This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After I watched the disturbing police body-cam video recently posted on The Salt Lake Tribune website, my first reaction was anger. My second was appreciation.
That's because I have witnessed cops who do not behave the way the Salt Lake City police officer did in which the video captures him cold-cocking a handcuffed woman, knocking her to the ground, spewing profanity at her and stepping on her back for several minutes while she cried out that she couldn't breathe, then apparently kicking her before she was hauled into a police vehicle.
All because she had spit on him during the arrest when he told her he was taking her to jail for not obeying his orders. The whole incident took place in front of her 9-year-old crying daughter.
It took place in October 2014. The misdemeanor charges against the woman were dismissed after the video surfaced and prosecutors deemed they could not show that to a jury.
The officer, identified as Tyler Reinwand, has since retired. But Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said he will screen the case for possible assault charges against the officer.
To Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown's credit, he said he found the video abhorrent and vowed to be completely transparent during the probe, although troubling questions remain about why the incident was not investigated by the department for 20 months until the video showed up on YouTube.
That video and Reinwand's actions are the source of my anger.
My appreciation comes from the memory I have when Salt Lake Tribune photographer Leah Hogsten and I were invited by the Utah Highway Patrol to ride along with Terry Buck during a DUI sweep on Halloween 2014.
Granted, Buck knew he had the press with him, but his behavior was the polar opposite of Reinwand's.
Buck pulled over a woman who clearly was drunk about 11 p.m. that night. She ended up blowing a 0.16 on the Breathalyzer — twice the legal blood-alcohol limit.
He paced her through the exercises to determine if she was impaired before performing that test.
The entire time she was combative, telling him he didn't have to arrest her. He could take her home. When it became clear she was going to jail, she became belligerent and profane, insulting Buck and threatening him.
The trooper remained professional, calm and respectful to her — even explaining to her why he had to take her to jail.
She said she would sue him. "I'll have your badge. I'll have your pension. You'll have nothing."
I was in awe of Buck and his ability to never lose his cool.
Perhaps it's all in the training. Buck was a member of the UHP's elite DUI unit, which requires a stiff education for entry.
Maybe some people just should never be cops. Maybe better applicant screening is needed.
I do know that a 9-year-old girl was deeply traumatized that night. If she grows up hating the police, who can blame her?