Firefighter Responding to Crash Victims Handcuffed by Cops

[jimnyc]

He kept him in his police cruiser for like 30 minutes and then let him go. I understand that the police want the roads to be clear when necessary, and to keep order - but handcuffing a firemen who was only trying to help people who were just in an accident? I wasn't there, so don't know it all. Perhaps if he were standing around doing nothing, then I can see the officer asking him to clear the road. But I read several articles on this and they all say that he was helping the crash victims. First the video and then one of the articles.

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Firefighter responding to crash victims, handcuffed by California Highway Patrol

A violent rollover accident in Chula Vista, California on the 805 freeway was responded to by firefighters, and ended up with a first responder in handcuffs. Firefighter Jacob Gregoire and his fire crew were on the scene after the crash was reported, shortly before 9:30 p.m. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the crew positioned the fire engine to guard the victims being loaded inside the ambulance. Chula Vista Fire Chief, Dave Hanneman said “Our firefighters are trained to use the engine to protect the scene.” He added, "Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our firefighters and patients.”

When a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer arrived on the scene he instructed Gregoire to move the fire truck from the center divide (where it was shielding the ambulance and the injured). Conflicting reports say that Gregoire told the officer he would have to check with his captain before moving the fire truck, and others say that he refused and returned to administer aid to those involved in the crash. A KFMB CBS News 8 camera caught the outcome of their interaction. Gregoire, a 12 year firefighting veteran was handcuffed and detained by the CHP officer in the back of a patrol car for approximately 30 minutes.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/...lkA1NNRTI2Ml8x

[Jeff]

Some cops just get off on the power they feel they have, I remember working on a two lane road ( one lane south and one north ) we had the southbound side taken ( with flagmen at both sides ) away and I was loading slabs of concrete with a loader into a dump truck, well the only way ( the safest actually ) was to load the truck where it sat in the southbound lane but in order to do so we would have to stop the Northbound side as well to position the loader to load the concrete in the truck , well once doing this a cop turned on the lights and wanted to arrest me, he explained no one but the police can obstruct traffic I had to ask him how in the hell could we ever work on the road way if we couldn't set up safety, that only pissed him off more