Moats: β€œIt's Time to Move On”

They didn't ask for it nor did they expect it, but Ryan and Tamishia Moats said they respect the decision of former Dallas police Officer Robert Powell to call it quits.

Powell's now infamous traffic stop of Moats as he and other family members rushed to the side of his dying mother-in-law triggered national outrage. Reactions ranged from calls for Powell's dismissal to death threats for the officer's family.

"It's time to move on," Ryan Moats said.

If he and his wife had their way, no one but Internal Affairs investigators would ever have heard about the incident, the couple said.

"We have not even filed a complaint yet," Tamishia Moats said.

Despite public rumors of lawsuits and the number of people urging them to take legal action, don't expect it to happen.

"The only way I can see filing a report is if it helps someone else," Ryan Moats said. "If it helps someone else not have to go through that, we will."

Powell has indicated he'd like to apologize to the Moatses face-to-face.

The Moatses said they have yet to hear from Powell. And at this point, they don't want or need to, they said.

"Before, it would have been refreshing to have that moment with him," Tamishia Moats said. "But right now, with all the media attention, all that's been going on, I just think it's best for us all to move on with our lives."

"I really do forgive him," Ryan Moats said. "I know he's human and we all make mistakes."

While the Moatses are over the ordeal, they don't want the community to simply forget the incident, they said.

They said the national outrage over the videotaped traffic stop provides Dallas police with a teachable moment in the training of officers. The voices of the public are key to ensuring change, the couple said.

"That allows the Dallas Police Department to see that something is wrong," Ryan Moats said. "If they sit back and not say anything, the Dallas Police Department might not see that something needs to be fixed, so I think the public did a great job saying what they felt."

Contact Us