Suspect shoots officer from back of cruiser

[2dogs]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0323wounded23.html

Suspect shoots officer from back of cruiser
Lindsey Collom
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2003 12:00 AM

PHOENIX - A handcuffed woman in the back of a police cruiser shot an officer transporting her for fingerprint identification early Saturday.

Officer James Hester, 26, stopped her for a traffic violation about 6 a.m. near 32nd Street and McKinley

While on the westbound Loop 202, she pulled a semi-automatic handgun from her pants and began shooting at Hester, said Sgt. Randy Force of Phoenix police. He was hit in the right shoulder.

Hester rolled out of the vehicle and ran for cover while the woman broke through a rear window and ran down the freeway. She was caught by police.

Fingerprint identification revealed the woman was Rosemary Maria Galindo, 22, who had two warrants for her arrest for violating parole and shoplifting. Galindo was booked into Madison Street Jail for attempted murder of an officer. She faces federal firearm violations.

Hester is recuperating at home.

 

[md2lgyk]

Glad the officer is OK. Looks like he got sloppy with the pat-down.

 

[tyme]

Male officer, female suspect. I can guess how the gun was overlooked.

Aren't police everywhere supposed to get same-sex officers to pat down before transport?

 

[cslinger]

I don't claim to be a police officer or have any clue as to what the job entails but.

I personally would pat down every single suspect no matter how innocuous they look twice. It just isn't worth the risk.

I am not saying throw everybody down on the asphault and strip search them but it seems to be that any time an officer takes somebody into custody a pat down is in order.

Chris

 

[Blackhawk]

Pat downs don't work. Prisoners need to be denied the use of their hands AND arms.

 

[Coronach]

Some departments have a policy of not allowing officers to conduct cross-sex patdowns. Those departments are probably supposed to get proper-sex officers at scene to do all patdowns prior to transport. However, if my experience is anything representative, this is easier said than done.

We are allowed to do immediate patdowns if we can articulate an officer-safety need, but are to call female officers for the full search, and do so prior to transport.

This sounds like a poor patdown was conducted (probably due to the gender difference), and the suspect was either very flexible or was handcuffed in front. This is why EVERYONE gets cuffed behind, every time.

Mike

 

[El Tejon]

Mike, even cuffing behind does not guarantee anything. Remember Michael Taylor in Indianapolis?

 

[Blackhawk]

Cuff them to an eyebolt through the roof of the cruiser or the headache rack so their hands stay in sight as well as useless to them....?

 

[Coronach]

El T, yeah, I know...but its better than cuffing them in front.

Blackhawk, you need to talk to my chain of command.

Mike

 

[Jeff White]

There was an officer in St. Louis killed by a suspect who had his hands cuffed behind his back the summer before last.

In many jurisdictions getting a female officer to conduct a pat down search may have to wait until you get to the jail. There really isn't a good way to handle this given the fact that everyone is so prone to sue or open the officer up to misconduct charges.

I kind of like Blackhawks idea..but I can see big problems with that too.

Jeff - cuffs everyone behind the back and carries two pair so that even very large suspects can be cuffed behind their back.