Arrested for trying to get into one's own home

[Dreamstalker]

He was also kicking at the front door and his neighbor who probably hasn't seen him for a month, might have though he moved, or a new neighbor that never saw him before called the police.

By all reports, said neighbor was the editor for Harvard's magazine. I doubt she wouldn't recognize him.

[daleduke17]

If they weren't doing something worthy of getting arrested then they weren't doing anything worthy of getting cuffed.

That is WRONG.

[BroomJockey]

That is WRONG.

Okay, why? Are the police in the habit of cuffing people they have no intention of charging with anything? Should they be? Anything?

[daleduke17]

Okay, why? Are the police in the habit of cuffing people they have no intention of charging with anything? Should they be? Anything?

Actually, they can handcuff people for safety while they are at a scene. It's called temporary custody. Safety of bystanders, officers and/or victims.

[Nyoibo]

If they weren't doing something worthy of getting arrested then they weren't doing anything worthy of getting cuffed.

Okay, why? Are the police in the habit of cuffing people they have no intention of charging with anything? Should they be? Anything?

If a guy's ranting and raving yelling screaming and such, maybe having extenuating circumstances the cop may cuff him until he calms down, then let him go once he's calm, the handcuffs stop the situation from possibly escalating from simple ranting and raving to a point where someone may get hurt, at which time said rant guy goes to jail and gets a record.


I've always found it funny and exceedingly annoying that people jump on everything police do wrong hollering for their blood, yet when the shit hits the fan who's the first person people go running to? Cops are human, just like you, yet unlike you they have made the choice to protect their fellow citizens, until you decide to do the same thing, you have no right to criticise them. Just stop and think, everyone who claims "The first responsibility of the police should be to leave law abiding citizens alone." what if they decide that because of situations like this to treat everyone as a law abiding citizen, because it's to dangerous to assume otherwise, and leave everyone alone, wouldn't that be a fun place to live?

[BroomJockey]

you have no right to criticise them.

Okay, a) I wasn't criticizing the police, I was attempting to figure out dd's position, which he's now expounded upon to my satisfaction.

b) the line I quoted is perhaps the silliest thing you could have possibly said, especially on a debate forum.

[Flyndaran]

If a guy's ranting and raving yelling screaming and such, maybe having extenuating circumstances the cop may cuff him until he calms down, then let him go once he's calm, the handcuffs stop the situation from possibly escalating from simple ranting and raving to a point where someone may get hurt, at which time said rant guy goes to jail and gets a record.

No one said that this jet lagged professor was berserking like psycho. That is dangerously close to libel.
I don't like the ease with which it would be for cops to macho-ego-trip and just let people go later. If I were harrassed by a cop, I sure as hell would demand to be arrested, so that when their complete lack of case comes out I can sue the hell out of the city for false arrest.

I've always found it funny and exceedingly annoying that people jump on everything police do wrong hollering for their blood, yet when the shit hits the fan who's the first person people go running to? Cops are human, just like you, yet unlike you they have made the choice to protect their fellow citizens, until you decide to do the same thing, you have no right to criticise them. Just stop and think, everyone who claims "The first responsibility of the police should be to leave law abiding citizens alone." what if they decide that because of situations like this to treat everyone as a law abiding citizen, because it's to dangerous to assume otherwise, and leave everyone alone, wouldn't that be a fun place to live?

My father was one of the few great cops and even greater men. I've met too many of his disgusting macho disgraceful coworkers to ever give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Just because they have a more dangerous job than most, does not give them the right to illegally harrass others. Being human does not give them carte blanche to antoganize others and arrest anyone that they don't like.

[Pedersen]

you have no right to criticise them

Broom was nicer than I'll be. I'll call your statement a load of maggot infested horse shit.

If we don't have the right to criticize someone for performing a job we have not done ourselves, then the following is true:

• you're never allowed to complain about a malfunctioning computer unless you have written an actual program, on your own, to make your computer do something, and done it for pay.
• you're never allowed to say a movie sucked unless you've made your own or participated in the making of your own, and done it for pay.
• you're never allowed to say a book sucked unless you've been paid for writing/editing/publishing one.
• and on and on and on and on and ...

The simple fact remains that the police have a job to do. Some aspects of that job are known to the public, some are not. In this case, the man had presented ID showing who he was. Once his identity and proper residency was established (by the showing of that ID), the police business was concluded. They should have left. Instead, they claimed he became confrontational, and arrested him.

That is where they screwed up. He can be a raging asshole, as long as he's not threatening them. Since that claim is never made, it's a fairly safe assumption that it did not happen.

They made a mistake, and are refusing to apologize. Damn straight we have a right to criticize them for their behavior.

Oh, and since he went to China, that ID he presented? It could well have included his passport (which is considered valid ID for federal, state, and local government purposes). It could have included his driver's license (considered valid ID for all state and local purposes). Hell, it could have even included his faculty ID card for all we know. All of which would have identified him as who he claimed to be, and at least one of which would have positively identified this as his home (driver's licenses across the country all have home address on them so far as I know).

[tabbyblack13]

According the an article on CNN.com the police stated that refused to so any proper ID. If he had shown any ID and explain what he was doing then the cops should have left him alone.

I also don't think that a cop should assume that everyone is a law abiding citizen. They will end up getting killed.

[Flyndaran]

...
I also don't think that a cop should assume that everyone is a law abiding citizen. They will end up getting killed.

They are beat cops not S.W.A.T. Beat cops job is to protect the innocent more than capture the guilty and definitely not to act like it's war and everyone is a potential enemy. That crap gets cops shot more than acting nice ever will.
I also don't take thier word as gospel. I am an atheist after all.

[BroomJockey]

According the an article on CNN.com the police stated that refused to so any proper ID.

According to the article in the OP, the officer's lying out his ass about what happened. If he's distorting quotes and facts (Gates says he had a bronchial infection, severe enough that he couldn't yell), then saying that he didn't show ID either isn't much of a stretch.

I think the true ground is somewhere in the middle. I doubt either of them acted quite as heinously as portrayed by the other.

[Flyndaran]

...
I think the true ground is somewhere in the middle. I doubt either of them acted quite as heinously as portrayed by the other.

It's our american right to be a douche, especially when sick and jet lagged. It in no way should be used to denigrate him.

[BroomJockey]

It in no way should be used to denigrate him.

And I wasn't. However, I don't think he was as genteel as he purports himself to have been. That would be kinda what I said. "Neither side how the other says, but in the middle."

[Flyndaran]

And I wasn't. However, I don't think he was as genteel as he purports himself to have been. That would be kinda what I said. "Neither side how the other says, but in the middle."

As long as middle in this case means 90+ percent for the professor, then I'm ok.

[Nyoibo]

Okay, a) I wasn't criticizing the police, I was attempting to figure out dd's position, which he's now expounded upon to my satisfaction.

b) the line I quoted is perhaps the silliest thing you could have possibly said, especially on a debate forum.

a) that wasn't directed at you, I meant "you" in the broad sense of the word
b) debating the actions and critcizing are 2 different things.

No one said that this jet lagged professor was berserking like psycho. That is dangerously close to libel.

Quoteing me on the wrong subject, I was responding directly to BJ with that, not the original article.

My father was one of the few great cops and even greater men. I've met too many of his disgusting macho disgraceful coworkers to ever give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Just because they have a more dangerous job than most, does not give them the right to illegally harrass others. Being human does not give them carte blanche to antoganize others and arrest anyone that they don't like.

Well then we better go over your fathers record with a fine toothed comb to make sure, not giving the benefit of the doubt and all and I'm so glad we have you here what with your first hand knowledge of the situation and all to let us know that what the police did was illegally harass antagonize and arrest someone they didn't like.