A lawsuit in the making or were the police just doing there job?

[diamond]

An outraged female passenger 45 years age recently died while in police custody at the Phoenix Airport.

Seems now her wealthy family is seeking a lawsuit.

The news reports and witnesses said the woman became disruptive, combative and agitated when she was late for her connecting flight to Tucson AZ, and was denied access.

She was on her way to check herself into a drug rehab center in Tucson when the fracas started in the Phx Airport.

Her husband who was interviewed fro NY said she was an alcoholic and suicidal.

The police are claiming that she accidentally strangled herself while in the holding cell as she was attempting to escape.

She had only been left alone between 5-10 minutes.

The police tried resesitating her her with mouth to mouth where she threw up in a police officer's mouth -which didn't stop the officer's efforts-he continued to give her mouth to mouth, but sadly she still died.


http://wcbstv.com/local/daughter.in.law.2.313342.html

What are your thoughts, comments?

dbs

 

[diamond]

 

[diamond]

..and please forgive my typos as there are many in this thread and poll.

dbs

 

[diamond]

..and we have votes all over the board..
dbs

 

[deep]

no reason to vote

who knows what happened at this point



are people supposed to just jump in and go with their gut feeling?

if you don't like cops - blame them?


if you like cops - blame her?

 

[diamond]

well some feel that indivual accountability could be an issue at hand.


The lady became hysterical and accidenlty strangled herself, yet the family is about to steam roll in from NYC with a law suit.

If the police are telling the truth, I hope the lawsuit gets thrown out, if not we'll have to hear what really happened.

Regardless there should be an inquiry into her death, and it is tragic on many levels.

3 little kids now do not have a mom.

dbs

 

[Irvine511]

3 little kids now do not have a mom.

i wish you felt the same about iraqi moms.

 

[diamond]

i wish you felt the same about iraqi moms.

Who's says I don't?

dbs

 

[Irvine511]

Who's says I don't?

if you support the administration, then you like dead iraqis. iraqi moms, too.

 

[diamond]

if you support the administration, then you like dead iraqis. iraqi moms, too.

 

[financeguy]

Why is there no option for "the pigs killed her, then lied about it?"

Based on what I have read about US police, that would be a reasonable interpretation of the evidence.

 

[diamond]

Why is there no option for "the pigs killed her, then lied about it?"

Based on what I have read about US police, that would be a reasonable interpretation of the evidence.

I was waiting for one like this.

Good job.

dbs

 

[Irvine511]

you see?

 

[financeguy]

I was waiting for one like this.

Good job.

dbs

You're welcome.

 

[A_Wanderer]

if you support the administration, then you like dead iraqis. iraqi moms, too.

If you don't support regime change then you support the deaths of those killed by sanctions and Saddam.

As for this case, evidence is generally useful.

 

[diamond]

If you don't support regime change then you support the deaths of those killed by sanctions and Saddam.

As for this case, evidence is generally useful.

Well put, I was in a corporate conference and didn''t have time to articulate a response.

dbs

 

[phillyfan26]

if you support the administration, then you like dead iraqis. iraqi moms, too.

I do think some people legitimately think we're doing good work over there.

As for this thread: it lacks evidence, and any of the other choices I can't agree with either.

 

[diamond]

I Told you guys months ago:



Family seeks $8 million in airport deathStory Highlights
Police took Carol Gotbaum into custody after she missed a flight, flew into a rage

Accused of disorderly conduct, she was put in an airport holding cell, where she died

Claim says police used excessive, unreasonable force, disregarded own procedures

(CNN) -- The family of a woman who died last year while in police custody at Phoenix, Arizona's, Sky Harbor International Airport filed an $8 million claim Wednesday against the city of Phoenix and its police department, the first step in filing a wrongful death suit.
1 of 2 Carol Gotbaum, a 45-year-old mother of three from New York traveling to Tucson, Arizona, to enter an alcohol rehabilitation center, was taken into custody by Phoenix police on September 28 after she missed her connecting flight and flew into a rage.

She was left alone in a holding cell at the airport and subsequently died, accidentally strangling herself while trying to escape her handcuffs.

The claim accuses the Police Department of using "excessive and unreasonable force" on Gotbaum and failing to follow its own procedures in handling people who are obviously disturbed.

"Good people here made lethal, unreasonable mistakes, with catastrophic results for Carol, her three small children and for her husband," the claim says.

Gotbaum was treated "as if she was a dangerous criminal, rather than as a sick, intoxicated and vulnerable person she was," it says. "She had no weapon and never threatened anyone."

City attorneys responded to the claim, saying that police officers acted properly and responsibly in restraining Gotbaum.

"The Gotbaum family has publicly admitted, not only that Carol hid her medical and mental condition, but that the officers responded to Carol exactly the way her husband knew they would respond because they did not have critical information known only to the Gotbaum family," city attorneys representing the Police Department wrote.

Gotbaum, the stepdaughter-in-law of New York public advocate Betsy Gotbaum, became agitated after missing her flight when gate agents were unable to seat her on a subsequent flight. Airport surveillance video shows Gotbaum's arrest, with police officers struggling to handcuff her.

Police reports say she was "uncooperative" and resisted arrest, screaming during their attempts to escort her out of the airport terminal.

She was accused of disorderly conduct and placed in a holding cell at the airport, where she continued to scream for several minutes after police left the room. Shortly after she stopped screaming, an officer found her unconscious, and rescuers were unable to resuscitate her. The Maricopa County medical examiner ruled that her death was an accidental hanging. E-mail to a friend

always being right is getting old for me..

 

[Angela Harlem]

There's an awful lot of journo-fluffing in these 2 stories which make little difference to the issue of culpability. Media reports are a handy way of skimming over the surface though and getting the readers all indignant/outraged, etc.

 

[diamond]

The lady was a little out of control.

dbs

 

[Angela Harlem]

Yeah, she definitely was. I'm not going to say whether it seems the police had reacted appropriately or not as that is impossible to do so with such a news story. This is almost a textbook quality case for highlighting the problems which I know are faced by police here, and seemingly is the same for your various lots, too. I don't think there's one particular side you can take in these kinds of things, to be honest. It shows not a shortfall of the police, but the system they are required to work under. The crossover with injured, ill and sick people should not be a police domain, but it's expected to be. How is a cop supposed to assess the risk of self injury to an out of control person who may or may not have drug/alcohol issues and mental health issues? How can a cop determine a fellow who has been in a pub brawl doesn't actually have a subdural haematoma and is at risk of dying in a holding cell in the next 2 hours (or 2 weeks, 2 months, or however long the particular injury is destined to take to stop brain function)? These things happen - and they happen at a frequency more common than we might think. The responsibility of someone in custody is solely that of the police, but obviously it is under the proviso that they are equipped to manage it.

 

[diamond]

Exactly right every case has circumstances.

It's a quite sad, sadder when the injured look for millions of dollars in compensation, saddest though for her babies that will never see their mom again.

It's tricky anyway that you look at it.

dbs