Front Page  »  

Paso Robles cop’s use of force: Still hurts one year later

August 18, 2011

A woman who stole a bottle of water on a hot 90-plus degree day and was thrown to the baking asphalt by a Paso Robles cop, and held there as she pleaded to be moved off the pavement, still suffers from the trauma and burns a year later. [New Times]

Rodia Monterrosobragg, who goes by the name Rodi Bragg, carries the scars from that day, July 30, 2010, and has been to doctors for treatment of the burns, as well as receiving help from a therapist for anxiety, depression and Post Traumatic Disorder.

New Times reporter Colin Rigley obtained video of the incident showing Officer Jeffry Bromby cutting through daytime traffic, dodging cars on the road, responding to a call about a shoplifter who had been detained and was being combative with employees.

Upon his arrival, Bromby tried pulling Bragg, who had been sitting on the ground, up to her feet. He told her to put her hands behind her back so that he could put her in handcuffs.

She started for the curb, pleading: “I need my shoes.”

Bromby violently yanked her back and said: “You know what? You’re gonna go down again.” Then, without any apparent provocation, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her to the ground.

According to court records filed by Bragg’s public defender, the temperature that day hit 93 degrees. And Bromby held Bragg face down, bare armed, lying on asphalt that had been baking in the afternoon sun. Despite her asking to be let up numerous times, he held her there.

“OK, well maybe you’ll learn,” Bromby responded to Bragg’s pleas.

Bragg continued to squirm and begged to be allowed off the ground.

“Please—officer please—this is really hot,” she said.

Paso Police Chief Lisa Solomon reviewed Bragg’s video and issued a brief statement—though no condemnation—about Bromby’s actions.

“While the use of force in this case is deemed within policy to gain control of the prisoner, it is unfortunate that it took place on a hot surface,” she said in a prepared statement. “There were other options the officer could have considered in handling the prisoner after the take-down that might have resulted in a better outcome.”


Loading...
Subjects:     
Related:


81 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

All for a Bottle of Anything. Jeffry Bromby Lives in Atascadero and yes he has a bad Law Enforcement record. He is my Hero for Bad Cop No Donut! Bromby I told you you were going to get yours one day for Lying in your Reports and mistreating people!!! Is this your time?


-1

Don’t steal. That it is a $0.99 item does not obfuscate the issue. Arrest thieves, by all means necessary, and put them in jail.


2

I just have to say something here about the spin posters like NoCoSkeptic are trying to serve up to the rest of us. He makes it sound like Bromby is such a nice family man, neighbor, friend and well intentioned LEO.


FACT: In 2010 Bromby and his “girlfriend” broke into 89 year old Norman Bateman’s home and took bag’s of the man’s belongings. Bateman was a collector of various items, train’s, antique bottles, etc. Bromby was under investigation by the DA for taking advantage of Mr. Bateman and was on “paid” administrative leave for 9 months before he left the PRPD. Did you all think it was his mistreatment of Bragg that got him to “resign” (yup he resigned), with all his accrued benefits and get this, he resigned as part of the city’s “layoff” prevention program and was paid an extra $20,761. Yes he was allowed to opt for the layoff prevention program while on paid administrative leave. Did I mention that at the time, he was also under investigation for unlawfully accessing DMV and other confidential law enforcement data bases to track people he didn’t like including his ex wife and anyone she was dating?


Bromby has been getting into trouble for years, he was passed around from the Grover Beach PD to SLO PD to Atascadero PD and then, ah yes, Lisa Solomon did her part for the brotherhood and you got it, he ended up working as a LEO for the PRPD! Why???????


I don’t want to hear how PR can’t afford to keep their PD staffed or how few officers are on the street. He got NINE MONTHS of paid leave when he shouldn’t have been ever hired to begin with or working in LE at all and they (the Police Chiefs) all knew about him.


-1

Bromby went with his girlfriend (they had the power of attorney at the time) to pick up items from Mr. Bateman’s house that he requested during his stay in the nursing home. The neighbors thought they were breaking into the home. Were they breaking into the house, or was the executor of the estate retrieving items Mr. Bateman had requested, and without a key, broke in the back door. Either was, Bromley was put on administrative leave while the case was investigated.


I, too, was named executor of the estate, when my long time friend decided that his sister had stolen from him in the estate of their father. When the friend didn’t answer his phone for a period of time, I went out to his ranch, parked my car in front of his gate, climbed the gate and went to the house. I checked all the doors and climbed the fence into the backyard with his guard dog to look in his bedroom windows before determining he wasn’t home. I left a note. Meanwhile, this friend had just gotten mad at me and had transferred the executorship to someone else and didn’t want to tell me. I guess I could have been arrested for trespassing, but I was just trying to make sure he was okay. When he wanted to transfer the executorship back to me, I politely declined the offer, and he got mad at me all over again. This kind of stuff happens with elderly people, even when there is no coercion or abuse. Just saying….


Bromby has worked for several PDs in the area. No one said he got into trouble. In fact, why would all of these departments hire Bromby if there were problems. The Atascadero PD job is really the only questionable one before Paso. There were three complaints filed against Bromby in Paso. The one we know about was very minor.


1

The Video: The video is actually less dramatic then it appears. This is because of the choppiness of the video due to the low frame rate in which it was recorded. Officer Bromby comes to a complete stop at 14th St. and Park St. for several seconds. At 0:20 on the video(13:54:53 actual time) , Officer Bromby begins his travel to 21st St. and Spring St., a distance of 0.60 miles. Officer Bromby arrives on scene at approximately 1:20-1:22 on the video (13:55:54 actual time). 0.60 miles in one minute = 36 miles per hour. Hardly reckless or excessive. Again, the choppiness of the video makes it appear more dramatic.


The Arrest: Over the years, I have known several friends and have been sociable with folks in law enforcement. All agencies: Sheriff, Police Department, CHP, Prison Guards. The one take-a-way that I have in all these relationships is that law enforcement is trained to gain control of the situation immediately. Immediately. Honestly, for some of my law enforcement friends, it can carry over into their personal lives too when discussing politics, sports, religion, etc and can be unpleasant and annoying. They lack the mechanism to turn it off. In this arrest, Office Bromby was following his training by taking control of the situation, which is what he is supposed to do. Frankly, he is actually a bit nonchalant at the beginning until the woman begins to resist. At that point, she had committed yet another crime and it was necessary for Officer Bromby to gain control over the situation. For those you that continue to criticize it was only a woman that stole a $0.99 bottle of water, you are so wrong. The woman was combative when originally detained and it was incumbent upon the officer to make sure no one got hurt. In fact, Officer Bromby was also injured in the scuffle, a fact that few of you critics acknowledge. Also, we do not know at what point Officer Bromby was injured, but you can be damn sure that he would be a fool to let on to the suspect that he was. Given his injury, it was probably safer for him (and the others around him) to let her sit until back-up arrived. When back-up arrived, she was placed in the car…immediately. Also, placing the suspect between him and the front of the patrol car was for safety, too. To get up and get away, she would have to go toward the officer. Had she been placed on the “cooler” sidewalk, she could have gone in several directions.


I have known Officer Bromby for eight years. His family and mine were social during holidays and summer camping trips for several years after we had first relocated to North County. They were among to first of our friends and made us feel welcome. Nothing but good memories and fun times, including our three children and his three children (theirs, he was married at the time). I know two things about him may cause you to re-think your criticism. Firstly, Officer Bromby is an Army Veteran of Gulf War 1. Secondly, while an officer for Arroyo Grande PD, he was damn near killed while trying to arrest a suspect. In fact, he would have been had back-up not arrived when it did. He suffered multiple head injuries and it required several months of recovery before he could return to work.


Experience dictates future response and cops get killed they are complacent, nonchalant, going through the motions, etc. Officer Bromby has had a real-life, on the job experience that reinforced the need to follow his training. Officer Bromby wants to come home and see his kids after his shift is over…not end up in the Emergency Room, or worse. There was nothing rogue about Officer Bromby’s response to a combatant suspect. It’s real simple: respect the badge, follow instructions, and everything will be just fine. It matters not that you are a woman, it matters not that it was just a bottle of water.


The Burns: Honestly, I may be on shaky ground with this one…but, to receive burns in that area of her arms, would she not have to be in a prone position with her arms in front of her? Officer Bromby handcuffed her, which means her arms would have been behind her back. So, how could the burns occur on the back side of her arms? Also, she was wearing shorts, so why are her knees not burnt, too if she was in a prone position?


The New Times: That anyone gives this Sub-Culture, Give Away, Throw Away Rag of a paper any credence is beyond me. Isn’t this the same rag that taught all of SLO County (including our kids) how to make Methamphetamine? Please, read the article with some scrutiny and notice the inflammatory language used to tell the story. “A Google search of “Jeffry Bromby Paso Robles” turns up the website ratemycop.com, which gave Bromby one out of five stars and lists him as the only negatively rated officer with the Paso Robles PD.” Really? This amounts to “investigative journalism”? Could it be that a perp with an ax to grind made the negative entry? I mean, how many of us that have a “positive” brush with the law sit down and seek out a website to Rate My Cop? Here is the entry from “MattieD” about Officer Bromby on ratemycop.com: (all I did was copy and paste, no corrections) “Unprofessional misconduct, Lies in court, gives personal opinions and gutt feelings versus evidensiary facts.” Hmmmm, is that not a personal opinion and gutt (sic) feelings without evidensiary (sic) facts? BTW, the names of 23 Paso Robles Officers are on this website. Only two have any rating at all, Officer Bromby and Officer Daniel Bigelow. Here is the positive comment about Bigelow from “smokey”: “AAAAAAA MENNNNNNNNNN! OAK PARK!” Huh? Oh, and The New Times does not offer a comment section on their online articles. Really?


North County Law Enforcement Leadership: Frankly, an oxymoron if I have ever heard one. It is no secret that the leadership with North County Law Enforcement in completely dysfunctional. Atascadero PD, Paso Robles PD, and SLO County Sheriff, even the CHP. That Officer Bromby resigned from the department says more about his integrity than anything else. I firmly believe that Officer Bromby knew that he would become a sacrificial lamb being an officer with junior tenure in the department. Yes, and the “system” made it a little easier to do because he got paid. He didn’t create the system.


Conclusion: I sincerely want to believe that Officer Bromby will be exonerated. I say this with conviction based on my personal experience with the man. However, if proven wrong, I will be among the first to say that he must be punished to the fullest extent of the law.


Post Conclusion: Throughout my narrative I have referred to “Officer Bromby”. That is who he is and should be to you. To me, he is “Jeff”. A friend. And, if I am proven wrong, I will chastise, admonish, and rebuke Jeff. But, he will still be my friend.


1

I was sympathetic and interested in your point of view right up to The New Times: That anyone gives this Sub-Culture blah blah blah seriously when you throw dirt like that you are losing ground Are you not aware of Karen Velie’s satirical contributions to the article in question ? that a few fetid egos took literally and attacked and attempted confiscation of papers denying other people the right to see think for themselves ??? your agenda is clear enough . once a person is labeled a perp . everyone is a peep. police need to treat people like people even cranky perps and in spite of perps . cops in Denmark are not known to beat a perp to death on the street, America is getting a reputation for it , on the inter webs people plan vacations where the cops are nicest .and the rate a cop site may be owned by a cop for all you know. we need to go back to more public oversight of the police and a sane review of training they receive something is clearly wrong somewhere there,


-1

Your punctuation makes me dizzy. Where do I begin?


The New Times? Any attempt to defend their style of “journalism” leaves no room for discussion.


My Agenda? I have no agenda. I thought I clearly stated my case in rebuttal to the information provided. Yes, I do have a previous friendship (one that has not been close for about 5 years) and I stand by my comments based on that relationship.


Denmark? Huh? Perhaps they have a greater respect for the law there? Not to mention a much lower crime rate per capita.


Had this woman been treated with the respect that a “cranky” perp derserves (your words), Officer Bromby could have been lulled into complacency, had his weapon wrestled from him, and six people be killed or wounded. What now of your “Monday Morning Quarterbacking”?


Your demand for “respect” is bass-ackwards. Had Suspect complied, no problem. Submit to the Law unless and until you have justifiable reason to do otherwise. Had that been the case here, it would have clearly shown in the video.


1

Bromby, is that you?


-1

It appeared to me that the woman was already restrained and under the control of the store securtiy officer.Officer Bromby in my opinion could taken control of the situation without the aggressive attitude that put her in a fight or flight frame of mind.


-1

The woman had some type of hand cuff restraint with her hands in front. The officer had to undo those and handcuff her with her hands in back (standard police procedure). She tried to bolt-run off when he started this process. She was the one with the aggressive attitude–was probably on some kind of drugs.


1

Bromby was on Drugs ! He could have just as easily have cuffed her while she was sitting on the ground. ….


-1

I’m not going to argue line by line. I understand that this guy is your friend so it’s hard to be unbiased. I will just say that you are wrong about his driving. He crossed over the double yellow lines and swerves around other cars. He’s driving recklessly. You repeatedly make it sound as if this woman was threat while her hands are either tied or handcuffed. What kind of cops are they hiring that feel intimidated by a women that’s tied up and half his size? I’m not saying that this cop should be fired over this. I do feel he should be reprimanded but he wasn’t smacking her around or yelling at her. IMO he’s guilty of driving like an idiot and not listening when she said the asphalt was hot, he was on a typical cop power trip. I know how you guys get when you get a call, your blood gets flowing the testosterone gets pumping and before you know it you’re all wound up. Perhaps a refresher course for cops on how to deal with that adrenaline would be in order in cases like this.


There wasn’t anything wrong with the New Times article unless you have a problem with honest reporting.


-1

Spring Street does not have “impenetrable” Solid Double Yellow Lines. It has what is affectionally referred to as a “suicide lane” to effect left hand turns. I see nothing wrong with utilizing that lane to respond to an urgent call. Do you really think 36 MPH is reckless?


Officer Bromby was not intimidated by this woman…initially. It wasn’t until she became combative that he became assertive.


In what way was Officer Bromby on a “typical cop power trip”?


Women have testosterone and adrenaline, too. This woman had both, and the Officer matched it with a leveled response…to maintain control.


Honest, unbiased reporting from the New Times in an article bashing law enforcement? On what planet?


1

“Officer Bromby was not intimidated by this woman…initially. It wasn’t until she became combative that he became assertive.”


Her, “HER’ hands were either tied or cuffed, what was he afraid of? That’s the power trip. Really, what was he afraid of.


I saw his car cross over into turning lanes, turning lanes for apposing traffic not for the direction he was traveling. I’m referring to a lane that is at an intersection only for turning. These are not as you put it suicide lanes. I would have to go back and watch so I shouldn’t use lanes as in plural, but I did see at least one opposite turning lane that he went into and he appeared to be going pretty fast though that turning lane.


What part of the New Times article was wrong or what part do you find objectionable?


-1

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the New Times article unless you have a problem with honest reporting.” Now THAT is the funniest quote so far!! Honest reporting?? Please! How about “sensationalism”, “biase”, and “one sided”. New TImes and this site are the equivalent to the rags at the grocery check out. You would think if this WAS an honest and unbiased report they would have interviewed ALL of the store employees that were there!! How hard would that be? They were there, knew what happened, and would render an opinion if they thought Bromby used too much force. But instead the article says onlookers “wanted to interfere but were unsure if they could when a cop was invovled”. Unless you ask them what they were thinking, then writing that is pure SPECULATION.

SKEPTIC hit it on the head and most people here are looking at this correctly. She struggled, try to pull away. Don’t resist, go with the program, don’t make it worse. She struggled enough that Bromby broke a finger and almost was bitten.

As far as the driving goes: speed was not excessive, and it was under control. He was going to a combative suspect. If you were getting beat up or your house broken into, do you want the police to take their time?? Thank you SKEPTIC for a little sanity here!!


-1

Skeptic: You almost made a real good case for your friend in “covering” for his apparent zeal in carrying out his duties. It is most fortunate that nothing bad happened on the drive to the scene of the arrest. It is very wise for an officer who has had the experience that Officer Bromby has had to “take command” of the situation, BUT, by all measures of civilized society, it certainly appears that excessive force was used, whether it was called for or not. The question, like you pointed out, isn’t about the 99 cent bottle of water; like all police incidents where a civilian who is arrested and is hurt during the arrest, the question is whether or not the excessive force was “justified” or not. Since the suspect was already in restraints, since the suspect was much smaller that the officer, since the officer had several tools at his disposal (his training in take down and restraining suspects, his taser, pepper spray, and if it came to it, lethal force in his sidearm) why so much force, why so long in changing the position the suspect was restrained in? You gave one possible answer for that, but to the layperson, it still seems like excessive force was used. Once again, we have a situation where a Citizen Oversight Committee should review all of the reports, all of the evidence and make a determination as to whether or not the officer in question acted appropriately since the agency that the officer was serving has determined that we the general public have no right to know what really happened, citing “personnel policies” as the reason to not say anything of any substance.


-1

Bob, she bolted and tried to run when the officer tried to take the security guard’s restraints off handcuff her behind her back (police policy). That is when he took her down and she continued to struggle with the officer. What was he supposed to do–just let her go .


As for the driving, the Paso police drive like hell all the time. I’ve ridden with the police at night, and they drive like this to back up another officer across town. It has to be a police department policy or tradition. I wondered about this myself. Is this practice a danger to the public.


-1

Rodney King! Bromby learn to handcuff people while they are on the ground, beats having to wrestle them after you let them get up! They might think your letting them go, dummm aass. Screw the driving man! Think about the woman getting the beat down!


-1

The big question here is how did this woman get burned on her forearms when she was handcuffed behind her back and on the ground on her stomach. For those of you who don’t understand, put your hands behind your back and you will see that it is physically impossible.


If she got asphalt scrapes from the struggle that she started, by trying to escape, then that is another story.


1

@Citizen, you bring up a good point in that she could have sustained those burns when she was squirming around on the ground. I still think he could have been a bit more sympathetic with the temps on the ground as she was a lot smaller than him. She wasn’t wearing that much it’s not like she had a concealed weapon. But on the burns, we can’t say for sure how she got them.


But I still stick to my claim that the cop drove to fast. He was told that he was going after a shoplifter, that’s not the same as armed robbery.


-1

How about when he ripped off the elderly man tryed to scam him as executor-then broke and entered his home stealing his property and was never charged-inside deal Lisa Soloman “can’t talk about” You should watch out who you defend and the company you keep-


-1

How about scamming the elderly man, breaking, entering and stealing his property? You should choose your “social” circles carefully!


-1

That the officer drove so recklessly through the streets over a bottle of water is enough for me to think this guy is in the wrong business. I feel bad for the lady, not real bad but a little bad. The cop should have listened better and been compassionate regarding the hot ground. But to me the worse part is this how this is the resources spent over a bottle of water, what a waste of money. Two cops, booking etc.. Worse than that though is the way this cop drove through town. If I would have seen him I would have thought he was going after a bank robber or murder suspect,,crazy.


-1

No, the code 3 driving was for the report of a combative subject. Don’t confuse that with the shoplifting.


But it was reckless, dangerous, and unnecessary. It would be impossible to excuse an injury collision resulting from driving like that.


-1

Agreed,


I hear story after story from local residents about our cops going after law abiding citizens and getting carried away with petty little matters. Cops are you reading this? You are cops. Look for criminals, serious criminals not law abiding citizens to hassle. Nobody can follow every law to a T. Nobody. There are thousands of petty laws on the books.


Last week I caught a cop on his cell phone talking while driving. He gave me the smile and put it in his lap and then back up to his ear.


6 months ago, a friend was hassled for walking her dog across the railroad tracks in Grover Beach. The cop tried to say it was trespassing and threatened a ticket. It’s only been a public easement for 50 years and only about 100 people a day cross the tracks but apparently this cop couldn’t see his way to do anything more important.


A year ago, an elderly lady told me she was stopped and when the copy got close to her she smelled alcohol on the cop’s breath and called him on it and he got all bent out of shape threatening her.


Officer Le’mon who I still see, was supposed to get fired after bringing illegal drugs across the border. What’s he doing still patrolling GB? I also read he was making over 150k a year.. How ridiculous is that?


-1

Even cops know the cell phone law is stupid.


1

He was a SLOPD officer when he committed his crime and got fired. This is perfectly normal for an officer who is terminated for cause to get rehired down the street by a different department, this happens with problem LEO everywhere. Even the violent ones that cost the taxpayers money for big payouts to victims veiled behind out of court settlements get rehired, only in those cases, it’s usually (at least) in another county. Even the “wife beating – drunkard” Whited got transferred to three different CHP locations in less than 18 months!


No doubt that Parkinson was shopping both Lemon and McDow around for rehire at the other PD departments and had located a new position for them before they were even taken off paid administrative leave.


Essentially, they got a slap on the wrist, a year of time off with full pay and a job down the road. As long as the public put’s up with it, it will continue to happen. We have got to hold our elected officials feet to the fire and demand that they take control away from the unions. It can be done, it just takes the effort.


If we have to privatize services for a while to dump the union, then so be it.


1

Limon in grover is not the same one that got fired in SLO..he has been there for years and is a SGT there..crossing the railroad is a crime PC 369i and it should be enforced..how many people get hit by trains that are not smart enough to stay off the tracks!! should they add some crossings..yes..and if some cop had an odor of alcohol coming from his breath then that lady is just as guilty as he is and she should have called his watch commander and told him to call him in ASAP and see if he needs to be tested..and then follow up with it with either the Chief/Sheriff to make sure it was done.. it is just as much the public’s job to enforce/report laws being broken as it is the cops except they get paid and have to deal with some of the more serious things.. some of you talk about is making it a private industry..that will not work..you want 5 cities security enforcing laws in your neighborhood? the fact is that a few cops are not honest and are in it for themselves. Many are good hard working honest family oriented people that just want to go home at the end of their shift and be with their families just like anyone else..the testing process is very long and there are a lot of steps to get through it..ok..back on topic..when cops use force it never looks good even to the police, it is something that is very risky and dangerous and could have huge problems both civil and criminal for the officer..if people would do what the police say then you would not have this issue. if the cop is doing something illegal then go along with what he says and they sue him and the agency when it is all over..also..I agree it was just for some stolen water..big deal..now when the suspect starts fighting with the agents (employees) of the store..someone can get hurt and that is when it becomes and emergency and they should go Code 3..if you were in a fight with someone and trying to protect your life and property should the cops stop at every light and take their time? also when the peorson fights after stealing something they are now stealing something and using force to get away..hmm that would make it Robbery by definiton and case law..in this video the cop was waiting to let the lady up untill his backup got there so they could hand cuff her behind her back so she is properly restrained..I highly doubt she really got burns that scarred and is suffering from PTSD..they are just saying that so they can get $$$.


0

How can a law make up for stupidity?


0

369i Any person who enters or remains upon the property of any

railroad without the permission of the owner of the land, the owner’

s agent, or the person in lawful possession and whose entry,

presence, or conduct upon the property interferes with, interrupts,

or hinders, or which, if allowed to continue, would interfere with,

interrupt, or hinder the safe and efficient operation of any

locomotive, railway car, or train is guilty of a misdemeanor.

——————–

The statute addresses someone with criminal intent trying to interfere with a rail car. That’s why it’s a misdemeanor. Misdemeanor’s are punishable with jail time. It does not address someone merely crossing the railroad track to walk to the butterfly park.


See, you think like that cop, trying to turn a good citizen walking her dog into a criminal. It’s absurd. The cop and apparently, you too, need to find something better to do than to try and turn good people into criminals. Or better yet, you need to have a little experience where you are doing something totally innocuous and seemingly innocent like walking your dog and have a cop turn you into a criminal with an absurd allegation like this one. Guaranteed you won’t be so anal after such an experience.


0

abigchocoholic


PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT BEFORE YOU SPEW!


This is EXACTLY how these rancid rumors are started.


The Officer Limon employed by GBPD is Angelo Limon, not Armando, not to

mention NO ONE, including the Chief of Police, on the GBPD earns $150k

year!


0

Regarding office Limon, I had no idea there were two of them. Who would have thunk it? Two local Limon cops? What are the odds of that?


I’ve only seen one guy named Limon and read the article and assumed it was him. My apologies to the good officer Limon for thinking he was the bad one named in the article.


And I know I read that the bad officer Limon who was on administrative leave was making 150k because that’s what the article said and I was astounded. If the article is wrong I’m wrong. I never went beyond accepting the article as truthful.


0

Grover Beach, CA – On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, between 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., officers from the Grover Beach Police Department will conduct a traffic enforcement operation that will focus on motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks. In addition to monitoring routine pedestrian crossings, a plain clothes officer will be tasked with crossing various roadways within marked crosswalks to determine if motorist yield to the officer. Violators

will be cited. The cost of the violation is $154.

————————-


Funny. When looking up the bad officer Limon I came across this. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Police, rather than protecting us against real criminals, trying to turn otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals.


GB is going to take 2 cops and try and sucker law abiding citizens into $150 tickets. Is this really what we want our cops doing? Don’t they have anything more important to do? Maybe we should put our cops on surveillance and at the end of a week add up all their petty violations and fine them. They wouldn’t have a paycheck left to live off of. See how they like it when the tables are turned.


0

Normally I would agree with you that this is just a waste. But Grande Ave as well as 4th St. are pretty bad. I have seen people crossing those streets that have to run across and dodge cars. There have been a lot of accidents regarding people getting hit, one quite recently. So I understand why they do this from time to time.


0

YEP typo! Paso cops are well-known for their reckless driving. We’ve been in the North County for a long time and I’ve never seen Atascadero cops or county Sheriff cars driving the way Paso ones do. They swerve, speed, pass recklessly…often in groups of 2-3 patrol cars. The cops here often switch 1-2 lanes with NO signaling and more than once I’ve followed a cop–just to see what the big rush was about. (NEVER has it been an emergency) Oh, I can’t forget their love of rolling through stop signs–something that would cost the rest of us a $400 citation! I drive around daily for work and so I’ve seen this a lot through the years. Paso cops need to tone down the adrenaline-rushed reckless driving!


0

Indeed. The “California roller” is standard for the cops all over. This is EXACTLY the same maneuver that they give us hefty tickets for. I have seen them do this with my own eyes countless times.


A friend of mine got stopped for driving across parking spaces in a shopping center parking lot. A few months later I saw a cop do EXACTLY THE SAME THING. It was no emergency either. He was on his way for lunch at a sandwich shop in that very same shopping center.


0

The Video: The video is actually less dramatic then it appears. This is because of the choppiness of the video due to the low frame rate in which it was recorded. Officer Bromby comes to a complete stop at 14th St. and Park St. for several seconds. At 0:20 on the video(13:54:53 actual time) , Officer Bromby begins his travel to 21st St. and Spring St., a distance of 0.60 miles. Officer Bromby arrives on scene at approximately 1:20-1:22 on the video (13:55:54 actual time). 0.60 miles in one minute = 36 miles per hour. Hardly reckless or excessive. Again, the choppiness of the video makes it appear more dramatic.


0

I couldn’t get the live video to play this morning when I went over to the NT so I went by what I read in the story. I have to agree with the fact that she was already sitting on the pavement with her shoes off (for some reason) when the officer politely asked her to get up and attempted to cuff her. She clearly wasn’t complying and never asked to get her shoes or said the pavement was too hot, she just attempted to walk away from him (telling he, “let me” blah blah) while he was in the process of arresting her. When he grabbed her arm, you can see the momentum of her pulling away. Also at that exact time, one of the complainants stated that she was highly combative. I don’t think that throwing her down at that point was necessarily out of line. I think that she did wrong during the initial contact, not the officer.


Unfortunately we can’t see what was happening while she was on the ground and I don’t know if she really tried to bite him or if he just said that for the audio. I do know he had her on the pavement a long time and he could have cuffed her and got her up in 30 seconds if he had wanted to. We can see that he isn’t moving around so there is no indication that he is struggling with her. It looks like he was trying to punish her and was holding her down with little to no effort.


I think that two WRONG’s don’t make a right. I think he was angry because she didn’t initially comply.

I think she is malingering for the money and refuses to take responsibility for her part in all this.. If she was very thirsty and had no money, she could have asked for a drink of water. I bet they would have gave her one from the faucet if nothing else.


I apologize to Lisa Solomon for throwing the kitchen sink at her in my previous post. Her statement was appropriate, IMO.


0

I hope I didn’t give the impression that I approve of Bronby’s behavior, I don’t. The problem is that we can’t really see what is going on while she is on the ground, but it is suspicious.


0

i think she was probably a troublesome pain in the ass.. nonetheless, we shouldn’t treat people like that unless they are truly a threat


0

When do you know that one is truly a threat? Would that be after they kick your ass, you then lying on the ground, semi-conscious, hoping that back-up arrives before they do more damage?


0

When they’re unarmed, half your size, already handcuffed as this woman was, that would tell me that she’s probably not much of a threat. Are you trying to say that this cop was worried that this woman was going to kick his ass with her hand cuffed in front of her?


0

Theres obviously a bunch of LE commenting on this one..how bout when he ripped off the old man?


0

I watched the video and, as I am watching the officer drive like a bat out of h.e.double el…I was thinking “this is all over a bottle of water?”. I realize the item stolen is not the point, the fact she took it without paying is. However, I feel the burn she sustained was totally NOT warranted by her actions. The cop was a hard a$$, reminded me of a banty rooster, actually. I am glad to know he is no longer a cop, who is sworn to “serve and protect”. That means “serve and protect” everyone, right?


Did anyone else note the guy in the red shirt wiping the sweat off his brow as he is standing there watching the perp being burned from the hot pavement and begging for the officer to show her mercy and let her up from the skillet she was literally cooking on?


I would have bought the woman’s water…


0

Yes, I agree that he kept her on that pavement beyond anything that was reasonable. It’s clear he was doing it intentionally. As for his driving fast, the call came in as a shoplifter that was being detained by citizens and was highly combative. That is probably why he was hurrying over there. If you notice, she was out in the street which means she had gave them (the employees) a hard time all the way from the front door into the street. I have a hard time believing that they would have gave her such a bad time if she had just explained that she was very thirsty. Most anybody would have got her some water if she had asked, I’m sure?


A banty rooster? I used to have several banty roosters, they were very nice little guy’s, to people and the little banty girls, as well. They even let their babies eat first! Now I had some other roosters and I know what you’re talking about!!


0

If you look carefully at the story in the New Times and at the video, you start seeing serious discrepancies. For example, it appears that the store security guard put the woman in some kind of restraints with her hands in front. The officer has to put handcuffs on her (they put them in back) and that’s when she tried to run. New Times says the officer had her securely by the restraints, but he didn’t.


The struggle on the ground that we don’t see probably was over taking off the store’s restraints and handcuffing her behind her back. The officer had a broken finger, two strained fingers, got kicked in the knee and almost bitten.


With her hands behind her back and face down on the ground, how did her forearms get burned??????There’s no way that is possible. Maybe she had asphalt burns from the scuffle?


And did you hear her complain about the hot pavement. Normal people would have told the officer that the pavement was burning their skin or screamed that the pavement was burning their skin. She just says it’s hot. Was Rodi on some kind of drugs at the time??


The New Times story is really a hearsay story, with only one side told. The statement about the DAs Office saying that it was police brutality. I think the author meant that to be in quotes and to be from Rodi. I can’t imagine the DA’s Office making that statement. And on and on….


I have no reason to defend the officer, but this law suit and story is suspect.


0

I watched the video too. While the situation is really unfortunate, I didn’t see anything obviously inappropriate. All she had to do was cooperate.


I don’t condone brutality, but what did she think the officer was going to do if she physically resisted arrest? It sounded like they put cuffs on her after backup arrived. I’m surprised that the officer was injured (by a delusional shoplifter?) but that might explain why he didn’t want to move her until help arrived.


I’m sure that the company was grateful that the officer hurried to the scene. I don’t know what the appropriate speed would be, nor what was told to the officer about conditions at the store. I was surprised to see motorists pull in front of the police car with the lights and siren running!


It’s crazy that this was over a small bottle of water. Has she done this before?


0

Okay I finished reading the NT article and Bromby isn’t a candidate for Officer of the Year. But Bragg cracks me up when she says that she isn’t a fighter. She fought the store employees, then fought against what Bromby told her to do . . . .


0

“All she had to do was cooperate.” You mean, SUBMIT. I’m a very cooperative person, but should I ever feel that I am in danger, I don’t a crap WHO it is, I’m going to attempt to defend myself. Sometimes people may not see the situation so clearly when the survival mechanisms kick in, it’s INSTINCT, we are animals. The SUBMIT or be destroyed idea is rather twisted.


0

I admit the burns are bad, okay? But the only reason she was on the ground at all was because she physically resisted arrest. How stupid do you have to be to argue with a cop? Do you think the cop is going to go away? Her twisted logic that she could do anything she wanted is what got her into trouble.


The whole crime is stupid. She could have asked the store for a drink of water. She could have asked a customer to spare one bottle out of a 24 pack when they were loading it in their car. Not good enough for her. She thought she’d just steal one. Then she was in denial about the whole episode, thinking that somehow she could resist the consequences by refusing to submit to store personnel, then by refusing to submit to the cop.


Do you really want to adopt her behavior? Go ahead, see where it gets you.


In the past I was mistakenly confused as a meth producer by a sheriff. The whole thing was cleared up in 45 minutes, I had nothing to hide. But when the sheriff originally approached me he had his gun in his hand as he didn’t know what to expect from me. I cooperated and everybody settled down. I did exactly what he said and he never laid a hand on me. Never even put me in cuffs.


Compare the two situations. One was for shoplifting a trivial item and everything goes to heck because of her response. The other a situation with a potential threat to the officer’s safety but everything turns out fine because I cooperated.


Officer Bromby may have been wrong to leave Bragg on the hot pavement, but her actions were what put her there.


0

I understand your point and I’m not defending her so much as I’m criticizing the officer. And here’s why. The words “Rule of Law” have been horribly twisted in their meaning in recent times. Rule of Law means that everyone gets their day in court and gets a fair trial; that arbitrary and biased decisions shouldn’t be made. But somehow it’s become this idea that every interaction with the law must be a coercive action which requires our immediate submission or we will DIE, period.


He was the one with his wits at the moment, not her. When things escalate, some people just don’t hold it together like others. But the thing is, that is something that can be escalated or diminished based on how you respond to the situation. What people aren’t getting is that someone who acts like professonal or just a mature adult can get people to cooperate with a little calm discussion. Or, is it ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to arrest the individual *at that moment.* Let her go, pick her up later. I know I’m going to here arguments about how they can’t do that because then people would be upset if that person committed another crime in the meantime. But we do that EVERY DAY. We have warrants out for people for far greater crimes that do not get served *immediately*. There are people who are guilty of violent crimes allowed to come in on their own recognizance ALL THE TIME.


This is not about whether the cop was doing his job or not, he was. This is not about whether she deserves punishment, she does. It’s about maturity and rational thinking. I’m not about to praise anyone who uses force as a routine method of handling situations, when these things could be resolved with a little respect and dignity and no broken bones. I don’t care whether they were acting under orders are not. I am starting to wonder whether the majority of the people in this country have all just gone mad.


0

You raise interesting issues, but I’m not sure what the solution would be.


Officer Bromby can’t let Ms Bragg just wander around. He has to convince her that she’s not going anywhere. She’s not listening to anyone, so talking isn’t effective. That leaves using physical means to restrain her.


If his hand was injured in her first dash for freedom, he really doesn’t have any good options except keeping her down until backup arrives. Again, she is the person who escalated the confrontation to a physical level. Had she behaved, she and her shoes would have been in the patrol unit with very little fuss.


I believe that she thought that no one would pursue her over a bottle of water and she wasn’t expecting any consequences from her actions. When she realized that there were going to be consequences, she didn’t want to accept them and she resisted any way she could. Including trying to run off when officer Bromby lifted her to her feet.


You seem to suggest that talking would have worked to calm Ms Bragg, but she had already demonstrated that he couldn’t trust her. Why should he risk her running off a second time?


0

But that’s my point. There should be consequences for her actions, but immediate submission does not necessarily have to be the first consequence. Why couldn’t he just let her wander around? Why not pick her up later? I know it just sounds unthinkable, but think about what I said before… we do it all the time, except when the circumstances involve direct contact with an officer. If the officer wasn’t present, they just contact the person later and let them know that there are charges against them, this is routine.


0

I understand that your idea is focused on avoiding a lopsided physical confrontation between a woman and a strong man. (Or any situation that leads to brutality.)


A warrant isn’t useful without an ID. To let a suspect go, we’d need a mobile means to photograph and fingerprint the suspect, which isn’t impossible, but we’re back at the cooperation issue.


If the suspect is a threat to the public, ID and release wouldn’t be appropriate. If the suspect is under the influence of substances, even accidental misuse of legal drugs, they shouldn’t be released.


Generally, if the suspect is uncooperative for any reason, they’d end up being physically detained anyway. So it wouldn’t change anything for this situation.


There are other steps to an arrest involving paperwork and chain of evidence. Whatever solution you come up with needs to address those issues too.


The sad part is that as we continue economic meltdown, these issues will get worse, rather than better.


0

mkaney, I didn’t address the points you raised in my previous response. Good for you for being willing to defend yourself. That’s better than being submissive when you shouldn’t be. But note that Ms Bragg wasn’t in any physical danger until she decided to physically resist.


As far as Bromby’s driving is concerned, he covers seven blocks on Spring Street in 41 seconds by the video log’s time stamp. I think that’s faster than 36mph, but I haven’t measured the distance yet.


Didn’t an on-duty LEO get killed a few years ago in Paso? I don’t blame them for rushing to back each other up.


0

I watched the video. The cop did nothing wrong. The perp brought it on herself by: 1. shoplifting, 2. being combative with store employees when caught, 3. trying to pull away from the cop after he cuffed her, and 4. continuing to resist after being taken down, breaking one of the cop’s fingers in the process(from the New Times story).

I am against police brutality, but this does not rise to that level. I’m tired of these dirtbags who break the law, resist arrest, and then charge the police with overreacting.


0

So, if that had been your daughter or wife/girlfriend and had sustained a burn as extensive as that, you would have been totally o.k. with the cop’s actions from start to finish???


0

But you see danika, it wouldn’t have been.. because I suspect that fella is an officer, and he and his own will not be treated like this.


0

@mkaney

I “suspect” that you are incorrect. I am not an “officer”, and if I ever steal, fight store security, and get in a physical confrontation with law enforcement trying to arrest me, I “suspect” that I will end up on the ground as the cops subdue me.


0

This makes me appreciate SLO City Officers.

Over the several years, I have observed them.

They are fast acting and not arrogant, those I have seen are just simply oridinary down to earth people, good people (so far, but it only takes one or two A.S. to change my mind)!

Which ever way the proposition A or B goes, I expect the City Council to negotiate in good faith with SLOPD with all they are able to give them, they deserve it!

I am 62 years old, seen much, there has never been a finer crew of officers.


0

Yeah, a really fine bunch. They start investigations by lying to a doctor and harrassing innocent mmj patients. A bunch of A$$ holes as far as I am concerned.


0

“innocent mmj patients” hehe


0

Maybe this was a bit too much force considering the crime. But, LEO have their SOP to follow and once again if the perp hadn’t done something illegal and then when asked to comply she didn’t, there would be no article to write. No crime, no drama…

Put yourself in the store owners shoes, it does not matter if it’s 99cents or $99.00, it was a theft and it was stealing from out of their pocket. And if the woman was so thirsty there are always faucets and hoses for a drink, just for the asking. No one is going to let a person go without a drink, especially if it was a hot day.


0

Faucets are attached to buildings and someone has to pay for that water too….is that not considered stealing as well???


0

Sure, unless someone asks politely first. I have never heard of anyone ever being turned away for a drink of water on a hot day.


0
1 2