Huntsville police say public didn't help officer in need (Madison: felony, lawyer)

[FayettevilletoHuntsville]

HUNSTVILLE, AL (WAFF) - Huntsville police say several people in a Huntsville neighborhood stood and watched as a police officer struggled with a suspect.

Police say, a hit and run suspect Devonte Conerly tried to grab the officer's gun.


Officers eventually cuffed Conerly, who's now charged for felony assault on an officer.

Police then asked bystanders why no one came to the officer's aid.

Many people might not be aware of this, but it's actually illegal to not help out if an officer is in distress and asking for assistance from bystanders.

Read more at: Huntsville police say public didn't help officer in need - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

[1973PINTO]

the bystanders said " we were too busy trying to get a video " shameful ...

[NoleFanHSV]

I'm on the fence on this one. I haven't read the story, but I'm coming from a logical approach to this. First off I'm not trained in taking someone down. Now obviously its easier for two people to take someone down than it is for one. But how if the suspect got the officers gun while I was helping and shoots me? How if in the process I hurt the suspect? I could be liable, and while the officer might thank me, that doesn't help me with a civil suite when the suspect tries to sue me.

I did see this, and I would ask a lawyer because I've never heard of this:

"Many people might not be aware of this, but it's actually illegal to not help out if an officer is in distress and asking for assistance from bystanders."

From the article.

[futuremadisonresident]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

I'm on the fence on this one. I haven't read the story, but I'm coming from a logical approach to this. First off I'm not trained in taking someone down. Now obviously its easier for two people to take someone down than it is for me. But how if the suspect got the officers gun while I was helping and shoots me? How if in the process I hurt the suspect? I could be liable, and while the officer might thank me, that doesn't help me with a civil suite when the suspect tries to sue me.

I did see this, and I would ask a lawyer because I've never heard of this:

"Many people might not be aware of this, but it's actually illegal to not help out if an officer is in distress and asking for assistance from bystanders."

From the article.

I did read the article and I actually thought of all of that as well. Most of us are familiar with the case that happened in Madison earlier this year where an officer is being sued over excessive force and he was a trained police officer. An average person that hasn't had police training may not know how to take down a hardened criminal and if the suspect was injured could the person who helped the police officer be held liable?

[SoulSonicForce]

Originally Posted by HOSS429

the bystanders said " we were too busy trying to get a video " shameful ...

#blacklivesmatter got those bystanders in the wrong mindset. They were probably expecting the officer to do something "out of the ordinary" to the suspect from the get-go.
Hence the reason for immediately reaching for the cheap camera phone to record.

Chances are that at least one of those people, sitting idly by, knew the suspect and could have help the officer out by talking some sense into him.

[BMW Dave]

Jesus ******* Christ.

I am surprised its a law, but I would feel a strong moral compulsion.

I understand the black community wanting to take video of everything now, I am also young and see younger people of all colors doing more living through the screen, than LIVING.

I enjoy a good snap story, but I usually far to busy living my life to stop, record and share.

I am glad the officer was able to subdue this POS, because if he had gotten that gun, he could have shot him and the state would have spent a fortune eventually putting him to death.

Also while Reddit is more liberal, at least I can curse openly, not have to censor myself. :l

[brownbagg]

im not going help a cop either, that not my job and two, he might shoot me too. like they always complained, they are trained to do this job, they are the professorial, so why do you need my help

[JakeWilliams]

I'm white. If I was witnessing an altercation between a police officer and a suspect I would videotape it too, regardless of the race of either. Too many problems lately have happened because there was no video showing the truth, instead it gets spun both directions and the truth is somewhere in the middle. If there wasn't a video of what happened in Madison then that officer would probably still be on the force.

From the article it doesn't sound like the officer asked for assistance, so the people taping it were not doing anything wrong - in my mind they were doing the right thing. Video protects officers doing the right thing and can keep someone from getting away with doing something wrong.

[TUMF]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

I'm on the fence on this one. I haven't read the story, but I'm coming from a logical approach to this. First off I'm not trained in taking someone down. Now obviously its easier for two people to take someone down than it is for one. But how if the suspect got the officers gun while I was helping and shoots me? How if in the process I hurt the suspect? I could be liable, and while the officer might thank me, that doesn't help me with a civil suite when the suspect tries to sue me.

I did see this, and I would ask a lawyer because I've never heard of this:

"Many people might not be aware of this, but it's actually illegal to not help out if an officer is in distress and asking for assistance from bystanders."

From the article.

I have an FSU cap on the table beside me -
I'm betting you and I shared watching our Noles win the National Championship 2 years ago at Pie In The Sky...

GROW A SET!

Many years ago, I was in a grocery store on a Friday, with my weekend supplies of party goods at the checkout. The woman in front of me had a baby on her side, and an open purse across her shoulder.
A man walked behind and beside us and he reached inside her purse and grabbed the bank envelope that was sitting on top inside her purse, and ran.

Seeing as what just happened, I ran after him, as fast as I could.
When I got right behind him, I jumped on him, forcing him to the ground.
Somehow his left arm got broken in the fall... The sound of it still puts shivers down my back...
His head kept hitting the blacktop while I waited for the police to arrive. Funny how that his head kept coming in contact so abruptly against the black top.

The woman, now standing near me while I was 'attending' to this creep, was crying and very thankful for my actions.
The police showed up, and I explained what took place. The officer asked me to get up as they would handle it from here... I insisted that they cuff him... and they did. I then put all my weight on this *****hole while I got up and yanked him up by his cuffed broken left arm, while blood was still coming out of his head... oh, I didn't know it was broken... and about your head, well, gee...how'd THAT happen?

The officer then took this scumbag and put him in the back of his squad car, while they waited for the medics to show up.

The officer called me to the rear of his car and 'suggested' that I be on my way, without even asking me for my name - or anything... I walked down the street, used a payphone to call a friend come pick me up and take me home. I changed clothes and went back to drive my car home. Nobody noticed me when I got back as everyone was still enjoying watching this thug suffer in pain while paramedics attended to his needs.

If we don't stop or help stop, this type of crime, it will CONTINUE to fester and grow.
Ask yourself this question: If you were that police officer, would YOU want someone to help you in that situation? Then DO IT!

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by Tumf

I have an FSU cap on the table beside me -
I'm betting you and I shared watching our Noles win the National Championship 2 years ago at Pie In The Sky...

GROW A SET!

Many years ago, I was in a grocery store on a Friday, with my weekend supplies of party goods at the checkout. The woman in front of me had a baby on her side, and an open purse across her shoulder.
A man walked behind and beside us and he reached inside her purse and grabbed the bank envelope that was sitting on top inside her purse, and ran.

Seeing as what just happened, I ran after him, as fast as I could.
When I got right behind him, I jumped on him, forcing him to the ground.
Somehow his left arm got broken in the fall... The sound of it still puts shivers down my back...
His head kept hitting the blacktop while I waited for the police to arrive. Funny how that his head kept coming in contact so abruptly against the black top.

The woman, now standing near me while I was 'attending' to this creep, was crying and very thankful for my actions.
The police showed up, and I explained what took place. The officer asked me to get up as they would handle it from here... I insisted that they cuff him... and they did. I then put all my weight on this *****hole while I got up and yanked him up by his cuffed broken left arm, while blood was still coming out of his head... oh, I didn't know it was broken... and about your head, well, gee...how'd THAT happen?

The officer then took this scumbag and put him in the back of his squad car, while they waited for the medics to show up.

The officer called me to the rear of his car and 'suggested' that I be on my way, without even asking me for my name - or anything... I walked down the street, used a payphone to call a friend come pick me up and take me home. I changed clothes and went back to drive my car home. Nobody noticed me when I got back as everyone was still enjoying watching this thug suffer in pain while paramedics attended to his needs.

If we don't stop or help stop, this type of crime, it will CONTINUE to fester and grow.
Ask yourself this question: If you were that police officer, would YOU want someone to help you in that situation? Then DO IT!

Never was at Pie in the sky watching the national championship. Was at home.

At anyrate, I never said what I would or wouldn't do. Again, I see both sides of this. Is the right thing to do is to help a police officer out or is the right thing to do is to not take a chance of getting hurt or possibly killed, knowing a family depends on me? Its called a moral delimma.

If I was a police officer, and I was struggling to subdue someone, the first and foremost responsibility is to protect yourself and then protect the people around you. If someone who has no clue of what they are doing can easily make things worse and endanger the officer or the public.