I believe there was a power struggle on both sides. After the professor gave the officer his identification, the officer should have done the same. I believe this is what set off the professor, in turn the officer now had to deal with an upset person and niether of them were giving in. I also, think the professor was the one who took it to the next level making it about him being black. Couldn't he get this information afterword if he wanted to file charges against the officer?
After being a police officer for 26 years, retiring as the Chief of Police and consulting on police agencies in 10 different states, I am amazed at the actions of Sergeant Crowley. There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer. Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant. Now I understand why the charge was dropped. It appears the arrest was illegal.
When they saw his ID within the house, all was right.
There is no crime in raising your voice to a policeman, they enforce the law and are not above the law!
The professor was well within his legal rights by asking for the cops name and badge number. The cop made it an issue by refusing to provide that information.
Most people that are not of color, do not know the unprofessional conduct, disrespect and power a policeman directs at minorities on a daily basis!
why did the policeman refuse to give his badge number as required by the law? If he had nothing to hide.
Do the people know what a police state is? it is one in which a policeman is never wrong. What is disorderly conduct?
I suspect that most of the comments supporting the police are by relatives and friends of the police. I know from direct personal experience about profiling being a euphemisim for racisim.
The police are always on a power trip, thats why they become police they would love a police state like Iran here.
After being a police officer for 26 years, retiring as the Chief of Police and consulting on police agencies in 10 different states, I am amazed at the actions of Sergeant Crowley. There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer. Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant. Now I understand why the charge was dropped. It appears the arrest was illegal.
think he overreacted. He should be thankful that he has concioutious neighbors who are watchful of the neighborhood, and just handed his ID and than thank the officers for being proactive in watching his apartment for possible burglary. -----------------------------------------------------------
I agree with the above writer. From the known facts, the case is simple. Gates acted like a mad jerk. Instead of being grateful that the cops acted so promptly, he went into a tirade and thus was arrested. Race played no part in all of this except in Gate's mind and the minds of his supporters.
Sane conclusions on a message board?? Wow!! That's not why articles like this are printed. We don't call the police when there is suspicious activity in our neighborhoods?? I disagree. My friends and I had a campfire in my back yard. Nothing spectacular, just playing music and doing hotdogs. My neighbor called the fire dept. Was she a racist?
Aren't police officers required to provide their name and badge number upon request just as we are "required" to show identification when asked by them?
Ok Puddleman2 - lets get your stats straight for this is the MIS-information which leads to profiling.
While there are more blacks in prison PER their population in the US, there are more WHITE MALES in prison than any other race. Get it?? Blacks are a minority in the population but more percentage wise are incarcerated but more white males are in prison overall. #2 - White males commit more rapes, bank robberies, mass killings, hate crimes and white collar crimes than any race COMBINED. Have you heard of blacks shooting kids in high school class rooms?? No - that is a 'white thing' - Have you heard of black serial killers - no that is a white thing.
Gates DID offer id and only when he asked for the cops ID (which police are to provided upon request) was he arrested. Again, get your facts straight - he did not get arrested for NOT supplying his ID - he got arrested AFTER he asked for the cops ID.
he was arrested because of his come-uppity attitude and couldn't stay calm in the situation and let the officers do their job to sort out all the facts . As educated and famous as this man is , you would think he could stay civil long enough to to let all the facts be presented - I don't blame any officer for arresting someone who is beligerent and following them and harrassing them ...their jobs are hard enough ! Another thing... Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton need to get REAL jobs!!!!
I disagree. This was a typical black man in a white neighborhood. The cops saw his ID and still arrested him. They refused to release their OWN information, which they are required by law to give when asked. The cops should have realized he was upset, they had confirmed his identity, they knew he had a LEGAL right to be where he was, they should have just left. But once again the cops were on a power trip had to prove they were in CHARGE. I am a WHITE woman and even I see that the cops were wrong.
He should apologize to the police for acting rude when they were simply doing their job. The fact is 7 out of 8 homicides are committed by blacks; other crimes have similar stats. Law enforcement's sensitivity to race is common sense. What's wrong with common sense?
After being a police officer for 26 years, retiring as the Chief of Police and consulting on police agencies in 10 different states, I am amazed at the actions of Sergeant Crowley. There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer. Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant. Now I understand why the charge was dropped. It appears the arrest was illegal.
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There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer.
Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant.
Now I understand why the charge was dropped.
It appears the arrest was illegal.
James Robenson
When they saw his ID within the house, all was right.
There is no crime in raising your voice to a policeman, they enforce the law and are not above the law!
The professor was well within his legal rights by asking for the cops name and badge number. The cop made it an issue by refusing to provide that information.
Most people that are not of color, do not know the unprofessional conduct, disrespect and power a policeman directs at minorities on a daily basis!
Do the people know what a police state is? it is one in which a policeman is never wrong. What is disorderly conduct?
I suspect that most of the comments supporting the police are by relatives and friends of the police. I know from direct personal experience about profiling being a euphemisim for racisim.
The police are always on a power trip, thats why they become police they would love a police state like Iran here.
There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer.
Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant.
Now I understand why the charge was dropped.
It appears the arrest was illegal.
James Robenson
-----------------------------------------------------------
I agree with the above writer. From the known facts, the case is simple. Gates acted like a mad jerk. Instead of being grateful that the cops acted so promptly, he went into a tirade and thus was arrested. Race played no part in all of this except in Gate's mind and the minds of his supporters.
My friends and I had a campfire in my back yard. Nothing spectacular, just playing music and doing hotdogs. My neighbor called the fire dept.
Was she a racist?
While there are more blacks in prison PER their population in the US, there are more WHITE MALES in prison than any other race. Get it?? Blacks are a minority in the population but more percentage wise are incarcerated but more white males are in prison overall. #2 - White males commit more rapes, bank robberies, mass killings, hate crimes and white collar crimes than any race COMBINED. Have you heard of blacks shooting kids in high school class rooms?? No - that is a 'white thing' - Have you heard of black serial killers - no that is a white thing.
Gates DID offer id and only when he asked for the cops ID (which police are to provided upon request) was he arrested. Again, get your facts straight - he did not get arrested for NOT supplying his ID - he got arrested AFTER he asked for the cops ID.
There is no law against a citizen being irate, irritated or angry about being contacted by police officers for alleged law violations. If what I have read is correct, I can?t began to understand what Sergeant Crowley arrested Dr. Gates for, after Dr. Gates had shown his identification in his home to the officer.
Further, it is accepted and established ?protocol? that when any citizen asks an on-duty (uniform or not) police officer for his name, badge number and identification (there are a lot of badges around). Even a uniformed officer is required to have on his/her person at all times, proper identification that substantiates that they are who they appear to be. Failure of an officer to give his/her name, badge number and identification when requested to do so by any person with whom they are dealing with in any capacity is a serious violation of established national administrative policies and practices and if sustained can be negatively sanctioned up to termination .
What we are taught to do is to leave the scene and not to escalate the matter when it is obvious that the victim, suspect, etc. is upset. Extending the time of the interview once, it was clear the person was not a suspect and there was no crime smacks of ?contempt of cop?.
I am not sure what legitimate crime was being committed when Dr. Gates was arrested.
If a person is disturbing the peace in their own home, then it requires a third party to lodge a complaint and the police would, perhaps, eventually arrest the person for the neighbor complainant.
Now I understand why the charge was dropped.
It appears the arrest was illegal.
James Robenson