In Phoenix Arizona today a 45 year old woman by the name of Carol Anne Gotbaum died in an airport holding room. In a CBS article, the family's lawyer says that Gotbaum was "on her way to an alcohol rehabilitation program in Tuscon" when she arrived late for a flight. She was not allowed to board the plane and after what police Sgt. Andy Hill calls "outrageous behavior," Gotbaum was arrested, handcuffed, and taken to a holding room. As she was taken to the holding room it was reported that she repeatedly shouted, "I am not a terrorist!" There here hands were shackled to a table behind her back in handcuffs, and later when checking on Gotbaum, officers found her unconscious.
The family is considering whether or not to sue the Phoenix police, but currently Hill says as quoted in the article "Everything, so far that we know, is according to policy."
To find out more here is the link to the article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/01/national/main3313557.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._3313557
Also if you click on the little TV on the left there is an interview with Hill himself!
So where do you think the line is between such police interference and protecting the rights of the individuals. Should Gotbaum have just been left alone to wait in the airport? Was it necessary to take her into a holding room? I do not exactly know what happened in relation to the actual death of Gotbaum, but I do feel some kind of proof must be brought to the table before anyone else should be blamed for her death. Also, there is to consider the "obscene behavior" Gotbaum apparently displayed. What would be enough of an obscenity to take someone, arrest them, and keep them with their hands behind their back in a holding room?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Because there hasn't been an autopsy report it is hard to make a decision on who was to be held accountable for her death. But if the police didn't follow procedure, and her death was the direct result of that, they could be held liable for her death. I agree with the attorney that it would have been quite hard for someone who was handcuffed behind her back to have killed herself. But again, no real judgment can be made until the autopsy report has come in.
I agree with Derek that the cause of death must at least be known before anyone can blame the police. It is possible that she died for reasons unrelated to the police holding her.
Also, I think that it is very important to know what the "outrageous behavior" was in order to tell if the police were in error.
Well, a 45 year old alcoholic woman can be quite a burden. But until the real cause of death is revealed, nobody can be blamed for her death. Were the police right by shackling her to the table? Depends on the reason. If she was constantly harassing other people and making a major disturbance (throwing objects, causing bodily harm, etc), then the police's actions are justified. However, if she was just alittle angry and rude, then there was no reason to detain her like that. What's weird is how she became unconscious alone in a room. Did she have a medical condition? Just what exactly did she do when she was alone? People just don't die when they locked onto a table (except for medical conditions)
I think what the police did is reasonable considering the past occurrences in airports. Everyone is so uptight and nervous that any little action that is out of the ordinary can lead to an outbreak of worry. So if someone is drunk in an airport and acting violently, the police don't really have any other choice but to take action and be sure she won't cause harm. I also think they need more evidence before blaming anyone for her death. she may have died from overdose of alcohol, in which case it wasn't the police's fault.
I agree with natalie. Now a days you have to be so careful. What if this lady was going do something on the plane while being possibly drunk. The police were just follow what they were told to do. And for her dieing there, she was an alcholic and until we know the cause of death you cant put blame on to the cops.
Post a Comment