Paramedic Helps Herself to Patient's Purse

The oddity of this is probably less than you might expect. There was a paramedic I knew once who was accused of taking a man's wallet. I would expect that people miss-place their stuff and accuse paramedics of taking them. However, crime might also be thought of as a statistical probability. Opportunity to steal adjusted by seeming probability of getting away from it and basic ethical reservations against stealing and, perhaps, further adjusted by perceived subjective value of the object. For example, I might knock over a woman on the street to take her handbag. My ethical qualms would prevent me from stealing. But, if I change the circumstances somewhat, the answer can change. For example, if I'm just dragging out of the dessert and I see an orchard with a fence around it proclaiming private property and expressing that trespassers and thieves will I steal a piece of fruit if I feel famished? Well, probably. The fruit has a high value in that circumstance. What if I find a wallet with $5 in it? Would I return it? Well, the value of the money is low so either I could consider the theft to be of no consequence (based on low value) or I might now have the situation insufficient to violate my ethical views against theft. Yet, what if I find a briefcase with a million dollars? Well, I suppose my examples are being a bit lame. But, the idea is that if you have a low expectation of getting caught and think you can get away with a high value, when presented with the circumstance we would expect at least some people to steal. In this case, the paramedic displays a surprising lack of intelligence.. I do not know how to use a credit card without getting caught, but I am smart enough not to walk in a store and use it in front of security cameras.

Now that is just wrong. With me being in EMS myself it pi$$es me off. Its people like her who is giving our profession a bad name. I hope she lost her job and license. I just cant believe that.

That is a shame that had to happen. I wonder whom else she had done this to? If is awful that you can't even trut the EMS not to go through your things and take what they want. I am glad that they got her before she could do this to anyone else.

ersmommy1 what a horrid thing for a paramedic to do, how gross of her. that poor woman to be helpless and have a 'person who is supposed to be helping her rob her instead.hope she gets a really stiff prison sentence and am glad they caught her by video tape. i do feel for that poor help;less woman.

Do you have a link to this story? This is atrocious. I don't understand why people do this to other people. Is that how they really want to be treated? Do they really want people to think it's o.k. to steal from them? Because that's what it does.... The Golden Rule.... I don't understand how you could be working in a profession that is supposed to value life....when people would do these things to those they're helping...