Young woman changes lane without signal found dead in jail

[baldeagle]

It is also Obama's fault.

He has so politicized numerous incidents over the years turning everything into a black victimization mindset that now this young gal is a self-described "civil rights activist", angry, and arrested for assaulting a police officer. Like everyone else, I do not know the circumstances of her death, but I do know that different behavior on her part may very well have resulted in a simple traffic ticket and not getting hauled off to jail. And she'd still be alive.

I can't tell if that's a joke or not about Obama.
If you're saying that she shouldn't have "assaulted" a police officer and she'd still be alive, then I take issue with that. No one deserves to die for that offense.

Seems to me what is causing the media attention on this is a very very small group of police officers that are getting caught by technology (cameras) and the camera tells a very different story than the police report. Sorry, but we all wonder how long that's been going on.

Like you, I don't know what actually happened here, but I'm glad that there is a spotlight on some dark corners of law enforcement right now. We've got no room in society for people who are above the law. Especially when they are the law.

This is a very interesting post. You say "I don't know what actually happened here", yet you assume the police did something wrong. You speak of putting a spotlight on "some dark corners of law enforcement" without any evidence that the police did anything wrong. You say "We've got no room in society for people who are above the law", yet you claim you don't know what went on.

It sounds to me like you've already made up your mind that the police did something wrong, and you're happy it's being exposed.

Would you have come to these same conclusions before Obama began denigrating law enforcement nationwide?

[txglock21]

Granted, she did display attitude from the beginning...BUT...

The officer at one point asked her why she was so upset, which she then responded. The officer displayed his apparent contempt for the woman when he asked "are you done" or "are you finished". He asked her why she was upset when it was apparently obvious she was upset because she was pulled over. It could be argued the officer did this to further antagonize the woman. This certainly couldn't have been the first time he'd pulled someone over and they were upset.

Can someone tell me what a lawful order is? Was it a lawful order asking her to put out the cigarette or asking her to get out of the car? Was he asking her to put out the cigarette because he intended to arrest her? It was as this point that it went completely down hill. If his intent was to arrest her when her asked her to put her cigarette out, then the question is why?

Let me add that the officer may have seen something that made him think she was a danger to others by her actions, but he certainly had issues controlling his frustration.

That's what I'm thinking, but it doesn't make sense.

TxGlock21, I thought she had shut up right before the Trooper asked her to put out her cig. If, instead of asking her to do that and he had just gone ahead and given her the warning we wouldn't know anything about this woman or this stop. If she hadn't resisted, .... yada yada yada

That's why I think none of this makes sense. If he was going to give her a warning, what difference does her smoking make? If she was, in her mind and possibly true, going to win big in court, why commit suicide?

I agree about him just giving her the warning ticket and not pushing it, BUT if she would have just put it out, we also wouldn't be talking about this. Yes, both could have handled the situation differently. I am not a police officer, but I was a military police officer and it was not uncommon to request that someone do something like put out their cigarette while trying to talk to them. We were taught to TRY to be as polite and professional as possible, but some just keep pushing you until you have no choice but to take it to the next level. (ie. arrest, etc...) I had an incident where a Captain that I pulled over on base kept poking his finger in my chest. I took it for as long as I could and kept warning him, but he would not stop. I finally arrested him for assault. The charges stood and he was court martialed and demoted. I'm just saying that I can see both sides of it and in this case, I don't think the officer was wrong. Again, he could have handled it differently, but I don't think he did or said anything illegal, where-as SHE did.

[TVGuy]

It is also Obama's fault.

He has so politicized numerous incidents over the years turning everything into a black victimization mindset that now this young gal is a self-described "civil rights activist", angry, and arrested for assaulting a police officer. Like everyone else, I do not know the circumstances of her death, but I do know that different behavior on her part may very well have resulted in a simple traffic ticket and not getting hauled off to jail. And she'd still be alive.

I can't tell if that's a joke or not about Obama.
If you're saying that she shouldn't have "assaulted" a police officer and she'd still be alive, then I take issue with that. No one deserves to die for that offense.

Seems to me what is causing the media attention on this is a very very small group of police officers that are getting caught by technology (cameras) and the camera tells a very different story than the police report. Sorry, but we all wonder how long that's been going on.

Like you, I don't know what actually happened here, but I'm glad that there is a spotlight on some dark corners of law enforcement right now. We've got no room in society for people who are above the law. Especially when they are the law.

This is a very interesting post. You say "I don't know what actually happened here", yet you assume the police did something wrong. You speak of putting a spotlight on "some dark corners of law enforcement" without any evidence that the police did anything wrong. You say "We've got no room in society for people who are above the law", yet you claim you don't know what went on.

It sounds to me like you've already made up your mind that the police did something wrong, and you're happy it's being exposed.

Would you have come to these same conclusions before Obama began denigrating law enforcement nationwide?

Agreed. I didn't see the post as a joke at all. The current administration has steered the conversation in this country into people feeling that they can completely disregard the lawful instructions of a LEO. That's very dangerous.

I'm not saying every cop is perfect, nor that there aren't some that abuse power. Of the number of videos that have come out in the last year regarding police interaction, only one sticks out as a real problem...the North Charleston officer...he's sitting in jail awaiting a trial for murder. I think he would have been there without video too, as it's very difficult to justify shooting an unarmed man many times in the back from 20+ yards. The ME would have definitely caught that during autopsy.

[txcharvel]

Let me ask this...What did the woman do to get arrested?

This is important because it appears that he intended to arrest her when he asked her to put her cigarette out. Why else would he ask her to do this followed by instructing her to get out of the car. At this point, what had she done to justify her arrest?

This is why I'm asking, what is a lawful order?

[txglock21]

Let me ask this...What did the woman do to get arrested?

This is important because it appears that he intended to arrest her when he asked her to put her cigarette out. Why else would he ask her to do this followed by instructing her to get out of the car. At this point, what had she done to justify her arrest?

This is why I'm asking, what is a lawful order?

I believe she was arrested for kicking him. That is assault on a peace officer.
I am not going to "guess" what his intentions were. As I said before, it is not uncommon to ask someone to put out a cigarette or even step out of the car. Just because they request that you do, does not mean you are going to be automatically arrested. But, if you don't, then you are not helping your situation any. As I wrote in a previous post, I will do whatever a police officer ask at the time and if I feel something was unjust about it, follow it up later. YMMV

[philip964]

According to one story I read the reason she gave for changing lanes was to get out of his way. This may have been why she got upset.
The officer did not remain calm and also got upset, that never helps.
I'm sure the officers statement that he is going to "light her up" with the taser, is probably going to be not well regarded by higher ups.

However, all that said. This woman had some problems. If it didn't happen here, it was going to most likely happen somewhere else.

[baldeagle]

Granted, she did display attitude from the beginning...BUT...

The officer at one point asked her why she was so upset, which she then responded. The officer displayed his apparent contempt for the woman when he asked "are you done" or "are you finished". He asked her why she was upset when it was apparently obvious she was upset because she was pulled over. It could be argued the officer did this to further antagonize the woman. This certainly couldn't have been the first time he'd pulled someone over and they were upset.

The dash cam video shows a previous stop that went very differently. He gave the woman a warning, and she went on her way. I saw no evidence that the officer was deliberately trying to antagonize that woman, and I saw no evidence that he was deliberately trying to antagonize Sandra Bland.

OTOH, I was plenty of evidence that Sandra Bland was not going to quietly accept a ticket. She was combative. When you do that during a traffic stop, you get different results than you do when you're polite.

Can someone tell me what a lawful order is? Was it a lawful order asking her to put out the cigarette or asking her to get out of the car? Was he asking her to put out the cigarette because he intended to arrest her? It was as this point that it went completely down hill. If his intent was to arrest her when her asked her to put her cigarette out, then the question is why?

Lots of speculation here. He asked her to put out the cigarette. That was a simple request, not a lawful order. Her refusal to do so, while within her rights, contributed to the escalation. He ordered her to get out of the car. That was a lawful order with which she did not comply. At that point she violated the law.

Sec. 542.501. OBEDIENCE REQUIRED TO POLICE OFFICERS AND TO SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS. A person may not wilfully fail or refuse to comply with a lawful order or direction of:
(1) a police officer; or
(2) a school crossing guard who:
(A) is performing crossing guard duties in a school crosswalk to stop and yield to a pedestrian; or
(B) has been trained under Section 600.004 and is directing traffic in a school crossing zone.

A lawful order is an order that is not forbidden by the law.

Let me add that the officer may have seen something that made him think she was a danger to others by her actions, but he certainly had issues controlling his frustration.

In the dash cam video you can hear him exclaiming his amazement at her behavior when all he was going to do was give her a warning.

My impression is that her activism led her to this behavior. She was used to abrasively confronting the police at demonstrations and didn't discern the difference between that and a legal traffic stop with a single officer. Her behavior led to her arrest.

What happened inside the jail is a completely separate matter. The information that's been released so far seems to indicate that she committed suicide, but we won't know for certain until the investigation is completed.

When I watched the video and listened to her, I couldn't help but wonder if her parents were proud of her behavior being displayed for all the world to see.

[suthdj]

So short order here he goes up the the car she rants about the why she is mad he responds with "Are you done" now if any of you married men said that to your wife how would she respond. Snide comments at an already angry person will never calm a situation, Asking her to put out her smoke to me seems more like him flexing his ego to show who is incharge another poor choice and of course she responds as expected, calmer heads did not prevail here. JMHO and yes a lot of speculation as nobody will ever know what is going on in thier head. But this is how I see it if I Was to judge.

[Jim Beaux]

I saw two people with issues interacting. Gasoline meet spark.

I sensed the trooper had underlying hostility. He knew he was miked and adeptly manipulated Bland. Seriously, her irritation over being cited was the least of his concern, as it should be - yet he "picked at the scab" & I feel, encouraged her belligerence.

He gave little latitude & it seemed to me that his business was done, so why order Bland to put out her cigarette other than to exert his power & teach her some respect?

Im very proud of DPS & their roadside manner as I have had a few interactions with them. The troopers are a cut above & Ive always been treated fairly by them.

Leo's are trained to defuse tense situations. They take care of business and move on. The average trooper would have dismissed her with maybe a "have a nice day & drive safe ma'am".

I suspect that Bland just may have been be bi-polar. Bi-polar people are impulsive & overreact drastically to situations & often can be aggressive. From what I have read regarding her FB postings she had a chip on her shoulder & LE behavior was one of her peeves.


I totally despise the race baiters & liberals, but I believe the trooper could have done a much better job. I hope to never have to cross paths with his kind.

[Jaguar]

My belief is he was going to lock her up with some cuffs on the side of the road to teach her a lesson about respect. Give you something to cry about as dear old dad would say. She didn't respond correctly and it blew up in his face, but he didn't seem to mind to just let it escalate. Cops are supposed to de-escalate tense situations, he seemed to just egg her on. Unprofessional in my opinion. I, too, hope I never run into his type.

Once she finished her tirade on why she was upset, he should have said, "Well, ma'am, this should make you feel a little better, I'm only giving you a warning, no fine or penalties. Drive safe and have a better day."

[gemini]

I'm a Johnny Come Lately to this discussion but I think both were out of line.
Just viewed the long version of the stop on youtube.
DPS trooper lost his temper, when it should have been a "here's a warning & have a nice day" type of stop.
Everything went south after she answered his question ......
If her response had been "nothings wrong". Maybe none of this would have happened. But it did happen, and
neither participant did anything to de-escalate. He seemed to have an authoritarian complex and she
just couldn't control her mouth or the nastiness that came out of it.. Like JB posted: Gasoline meets spark.

[VMI77]

Watched the video. Disgusting. Yeah, she was mouthy and combative, and that's a poor choice for conduct during any encounter with the police, but the arrest was clearly for "contempt of cop." If a cop can't take what she was dishing out he shouldn't be a cop. Awhile back I saw a video of two women arguing much more vehemently with a cop in the draconian police state of North Korea. If I remember correctly they even put their hands on him. The result....he got tired of listening to them and walked away. No tasing, no cuffing, no physical restraint, and no arrest.

Found...not exactly as I remembered it, but essentially the same. Confrontation starts at 43:52. Another one at 44:58. No arrests. In North Korea.

[video][/video]

Some of our police could stand to practice a little more restraint.

The trooper, who has been on the force for just over a year, has been placed on administrative leave for violating unspecified police procedures and the Department of Public Safety's courtesy policy. The agency would not address questions about whether the trooper acted appropriately by drawing his stun gun or pulling her out of the vehicle.

"Regardless of the situation — it doesn't matter where it happens — a DPS state trooper has got an obligation to exhibit professionalism and be courteous ... and that wasn't the case in this situation," said Steven McCraw, the department director.

http://news.yahoo.com/da-too-early-know ... 6087.html#

I agree with Mr. McCraw.

[SA_Steve]

I was disappointed by the DPS Trooper. In the good old days, these State LEO's were top of the food chain of LEO's. What happened ?
I think we all know or at least have a good guess.

[puma guy]

The trooper was very nice during the stop just previous. His demeanor seemed to change as he encountered her and was asking for ID at the passenger window. I think attitude was met with attitude, but he was still only issuing a warning for failure to signal and maybe mentally a little miffed that she was so confrontational after he was giving her a break. Maybe she blew smoke his direction?? (He must have missed her failure to stop at the intersection as he made a U turn. If he'd seen that he probably would have been giving her a citation.) But he said please.

I'd like to know why she was in jail for three days. I have to assume she tried to notify someone of her situation. Did her family and friends ignore her calls? If so with her history of depression and the fact that she had languished in jail for three days with only a small bond it's possible she was at that point where she felt no one cared about her. I'd be interested in knowing for sure who she called and whether or not her family/friends abandoned her.

BTW If a LEO commands me to get out of the vehicle, no matter his tone or attitude, I get out of the vehicle.

[philip964]

"While being booked to the Waller County Jail, Bland told police that she attempted suicide with pills in 2014 following the loss of her baby.

When asked if she was feeling depressed, she said “yes.” When asked if she was feeling depressed at that moment, she responded in the affirmative. Bland told authorities she had thoughts of suicide, but said she hadn’t had any that day."


This is apparently from the booking report.

Seems game over as far as her death is concerned. She killed her self.