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T cop under investigation for Facebook post about unconscious, incontinent person lying next to his wheelchair

The Globe reports on the scorn and ridicule the officer heaped on the person to go with the photo she uploaded to a post sent to her Facebook friends a couple of days ago.

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If you think that she thinks less of the man she photographed just because he had defecated himself, then good luck when you have to deal with her yourself some day.

Only the best cops seem to think of themselves as "one of us" these days. It should be all cops.

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You get paid literally double what I make in a year, and I'm paying part of it out of my half of your total. Shut your trap, Barney Fife.

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You literally made terrible life decisions if you're only making $32,500/year.

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Riddle me what "terrible life decisions" I've made:

-I owe money to nobody except for my car, and it's a modest car that I could pay off by selling stocks today if I wanted to

-I've been employed every day since June of 1999

-I moved to Boston in 2003 before the rent got really bad

I've hit a bump in 2016, but compared to most of this planet, I'm straight crushing it, son.

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1. Sell your stocks now.

2. In all seriousness, what's going on with trivia?

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1) Two days after Brexit? I'm waiting for a rebound from that. But I may well hit the ejector seat in October if I think Trump might actually win this thing. I'll be watching the Ohio polls like I watched Cinemax late at night when I was 14.

2) I left the business. Not interested in working for peanuts alongside the disrespectful and the incompetent. I'm not opposed to that per se, just not going to do it for what it was paying me at the end.

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I was always a bar trivia fan (and still am), although I admit I never saw your version in action.

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A good run, but I was burnt out, and it was an impediment to going out and discovering other things and meeting new people and learning about work environments that aren't bars and my house.

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Minimum wage in MA works out to $20K a year. I'd say 160% of that is immune to all claims of "terrible life choices." Also, between someone making minimum wage, and someone who would say something like that publicly, I'd say the jackass making the comments on a news story has made a whole lot more shitty life choices, and has doubled down on a few of the ones his parents made in raising him.

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it was reported that half of the residents in the City of Boston make less than $35,000 per year.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/03/14/city-divided/Wt6EnHNIwmN...

Yeah, a whole lot of folks making terrible life choices.

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The majority of those making under $35k in that study worked part-time. So you're saying if you're an adult in the State of Massachusetts and you're still making minimum wage, you haven't made some bad decisions? You've made excellent decisions, but you aren't worth any more to the work force than a 16 year old?

It may have been a harsh way to word it, but shitting on someone (pun intended) because she chose a profession that pays reasonably well is equally harsh.

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foolish study? The gist of the article was that half of city residents are making less than $35,000. Half. Does not matter how they are making it.

So half of those in the city have made bad decisions in life, according to your logic, and I disagree.

You are making a whole lot of assumptions with your statement that if one makes minimum wage you made bad decisions in life. And one should not make assumptions.

And, yes, your statement is way harsh. Try on some compassion, it will look much better on you.

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I'm guessing you didn't, because if you had, you would have seen that the majority of those who said they made under $35,000 worked part-time. How much should one make for part-time work, $100,000? $200,000?

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You, too, have made at least one terrible life decision by deciding to air that idiotic opinion in a public forum where you can and will be roasted for it (and rightly so).

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What an obnoxiously ignorant comment.

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So, let's get this straight: cops like her are "professionals" when it comes time for pay raises and outrage over the tax-paying public questioning their privilege, and yet they can't seem to find that "professional" inside them when it comes to behaving like decent human being.

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Agreed 100%. There are many workplaces where you can simply be fired if you complain about your job on social media, because doing so is -- wait for it -- UNPROFESSIONAL. All this cop will get is "investigated", not even the slap-on-the-wrist of "administrative leave with pay".

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Does anyone know what the procedure is for this? Who cleans the poop? It is not her, right? Her job is to call the EMTs and keep him safe and secure the area until they arrive. So her job is just $65, 000 babysitter. What is she whining about? It is the ETMs and cleaning people who do the work (and I bet get paid less).

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And I was surprised that she only made 64K a year. That being said, the person who does clean that up probably will make more than she does.

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The person who cleans that (and most if not all T stops) are contract workers who make very little with poor benefits. They are not T employees. Like the difference between a security guard at a bank or the MFA who makes a little more than minimum wage and a cop who makes $100,000+ a year with amazing benefits.

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There are a lot of college professors that don't make that much, especially adjuncts.

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It's not too hard to believe this is part of MBTA Transit Police's organizational culture...they have a blog that's basically fully dedicated to shaming apprehended folks: http://www.tpdnews411.com/

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is beyond me. I'm amazed at the stuff you can easily google about people, stuff they voluntarily post.

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I have a real problem with people facing firing or discipline for what they say or do in their private time, assuming they aren't violating any laws or contractual obligations. If she was posting on Facebook while on duty, punish her for the timing of her post, not the content of her post, as vile as it is.

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She took a picture, that she either photographed or obtained as part of her official duties, and posted it on Facebook to mock the individual. She also disseminated info about his CORI, which she can't do. It doesn't matter if she posted it immediately while working, or a year later while sitting at home.

Imagine if you went in for surgery, the surgeon snapped a picture of you during the procedure and posted it online to mock you. Would it matter if the surgeon made the post while on the clock?

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This guy was in a public place and did not have an expectation of privacy from being photographed. But a government employee with what I am assuming is a private phone/camera is probably prohibited (by regulation or rule) from taking personal photos while on duty. Disseminating and making comments is conduct unbecoming of an officer and would be subject to discipline in my opinion.

Not sure about the CORI, some of that is public record (number of court appearances, charges, etc)

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Your surgeon has a legal AND ethical obligation to respect and protect your privacy, so posting your picture would be grounds for criminal, civil, and professional penalties. In that situation, the timing is irrelevant.

In THIS situation, on the other hand, the poster has a right to have and to share stupid, offensive, obnoxious opinions wherever she'd like. If she's doing it on "company time," however, that would be grounds for punishment, even if she's just posting a cute kitten video.

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If you show your ass in public on your own time, and you do so in such a way that your employer can be identified, don't assume that you have any "right" to express yourself free of consequences.

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"The photo of a man curled up on the floor in the fetal position. The man was lying beside a wheelchair with his pants down just above his knees."

Would you feel the same way if it was a woman or child that she photographed?

We're living in a society, even criminals deserve dignity, and maybe even compassion.

This twat is not fit to hold a position of authority.

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I get your point, and in a theoretical sense, I tend to agree: the dumb shit people post on the internet shouldn't constitute a fire-able offense. There are exceptions, though, and I'd say this is one of them. In this case, it's not just a random opinion about a random person: she was on the job, and her post calls into question how fair and impartial she'd be while on that job. She shouldn't be fired, but she should certainly be disciplined.

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She misunderstood the motto, "Protect and Serve". She thinks it is, "Text and get what I deserve".

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and the friends know how to interpret. I'm not ready to judge someone based only on a joke/venting to friends about something unpleasant that day. You'd need a lot more information than this.

What I'm glad of is that people are saying this was improper and concerning.

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She didn't make a joke to friends. She published it in worldwide archival media.

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If it's not friends-locked, it's not private. I'm judging her on her poor judgement, lack of discretion, and absence of empathy in the line of duty.

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Yes, she made the comment in bad taste, and yes she should not have made it on a publicly accessible quote -- but she is entitled to an opinion. How many of us would have been disgusted had we also seen someone who had publicly defecated? Obviously the guy on the ground needs help, but that doesn't mean it's less gross.

She judged the individual she saw. Now we are all judging her. Maybe that balances it out and that's that. No witch hunt needed.

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Yes, she made the comment in bad taste, and yes she should not have made it on a publicly accessible quote -- but she is entitled to an opinion.

Do you know what an opinion is? It's a feeling or belief or attitude you have, and like everything else that goes on in your brain, it is obvious to the point of absurdity that you're "entitled" to it -- it's not as if anyone can stop you from thinking your thoughts, after all. What you're not entitled to is the expression of this opinion, anywhere you want, in any manner you want, without consequences. See how that works? You can express your opinion that your friend's hairstyle looks like shit; the consequences may be that this friend stops speaking to you. You can express your opinion that your boss is a bozo; the consequences may be that you get fired or demoted or written up.

As for your notion of balance, you need to reexamine your notions of balance and symmetry. Her actions were in a context where professional conduct is called for, and she behaved unprofessionally. "Balance" does not apply here.

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Thanks for this unnecessary heap of condescension. Sounds like you've got all your pitchforks and torches ready to go!

By the way "balance" applies everywhere. It's why we have sentences that match crimes, the codified version of the consequences that match actions as you so fervently reference yourself. What exactly are the "consequences" that you propose, I am curious? You want her drawn and quartered for one stupid facebook post? She should be written up for being unprofessional, but even that is a grey area if she didn't intend this for public view. So yeah, it does sound like a slap on the wrist.

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By the way "balance" applies everywhere.

Horsefeathers. Anyone can create a false equivalence, and that''s exactly what you've done here. A false equivalence is not "balance".

You want her drawn and quartered for one stupid facebook post?

Aaah, argument by strawman, wins every time!

She should be written up for being unprofessional

For starters, and things being things, that's probably all that will happen. I think her actions showed several serious lapses of judgment that would make me question her fitness to continue to hold her position, but up to a point, that's purely a matter for her supervisors.

but even that is a grey area if she didn't intend this for public view.

If she didn't intend it for public view, she should not have posted it in a place where the public could view it.

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After you've seen something a little bit crazy around the city , say the Spare Change, or Jesus guy down-town, or the seemingly crazy person screaming and cussing at everyone the sidewalk, have you ever made a snide comment to your friend? Maybe even a comment you're a bit ashamed of in retrospect?

Have you ever had a conversation with a friend or sibling that you'd be ashamed for your grandma to hear? Ever mock a family member, customer or colleague for their appearance or other characteristic?

I think what this officer did was wrong and should be subject to discipline, and I know she was mocking someone she needs to be protecting.

But before we demand her firing, I suggest most of us have had our own moments where we weren't at our most gracious. I'm also guessing that almost nobody thinks they get paid enough to deal with this specific type of situation.

Take a long look in the mirror before teeing up your outrage.

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most of us manage not to post it someplace public, attached to our real names, while working in a job that demands that we remain objective.

This isn't a high bar to clear. If you work serving the public, and you can't keep yourself from publicly taunting the people you're supposed to be helping, I don't want you anywhere near the public.

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This is sick to mock a human being who was hurt and had fallen out of his wheel chair. The Globe reports there have been several offensive racist and homophobic face book rants by the transit police.Calling Carmen Ortiz the problems at Boston Latin school appear to be minor compared to the problems at the MBTA.

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...that Carmen Ortiz has any jurisdiction over Boston Latin? Or MBTA disciplinary procedures?

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... I assume she thinks she has jurisdiction.

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God bless this officer for documenting the health hazard she was confronted with. People often ask if I miss the job. Haha! If the officer gets sick, it will be good to have the photograph. Good for her for keeping a record of it.

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If she gets sick it's more likely indicates she's sloppy with her procedures. Universal precautions exist for a reason.

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And thank you even more for not serving any more. Your continuing bad attitude as evidenced by your many statements here on Uhub is not conducive to good law enforcement.

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I feel like I'm being suckered by some kind of Turing-Poe Test that's seeing if I'm the bigger idiot for responding to someone who themselves is either an idiot or pretending to be an idiot but we can't be sure which.

"Documenting the health hazard"...so cops these days just submit their Facebook Feed as evidence on their reports?

"Keeping a record of it"...$10 says it's already deleted because this story got out.

Really, FISH, if you're going to go through the hassle of writing another cop apologist post, the least you can do is to document it for the rest of us with picture evidence you're a real person, that you were actually a cop before, and that you're not just a test of some kind of bizarre MIT experiment at designing a troll AI.

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