Let me start by saying, my husband personally donates thousands of dollars to police funds each year.
That being said, all I have to say after reading about this Howell officer and watching the video, is SHAME ON YOU. And to those supporting him, SHAME ON YOU TOO.
After reading hundreds of comments about the Howell cop incident, it became more and more clear to me that some just don’t get the issue – including the officers and department defending him.
Let’s review the FACTS, based on the FACTUAL information provided by the Howell Police Department:
- Nobody said the driver was not breaking the law by speeding.
- The bodycam clearly shows the soon-to-be-father clearly told the officer his wife was in advanced labor IMMEDIATELY upon the officer’s initial approach to the vehicle.
- The officer went back to his vehicle and sat there for nearly 7 minutes as the couple waited.
- Only AFTER RETURNING to the driver, did the cop offer to call an ambulance.
Those are the facts of the case.
Now let’s review some of the absurd comments:
“Oh please, the officer offered his assistance and they declined it.”
Really?? How about finding a gunshot victim, going to grab a donut and then return 7 minutes later and say, “hey bud, can I get you an ambulance?” That’s just about how absurd some sound when commenting that the cop offered assistance. The offering of the ambulance should have been IMMEIDATELY upon seeing the pregnant woman.
And do you expect a mom in labor to wait ANOTHER 5-10 minutes (being generous) for an ambulance to respond, and then send her on her way? I’ve been in labor before, and I can tell you the pain is excruciating. And to add to that the frustration of being told to wait on the side of a dark road, that’s just unthinkable.
“He acted professional and courteous.”
Because he didn’t yell and scream at the driver – that’s professional? SHAME ON YOU, OFFICER.
This issue isn’t about the ticket (though if the officer had an iota of decency, he would have sent them on their way with a warning), this is about the fact that he DELAYED the urgent care they needed – he could have killed a mom and her child, just to ‘enforce the law’.
“The driver lied – he said it took 15 minutes.”
Are you for real? Did you ever call for emergency help? Every minute feels like an hour. So he stated approximately 15 minutes, when police said it was 9 plus minutes. Wow.
“Good job for enforcing the law.”
This just boils my blood. Enforce the law? That’s the most lame comment I’ve read. This cop could have enforced the law by issuing a summons to the driver. Nobody denied the fact that he wasn’t speeding. But here’ an idea, and I’m not a cop. You have his license, his license plate, and his insurance information. How about taking a picture of it, and then sending the driver a ticket in the mail? Oh, you didn’t think of that?
In conclusion:
This cop used TERRIBLE JUDGEMENT, and does not belong being a police officer. You are here to PROTECT lives, yet, you nearly let two lives perish – oh and with a smile and professionally. It’s time to hand in your badge, and find yourself a different profession – preferable one which doesn’t involved human beings.
Thank you,
Mrs. Adina K,
Long Branch, NJ.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
You are absolutely right.
Officer please find a different better job before a tragedy God forbid happens.
Thank you
Please watch the video. That officer may have saved their lives. Like he said, there were a lot of deer crossing the streets. He was doing almost 80 miles per hour in a 50 zone. Could have harmed all of them and others. He was very respectful, and so were they. They were lucky he stopped them. He did the right thing. If he didn’t, and someone was hurt, they would be asking him why he didn’t do anything. So happy for your healthy baby.
the problem isn’t that he stopped them, he could have just told them that there is deer out and they should slow down he didn’t have to make them wait all that time. apparently you missed the letter writers point
No, I didn’t miss the point. I know these back roads, and doing 80 in a 50, it’s possible they wouldn’t have made it to the hospital in one piece. There have been horrific accidents in that area. In the end, it all worked out. And they have a beautiful baby to take home. Happy for this couple. I understand the husband was probably frantic. I would be too.
Spot on!! These cops are (moderated) it’s like their living a deaf life
I totally agree with you this Officer should be FIRED As soon as possible Otherwise there is no way I can respect The Howell Police Department
Well said Mrs. K!!! You may as well reach out to the cop in your town Long Branch that pulled me over on the way to the Monmouth Hospital (literally 1 min away from MMC) in the same situation several years ago…..I was also held up for at least 6-8 mins before he returned with the ticket.
I guess these type of cops are in every town…..
Bravo Adina! Could not have been said better!!! Common sense is unfortunately not that common…
Well said @Adinak! Well said!
#petitiontogethimfired
Finally someone gets it. There was no reason for the cop to keep them waiting. He could have mailed the ticket and let them go immediately OR
if he was really a caring person he would have let them go on their way with a warning. There’s no law that requires a cop to issue a summon.
Let say forget police officer but what would happen if Deer or animal was on the road. What wouldyou day now ?? It much worst if he lost control of car. Have you thought that ? Police Office had save his life. Who are yo to judge it Hashem plans.
Please explain your comment; it is incoherent!
WHAT???
@Police Officer, just wondering, did you type that comment while driving?
agreed!
wow
you really summarized story well
what a disgrace
SHAME ON HOWELL PD
Please submit this link to the Howell Chief!
I love the letter!
Well said!! What blows my mind is that the Howell PD insists that proper protocol was followed. They could’ve easily said that they would encourage officers to use their better judgement in each case but they rather felt that defending their (moderated) officer is more important than a medical emergency
I’d like to make 2 points. First of all app.com posted a poll whether the police officer what in the right or wrong. I find it interesting that they decided to take a poll after TLS took a poll. The reason in my opinion that they decided to do that was A) they saw how many responses TLS received so they figured that would be a good way to attract people to their site. B) They saw how many people voted against the officer that they thought they would get more votes in favor of the officer.
Second point is that the article on the app.com was extremely misleading. It states PREGNANT LAKEWOOD COUPLE GETS SPEEDING TICKET IN HOWELL. Really??? Pregnant??? I sure home if she was in advanced labor that she was pregnant. It should have said LAKEWOOD MOM IN ADVANCED LABOR. Again this is another example of the APP misleading the public.
So tell me, did the man stopped by the cops go running to the Lakewood Scoop to complain about his treatment by the Howell cop? How was this story even brought to the public’s attention?
While I don’t agree with how the cop handled the situation I think this is being blown out of proportion
Look at the good cops do every day instead of focusing on the few negative stories
Very nice letter and very to the point, that’s regarding the police officer,but to the root of the problem,we have to understand that this is all a outcome of the corrupt system of police being forced to give out tickets to bring in revenue instead of focusing on keeping the community safe, and this should be the lesson of this story:
I disagree very much with the way the police officer handled it. I disagree very much with the way the public is handling the police officers mishandling of the situation.
Thank you. I was trying to figure out how to express my opinion on this and you worded it so perfectly.
The policeman should have used better judgement. Many comments concern firing him. Do you want to tar & feather him as well? If there is a
pattern to his behavior, then it is up to the Chief of Police to make the judgement of his employment.
The couple needed to speak to the Chief of Police about their treatment.
(not the media}
No one is perfect at their jobs. Learning is the goal.
Only one word is needed discretion.
Police officers can use discretion to make the best decision for the circumstances they are dealing
Did even one person think he could’ve saved their lives? What if the next curve the driver took had a deer or a tree, they flipped the car, and three lives were lost? Maybe G-d put him there to save them.
He offered to get an ambulance to follow them there. If the labor was that much of an emergency they should’ve taken him up on it, or stayed at Kimball or Jersey Shore.
He did not offer the ambulance right away. A ticket could have been sent in the mail instead of delaying when every minute counts.
Where is the outrage of our elected leaders being expressed?
Where is the Va’ad, Sen. Singer, assemblyman Kean, and the Lakewood Township committee???
Why aren’t they expressing out rage for this heinous behavior!?!?!
The Howell PD officer had an obligation to stop a driver moving 78 in a 50 mph zone. However, the officer then acted improperly by delaying medical treatment after learning about the passenger’s emergent medical condition. The driver exacerbated the situation by not immediately proceeding to the hospital after the summons was issued – not a smart move. The Howell police officer could have allowed the driver to proceed to the hospital without delay and issued the speeding summons at a later less emergent time. This is where the officer erred. His superiors erred as well by defending the officer’s indefensible actions.
The way this officer handled this traffic stop is terrible. WHY DIDN’T HE OFFER AN AMBULANCE RIGHT AWAY?? As soon as he heard advanced labor, an ambulance should have been dispatched immediately.
Total discrace this man they call an officer needs to be mentally evaluated. Definitely does not belong in this job.
Divine intervention
These people grow up in sterile environments since they are kids they live a half a mile away from their nearest neighbor they grow up with little Human or Familial or Community interaction than they are trained to be “Professional” Robots
It seems clear that the officer was not treating this as a medical emergency. If this is the case the blame falls on the Howell Police department.
People who have not had children, and even some who have may not understand the pain and the danger involved in labor and delivery.
I have had relatives who had children, and had a relatively easy time. However, that is not usually the case.
Labor usually involves intensive pain. There are periods were the pain is not severe, so just because at the moment the officer stopped them, there was no severe pain, does not mean that there was no emergency.
Aside for that, there are things that can and do go wrong during labor and delivery, presenting a mortal risk to the mother and child. This happens more often then people may realize.
While a layman may be forgiven for not being aware of that, a police officer should be well aware of that. Would he have acted the same if it was a victim of a heart attack? Often you can get a heart attack victims heart restarted with CPR, does that make it less of an emergency?
The fact that the police department backed up the officer shows makes you wonder if the whole police department consists of people who never had a wife in labor.
They should recognize the flaw in training and correct it.
I don’t think I would call for the officers to be fired, as it is clear from the HPD’s reaction, that they are not trained regarding the danger and risks involved in labor and delivery. What does need to be addressed is the training of their officers before any tragedy occurs.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of the incredible officers for the work they do every day. For their professionalism, kindness and caring and especially for their courage. I just wanted to take a moment to express this amidst all of the negativity regarding this particular story. I stand in awe of the work that they do every day and my appreciation knows no bounds. A Lakewood Resident
Wrong time wrong place to be saying that.