Dallas Police Office Robert Powell announced today he is resigning his current position with DPD following his now well documented encounter with Houston Texans RB Ryan Moats and his wife at a Plano hospital during Moats's mother-in-law's final living moments. Unless you live under a rock, you know the story of Powell's inexcusable actions, where following the Moats' running of red light, Powell refused to allow Ryan into the hospital to be at his mother-in-law's bed during her dying moments.
There are real issues yet to be addressed here, primarily the mistake made in Powell's resignation. Surely, Powell made a huge mistake, and acted in a way not befitting police officers and public servants. Following the incident, Americans and media have laid an outpouring of scorn for this 25 year old officer and his actions. Most called for Dallas Police to fire the 3 year veteran of the force. Even the Dallas police chief, himself a man of little integrity and questionable decision making, acknowledged the actions of Powell made him sick. Remember, the decision making of the Dallas Chief has been in question ever since he outlawed the chasing of fugitives in the Dallas area. Yes, you read that right, our police Chief thinks chasing felon fugitives by police officers is a tactic out of date with community policing. He insists criminals will be found during routine policing, hoping to catch criminals with outstanding warrants in trivial matters such as jaywalking, speeding, or, say running a red light.
But what most people miss here is the learning opportunity this situation created. And no, I am not talking about the learning opportunity for other police officers to understand how to deal with unusual situations like the one Powell and Moats were in. Powell has done nothing but show remorse for his actions since the incident. He has apologized publicly and to the Moats for his disturbing behavior. He has not shied away from the media, nor has he attempted to put the blame for his mistake on someone or something besides himself.
Many people sympathetic to Powell and police officers have claimed the situation escalated based on the training and experiences that many officers encounter - Powell never once excused his actions in the public eye by claiming officer training limited his options. He could have easily argued that a black male driving an upscale SUV in the Dallas area late at night would raise any officer's warning flag. He could have argued that he had no idea about the situation regarding the family death, and that training demands officers assume the worse in order to protect themselves as well as the public. He could have argued that Moats was in fact uncooperative during early questioning, thus raising his alertness level more so. He made none of these excuses, instead he simply stated his actions were wrong, his behavior was wrong, and expressed his regret.
Should DPD have suspended him, docked him pay, made it difficult for him to continue his current rise on the force? Absolutely? Should the public outcry be reason enough to remove a young officer who clearly made a huge mistake from working in one of the most difficult jobs available? Doubtful. The opportunity here existed for a young man to show real character. As they say, character is defined by how one responds when mistakes are made. Mistakes present opportunity to make a person a better man. Powell will miss this chance. He's made a mistake. He's apologized for his mistake. The question now: has his resignation prevented him and the city of Dallas from learning from his mistake?
And will Ryan Moats learn from HIS mistake? There is enormous pressure on a family when a relative is dying. Perhaps next time, the Moats will think twice before running a red light - saving those 60 seconds between red and green ended up costing Moats 16 minutes. Of course, no one wants to talk about his lack of judgment, because then we wouldn't have the opportunity to blast our public servants.
Here's hoping someone gives Officer Powell and his family a chance at the redemption he has shown he deserves.
