Quote Originally Posted by TantricSoul View Post
For me the issue is, why were the officers arresting this woman?
Because she was breaking the law!

Because she didn't understand what signing the ticket meant?
Part of the procedure for issuing a ticket is to explain that signing the ticket is NOT an admission of guilt but a promise to appear in court. It is specifically stated on the ticket itself. Refusing to sign is considered an admission that you might NOT appear in court, and the cops are therefore required to arrest you and place you in jail.

For that she had to be forcibly removed from her vehicle, subdued, and arrested?
What are they supposed to do? Let her go? How does that work. If you refuse to cooperate, refuse to obey legal commands issued by the officers, we'll just shrug it off and say, "Oh, well. Have a nice day"?

I'm not sure that fits my definition of protecting and serving the public good.
Preventing people from speeding in a school zone is, IMO, exactly the definition of serving the public good!

Even if she became belligerent, does the offence warrant the actions that followed? Not in my view.
And again, what other choice did she leave them? Can you tell me a way they could have removed her from the car without risking further harm to her or her fetus? What if she had just robbed a bank? Should they ignore the fact that she committed a crime and allow her to go on her way simply because she refuses to leave the car?

Cops have a tough job to start with. Nobody wants to be stopped for any kind of traffic violation. Some who have been stopped have killed cops. There is no way for a cop to know whether or not someone is dangerous, or psychotic, or just stupid. I would much rather read an article about a deluded woman being arrested, after being forcibly restrained, than about her being killed in a shootout after she ran over a cop trying to issue a ticket. She suffered some possibly severe short-term pain, which apparently had no effect on her child (and which was probably a lot less severe than the pain she endured delivering that child) and endured some humiliation, because of her own actions. I think the cops behaved absolutely correctly in this instance.