Police abuse or justified behavior?

The camera never lies. The Passaic Police Department has to eventually address the behavior of its officers when they encounter individuals with mental health problems. Never one to Monday morning quarterback, but this particular incident is very disturbing. Today, the officer involved in the attached video was indicted and will face a jury of his peers, if he does not reach a settlement. If you look at the video, pay particular attention to this officer's partner. What responsibility does she bear in this incident. I have my thoughts, so please share yours.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLemcvH6vx4

Female cops: Are they different or not?

For those who have heard my speeches over the years regarding females in law enforcement, my position has not changed. I believe that females bring a different perspective to the profession, which makes it better. I have also talked about the increasing number of females finding it very difficult to overcome the stereotypes that continually excluded them. I know that it is difficult to exist in a predominately white male profession, but I still believe that they have what it takes to do well.

Like most professions, you are going to have some who discredit the organization. I recently encountered that person, who left me with a bad impression. I will not cast a wide net and will only direct my comments toward this person. I was at a university driving around the parking lot looking for a particular building. I did not notice that the traffic patterns were painted on the ground. Unbeknownst to me, I was traveling the wrong way down a parking isle. I was not going fast and observed all of the traffic coming my way. No one beeped their horn or motioned to me that I was doing anything wrong. I then made a right turn and was about to pull into a parking spot before I was motioned by a university police officer to pull up to her vehicle. I did so without incident.

As we sat next to each other in our cars, the officer asked me if I was aware that I was driving the wrong way. I told her no, and that I was looking for a particular building on the campus. She looked at me incredulously and asked me again if I was aware that I was driving the wrong way. Again, I told her no, but this time I was met with an attitude that I could not explain. I was very calm and mild manner. I did not want to get into a confrontation, but it appeared that she wanted to make sure that I understood my transgression, which I did. We went back and forth for about a minute before she gave me the directions and allowed me to go on my way. The reason that I am writing about this is because I did not expect this attitude from this woman. My question is, "Am I unfairly judging this female police officer?" Should I expect more from her because she is a female? I would expect this behavior from most male cops. What say you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOMnxaVbrgc

Brick City: Real or imagined?

The City of Newark is getting some truly remarkable news coverage, but for all the wrong reasons. I watched tonight's second installment of "Brick City" on the Sundance channel. I expected to see the blight and distress that many inner cities go through, and that murders are being committed often enough that people are afraid to walk the streets. However, what I saw were a few individuals attempting to make it seem like Newark is on the rebound, and its citizens are going to be the recipients of all its success. Noting could be further from the truth. The fact that many of these businesses coming into Newark are there to take advantage of those that chose to stay, during the good and bad times, speaks volumes of exploitation. Amiri Baraka put everything in its proper perspective when he called out Mayor Cory Booker for his disingenuous acts. I will reserve judgment until I am able to watch the rest of the installments, but from what I have seen so far, it does not say much for how the people are going to prosper.


Update: I watched the third installment and was impressed with Ras Baraka and Todd Warren. I appreciate the love and respect that they show for the students at Central High School. The rest of the political posturing is sickening. I understand why the average person dislikes politicians and the police. I will wait for the fourth installment tonight.

Do I have to go in the house?

I have always been perplexed when the law enforcement community can't get a handle on crime, they take it out on the law abiding citizens. The City of Paterson is trying to implement a curfew to curtail the recent murders and increase in crime. I can understand that the police are frustrated, but will this really work? There has got to be a better way. How about putting more police officers on foot patrol in the high crime areas. I am quite sure they can find a few officers sitting behind a desk to help facilitate the needed personnel. Other states have tried this and it did not work. To resolve this problem will take more than just telling people to go in the house. Most people want to be outside so that they don't hurt someone within their own family. It will take a concerted effort by the government to create jobs that pay more than minimum wage and
individuals to be more responsible for their actions.

Justified or excessive.

Many police officers were dead set against having cameras mounted on their dashboards to record their actions. I must admit that when my agency was forced to do it because of a federal consent decree, I was glad that it did not apply to me because I had become a detective. After speaking with several colleagues about the cameras, the majority welcomed them because it gave them assurance that any false allegations could be dispelled. However, in a lot of small towns, the police beatings have continued and mostly because of no cameras. So when I viewed the attached video, I thought to myself, "What the hell are they doing? Smile for the camera." I will follow up on this matter, but it does not look like it will be going their way. I smell a massive lawsuit and possibly some jail time for a few of the police officers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jVk1DQ7fdY

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/18/national/main5248440.shtml

IN THIS CORNER!

If any of you have been watching "Black in America II" you may have been introduced to Dr. Steve Perry, principal of a charter school in Connecticut. I was taken by his motivation to assist young people. Men like him should be commended for their efforts to save our young people. I learned that Dr. Perry is also the author of "Man Up: No one is coming to save us." The title intrigued me, so I purchased it. After reading the first couple of chapters, it was apparent that Dr.Perry attacked those individuals who have been wreaking havoc on most inner cities. He spares no one's feeling and if you remotely resemble anyone that he speaks about, I highly recommend not buying the book. Half way through, I started to get a bit upset, not because he was telling the truth, rather he did not provide any concrete examples on how to save those individuals he disparages. It is reminiscent of what Dr. Bill Cosby is accused of doing. Not surprising, he cites Dr. Cosby as one of his mentors.


My question is why is it so easy for "prominent" Black people to talk down to the less fortunate? I don't claim to be an apologist, as Dr. Perry accuses Dr. Michael Eric Dyson of being; however, I can feel a little compassion for those who find it difficult to overcome personal struggle. In fairness to Dr. Perry, I will finish the book, but I don' think his views will change. If you get an opportunity, read his book and please respond.

Racial profiling or elitist attitude?

Sometimes a person has to call it like they see it. I have been asked to comment on this matter, so here goes. The recent debacle in Cambridge, Massachusetts has reinvigorated the racial profiling debate. Dr. Henry Louis Gates alleges that he was racially profiled by an officer from the Cambridge Police Department. I was quick to dispel any notion that racial profiling had anything to do with this matter. I must be honest, prior to this incident, I did not have a high opinion of Mr. Gates. I've always viewed him as an elitist, but gave him props for his knowledge. I had an opportunity to listen to his version and my opinion has not changed. I think Mr. Gates believes that he deserves special dispensation just because he is a "Harvard" professor. I sense that both parties let their emotions get the best of them and feelings were hurt. I think this situation was blown out of proportion and should have been handled at the local level. To receive such media attention only validates my assumption that if this was someone with less status, we would not be talking about it. There is no doubt that racial profiling is real, but not in this case. Mr. Gates....get over yourself.