Tune in now to Episode 44 With Cohosts Tilsa D. Fernandez and Captain Matt Thomassen
Tilsa D. Fernandez is the Founder and Owner of Divine Yoni Goddess, Divine Wedding Vows and Cohost of the Blessed Life University Podcast. She is a mother of 7 beautiful children.
Matt Thomassen is a Captain in the U.S. Army and attorney at Thomassen & Tierney.
In this episode, we discuss the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. We go through the video step-by-step and discuss this terrible incident as it went from bad to worse during the first encounter and the second encounter, which became an outright beating.
We also discuss what "traffic stops" are and the minor driving offenses that lead to them, such as speeding, driving too slowly, weaving, sitting at a stoplight. We discuss "reasonable suspicion," which is the legal standard that police must meet in order to make a traffic stop.
Furthermore, we discuss what police officers are legally allowed to do during traffic stops, such as ordering occupants out of the vehicle, ordering occupants to remain in the vehicle, frisking the occupants and the vehicle for weapons dangerous to the officer's safety and using drug sniffing dogs. We discuss these topics using the tremendous reference guide "Traffic Stops" by Jeff Welty, which you can download at: https://nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2015-08-Traffic-Stops.pdf
We conclude our discussion by reviewing "What to Do If You're Stopped By Police" by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU of Illinois), which lists tremendous tips for dealing with police officers during traffic stops, which can be found at: https://www.aclu-il.org/en/know-your-rights/engaging-law-enforcement
I am a firm believer that the public needs to know what powers the police have when you interact with them and how people should act when stopped by the police. I believe that this should be taught in schools. I hold these beliefs in hopes of / with the goal of reducing bad outcomes in police interactions with the public, avoiding things going from bad to worse and allowing police officers focus on the things we need them to do the most, which is looking out for the safety of law abiding citizens and bringing them justice.
For incredible breakdowns of police involved shootings and incidents, go to https://youtube.com/@DonutOperator or subscribe @DonutOperator on YouTube. Donut is a former military member and former police officer. He does step-by-step break downs and points out things that you might not have otherwise noticed. He also provides context of what happened before the incident that you usually never get on the news. He usually leaves it up to the viewer to decide if the police were justified. This channel is the best at showing how things can go to life or death for police officers in a split second.
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0:00 – South Side Intro
1:00 – The Context of This Podcast
2:41 - Shocking Death of Tyre Nichols
7:48 - Disbanding the Scorpion Unit
18:02 - Best way to Subdue a Suspect
28:40 - Disproportionality of Police Response
41:16 - What Was the Scorpion Unit?
51:47 - Treating the Symptoms of Problems & Not the Causes is a Flaw We Face in America
1:01:45 – The Media Shows the Worst Part of Police Footage Without Providing Context of What Led Up to an Incident & the Do not Show When Police do Right, Only Wrong – Lack of Fair Balance Damages the Reputation of Police
1:09:17 - Traffic Stops by Jeff Welty – What Minor Offenses Can Result in Traffic Stops and What are Police Legally Allowed to do During Traffic Stops
1:20:43 - Frisking the Occupants of Cars During Traffic Stops – Police Officers are Legally Allowed to Frisk Passengers to Make Sure the Passengers do not Have Dangerous Weapons That can Harm the Officer
1:26:30 – Police are Legally Allowed to ask Questions about Unrelated Manners During a Traffic Stop
1:37:10 – Police are Legally Allowed to ask for Consent to Search Your Vehicle During a Traffic Stop – You Have the Right to Decline. However, if the Officer Develops Probable Cause that You are Committing a Crime, the Officer may Search Your Car Without a Warrant. For example, if you have a Weapon or Drugs in Plain Sight.
1:39:37 - Getting Stopped by the Police
1:45:08 – What is the end of a Traffic Stop?: It is Over When the Police Give You Your License, Registration and Insurance Back
1:52:09 - ACLU of Illinois: What to do if You're Stopped by Police? – Excellent Tips for Avoiding Escalation and Bad Outcomes During Police Encounters
2:09:19 – Kindness and Respect Outro