Comments on: Shock Video: Kalamazoo Public Affairs Officer Slams Teen Head First Into Wall

By: gene

gene — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:57:52 +0000

oh please stop with the liberal whinning.unlike the average citizen,people who join the force to protect and to serve are fully trained in handling situations as they come up.police brutality is not a excuse ticket.if a citizen had done what this well trained officer did he would be behind bars for assault and attempted murder.police uphold the law,not interpet it as they see fit to.

By: Servant

Servant — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:30:18 +0000

10 days of suspension was not enough. This so sad. This policeman bring shame to the badge.

By: mespo727272

mespo727272 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:52:35 +0000

JT:

I feel for the cop too who had no idea how to deal with a person in these circumstances. While deploring this officer’s conduct, his being utterly unprepared to meet this situation casts blame beyond the actions of one man. He appears to be a good person who publicly apologized (a real one) and appears remorseful. This should be a clarion call to further train our point men in law enforcement, but I am guessing it will just sweep by without ever a mention of the root cause of the problem. Of course, SWAT training will continue at full throttle, despite its rare use and dubious Constitutional basis. Those big guns, black tights and paramilitary camaraderie are just too much fun to give up.

By: jonathanturley

jonathanturley — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:21:31 +0000

Mespo:

As always, thanks for that follow-up information. It is simply amazing as you observe.

By: mespo727272

mespo727272 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:57:23 +0000

From the article:

“Since 2005, 20 misdemeanor and felony charges have been brought against the teen, but he was not prosecuted for any of them because judges determined he was mentally incompetent to stand trial.”
***************

The sad thing – beyond the obvious excessive force — is the total lack of training this 10 year police veteran had in first recognizing and then dealing with a citizen who suffers from mental illness. His first reaction was force then punishment, which has turned this entire episode into a debacle for all concerned. By the way, the kid’s crime was spitting on the ground and not paying his bus fare of $1.50.