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Apr 1, 2009 5:27 pm US/Central
DPD Cop Involved In Stop Of NFL Player Resigns
Compiled From Staff Reports
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
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Offier Robert Powell of the Dallas Police Department
Dallas Police Dept.
Dallas Police Officer Robert Powell, who delayed NFL player Ryan Moats
and his wife from the hospital bedside of a dying relative, has
resigned.
Powell handed in his resignation to Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle Wednesday morning.
Click here to read it.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert calls the decision a good solution to the issue. "What we've seen in the last week or so is not what we want to come out of the city of Dallas," he said.
Powell's attorney released a statement from the officer. It says:
"With a heavy heart and great sadness, I resigned from the Dallas Police Department this morning. I made this decision in the hope that my resignation will allow the Dallas Police Department, my fellow officers, and the citizens of Dallas to better reflect on this experience, learn from the mistakes made, and move forward. I still hope to speak with the Moats family to personally express my deep regret, sympathy, and to apologize for my poor judgment and unprofessional conduct. I also want to apologize to my fellow officers. I have sincere respect and admiration for the men and women of the Dallas Police Department and the work they perform daily, and I wish them well."
Powell stopped Moats' car in the parking lot of a Plano hospital. Moats had run a red light as he was trying to get to the bedside of his mother-in-law, who was near death.
Powell gave Moats a ticket for running the red light. He also threatened Moats. Despite Moats' pleas to Powell to release him, his mother-in-law died while Powell detained him.
Click here to see the dashcam video of he stop from Powell's police car.
Powell and the Dallas Police Department have come under fire for his actions during the stop.
Click here for CBS 11's exclusive interview with Powell, in which he apologizes for his actions.
Powell had said he was scared of losing his job, but after
consultation from his attorneys and "soul searching," he decided to
resign.
Powell's attorneys say they believe department officials had already made up
their minds to fire Powell, regardless of the outcome of the internal
investigation.
"We definitely got the impression that Chief Kunkle had already made
the decision, and he was going to fire Officer Powell no matter what,"
said Chris Livingston, one of Powell's attorneys. "The appeal process
would have played out. But that's many months down the road."
"Let's face it," said Bob Gorsky, another one of Powell's attorneys. "They threw him under the bus."
"They shouldn't have release his photograph. That shouldn't have been
done. They shouldn't - in essence - prejudged this case before getting
him in to even provide a statement," Gorsky continued.
Attorneys for Powell say he still wants a job in law enforcement.
"Like will Rogers said, 'Good experience comes from bad experience,' and I think he's learned from it and will in fact be a better police officer after this incident," said Livingston.
Any hope of a meeting between Powell and Moats' family appears to be lost. Powell's attorneys say it is because Moats' attorney and agent want what he calls a sideshow.
"We've been told that they will not meet to accept an apology unless it's done public with the media present. We don't think that's necessary," said Gorsky.
"The Moats are not going to meet with Mr. Powell privately or publicly," Ryan Moats' agent, Jordan Woy, stated in an email. "However, they have accepted his apology and now want to put closure to this unfortunate incident."
The internal investigation will continue despite his resignation.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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