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I agree that the girls were unruly and rebellious....quite common among teens...many don't respect authority. This won't go far to help.
I also agree that the cop appeared inexperienced and intimidated. He also appeared not to have the physical ability to restrain either of the two girls. While I agree 100% that assaulting a police officer is a definite no-no, I don't believe this scenario warranted a punch in the face. In fact, I can't think of any scenario where it would be appropriate for a police officer to punch someone in the face. Push her roughly up against the car and restrain her arms? Yes. Mace or taser her to subdue her? Yes. But I don't believe it's at all appropriate for a police officer to strike a citizen with their hands. Yes, the girls did that....but shouldn't we hold our law enforcement to a higher standard than we would some rebellious teens?
All of this equates to the fact that this officer should have handled the situation differently. I was crystal clear that he lacked the effective amount of "authority" in his voice, body language and actions.
And all too often we have an inexperienced officer in similar situations who pull out thier guns and start killing people. That is the result of improperly trained police officers on our streets.
Too many people look at a scenario such as this (young Black kids/White officer/excessive force) and they do not interject themselves (or their loved ones) into the situation. This is not only about White cop vs Black folk - it could be a scenario with your White son or daughter who is a college student and Black cop.
I firmly believe in law and order but a police officer is held to higher standard than the average citizen and should act accordingly so that "Excessive Force" isn't needlessly turned into "Deadly Force".
What do you suppose would have happened if:
Officer: Stop right there- you're jay walking
Offender: Yes, sir
Officer: I'm issuing you a citation
Offender: I disagree, I'll see you in court
It could have been a really simple situation- don't you think? Instead the girl goes off on a tirade.... and well....you saw where that got her.
I agree that the girls were unruly and rebellious....quite common among teens...many don't respect authority. This won't go far to help.
I also agree that the cop appeared inexperienced and intimidated. He also appeared not to have the physical ability to restrain either of the two girls. While I agree 100% that assaulting a police officer is a definite no-no, I don't believe this scenario warranted a punch in the face. In fact, I can't think of any scenario where it would be appropriate for a police officer to punch someone in the face. Push her roughly up against the car and restrain her arms? Yes. Mace or taser her to subdue her? Yes. But I don't believe it's at all appropriate for a police officer to strike a citizen with their hands. Yes, the girls did that....but shouldn't we hold our law enforcement to a higher standard than we would some rebellious teens?
The girl that shoved him was about his size. You ask him to use restraint and also say he doesn't have the physical ability to restrain them. I think the punch he threw was less force than mace or a taser. Mace is nasty and effects the victim for hours, plus anyone else in the vicinity. He was surrounded by people and a little incident can quickly escalate. These guys make like $12/hr around here, yet we expect them to react perfectly to every incident and put up with the crap that they do. If we are going to hold them to a higher standard like you suggest, we should also pay them a higher salary. You get what you pay for. I'm a flaming liberal willing to give this cop a break. He did just fine, except that he should have talked more to try to quell the situation. I'm sure he'll learn from it, if he doesn't find a better job first.
All I saw was a young lady trying to defend herself against an overzealous PIG.
Does a cop have the legal right to stop someone for a violation of law? Yes.
Does the offender have the legal right to refuse to comply with the officer's lawful orders? No.
Does the offender have the right to shove the cop and obstruct the execution of his duty? No.
None of this would have ever happened if the stupid women had just shut up and followed his orders. Giving the cops s*it never gets you anywhere and anyone who thinks differently is a complete moron. If you disagree you take it to court. End of story.
People who assault cops aren't very smart. Cops are armed and can end you in full legality if they feel their lives are threatened. Assaulting cops is kinda the equivalent of playing in traffic. It's rutheless and dumb.
That said, that cop could've had handle this better. Punching a girl in the face because you got shoved is cowardly for any man, even moreso when you are a cop and can request backup or use other means at your disposal.
Dumb kids, dumb cop, stupidity all around. I try not to take position for either sides when I see things like these. I'm sure the great people involved in this will have a nice party in court.
That said, that cop could've had handle this better. Punching a girl in the face because you got shoved is cowardly for any man, even moreso when you are a cop and can request backup or use other means at your disposal.
Back up was already called,what other means could he have used from the evidence on the video?
Did anybody else notice the voice yelling right before the officer hit her? I know what I think the person yells. Anybody else? Think that affected the cop in that split second?
It's at 0:29 between the time she shoves him and he punches her.
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