before his child is born". But police contend there's more to the story, and that an internal review of video evidence shows the officer responded properly. On Nov. 14 at 11:57 p.m., a Howell police officer stopped a 2010 Toyota Sienna on Squankum Road (Route 547) between Maxim and Old Tavern roads for doing 78 mph in a 50 mph speed zone, Howell police said in a statement. As the officer approaches the vehicle, the driver tells the officer that his wife is in "advanced labor," according to police and the body camera video. The officer responds by asking the driver for his license, registration and insurance. After receiving the documents, the officer tells the driver he was doing "almost 80 mph." The driver then explains how he and his wife were in the doctor's office that morning and the "doctor just called" and told them to go to the hospital. "Alright, sit tight for a few minutes," the officer can be heard saying in the video. The officer returns to his patrol vehicle, fills out the ticket and then walks back to the car. As the officer approaches the vehicle, the driver can be seen with his head out of the vehicle and says something that is inaudible. According to the man's account published by The Lakewood Scoop, his wife "reached a critical point" and he was trying to signal that to the officer. The officer asks the couple if they'd like an ambulance and the couple responds by asking for a police escort instead. "No, we don't do that," the officer said. "That's what ambulances are for. That's why you're not supposed to be driving that fast." The officer asks again if the couple wants an ambulance to come to the vehicle, and the man's wife can be heard responding, but it's unclear from the body camera footage what she says. The officer then hands the ticket to the man and asks him again if he'd like an ambulance. "[Inaudible] ... We see there's something going on. She's not pushing yet, but she just broke her water," the driver says. The man's published account said the time it took from when the officer first approached his car until he handed him the ticket was "close to 15 minutes." Police contend the entire stop from start to finish lasted just over 9 minutes. The man said the baby was born 20 minutes after the officer let them go. The photo of the bracelet published by The Lakewood Scoop shows a date of Nov. 15 with the time being 12:35 a.m. However, it's unclear from the photo, which redacts information, if that's the time the baby was born or the time the woman was admitted to the hospital. "The interaction during the stop was polite and respectful. Both the operator of the vehicle, his pregnant wife and the officer were calm, respectful and courteous to one another," police said in a statement. "We certainly understand how stressful the moments leading up to birth can be, especially on a woman, and we commend them for their respectful demeanor under the circumstances. However, the officer acted appropriately and any suggestion that the officer's conduct was improper, unprofessional or inhumane simply contradicts the video evidence." It continues: "We are happy to hear the occupants arrived safely at the hospital and had a successful delivery. We wish them the best."
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