Published: August 14, 2008 05:28 pm            

Officer reprimanded in 'Just a dog' case

San Marcos — San Marcos Police Officer Paul Stephens has received a reprimand and is undergoing counseling in the wake of an internal investigation into his conduct during a traffic stop last week.

Stephens had pulled over local resident Michael Gonzales for speeding on south bound IH-35. Gonzales acknowledges hitting speeds of more than 90 mph as he and girlfriend Krystal Hernandez were rushing their sick dog to an all-hours veterinary clinic in New Braunfels.

But the couple alleged that Stephens was indifferent to their tragedy, commenting that the teacup poodle was “just a dog” that they could replace by buying another.

Williams acknowledged that Stephens acted improperly, but characterized his conduct as a “rookie” mistake that was more a “coaching” issue than a disciplinary one.

He said Stephens “realizes this did not turn out well, it was not a good performance,” but said that “clearly, the officer should have made the traffic stop” because Gonzales was going so fast and weaving in and out of lanes.

Gonzales made “poor driving choices,” Williams said, adding that when Stephens said it was “just a dog,” what he meant was that he placed more value on the human lives that could have been endangered had Gonzales been allowed to go on.

Dashboard video from both Stephens’ patrol car and that of Officer Joyce Bender clearly showed that Gonzales was frantic when pulled over and that his first words after getting out of his car were “She’s dead.”

“The officer was not sure what he was dealing with,” Williams said. “It takes him a moment to figure out what’s going on; but rather than talking to them in a way that would calm him down, he just yells at him to calm down.

“The officer’s first job should be to calm him down,” Williams continued. ‘Instead he tells this guy it’s just a dog. It comes across as he doesn’t care.”

In contrast to Stephens’ behavior, Williams said Bender acted appropriately. “She was very reassuring and calm. She approached it right.”

Bender has been with the SMPD for four years but Williams said Stephens’ has only served for 18 months to two years. “He’s a young officer, not a lot of experience. It takes time to learn how to deal with people in different situations. A more experienced officer would have handled it differently.”

Williams said it was a “rookie mistake,” and believes that Stephens will go on to have a “good long career.”

The lesson, Williams said, is that officers have to put themselves “in the shoes” of those they interact with.

Of Gonzales and Hernandez, Williams said, “Their world was collapsing. It was a very traumatic incident. The dog was important to them even if it wasn’t to him.”

Stephens has already had “long talks” with his sergeant and supervising commander, and counseling will continue. “We will keep watching him,” Williams said.

        

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