Bizarre, Criminal law, Society, Torts

Video: Baltimore Cop Abuses Teenager Verbally and Physically for Not Showing Enough Respect

This video shows a disturbing moment where a Baltimore police officer goes ballistic after confronting teenagers on the skateboards. He gets increasingly angry and then physical over a lack of respect.

Officers can have bad days and this is not a matter that should lead to termination. However, kids often complain (without such proof) of officers becoming abusive for no reason. This is a textbook case of such abuse and should be part of a training class for officers. The officer clearly used his authority improperly and excessively in dealing with the teenagers. It should be a basis for a reprimand and compelled training classes for the officer. Throwing the teenager to the ground for no reason would constitute battery and excessive force. What is remarkable is that the most calm voices in the scene are the teenagers — a rather bad sign.

For the video, click here

5 thoughts on “Video: Baltimore Cop Abuses Teenager Verbally and Physically for Not Showing Enough Respect”

  1. Pingback: Shock Video: Kalamazoo Public Affairs Officer Slams Teen Head First Into Wall « JONATHAN TURLEY

  3. Wow quite the public servant. I wonder why he inquires about where the kid is from? (Are you from the county?) It sounds like the mentality is “I’ll show you the baddest dude (pun intended) in town,” plus a little class envy thrown in there also. This is a sad but all too frequent approach by insular law enforcement officers trying to maintain some “street respect” among kids who have no idea about the officer’s world. Of course, he has no idea about their world either. That’s why I favor community policing, with its emphasis on knowing the community you encounter. These kids were not obsequious, but they were not disrespectful either–at least by the standards of a democracy. He may have just had a bad day, but who just ignores a running video-recorder even on a bad day. That’s simply stupid.

  4. Ya gotta love cell-phone technology.

    Officer Riviera is a model of respect due – as shown.

    This makes about as much sense as the parent who spanks a child for hitting another child on the playground etc etc etc

  5. I wonder what he, (the cop), did to the other kid that DIDN’T get caught on tape at the end when you can hear his inquiries as to whether the cell phone was recording? Yet another example of a person emotionally ill-equipped for the position he is in. Sad but all to common.

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