The case of Henry Louis Gates and arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley still has legs, it seems. Through a Massachusetts public records request, the Boston Herald has uncovered a number of complaints filed against Crowley in the past.Before anyone gets their hackles up, the number is only 8, and only 2 of them are from African-Americans. Additionally, in all cases Crowley was cleared. It's unclear, however, if he was found innocent by a citizen oversight panel, or by the police themselves, which would make things more dicey.
The real point is, a well-trained officer should have been able to defuse the situation and walk away. The site Crooks & Liars had the best take on the matter:
Policemen should not be allowed to arrest someone for being an *sshole in their own home. [...] That's really over the line of what cops should be allowed to do, regardless of the motivations, racial or otherwise.A comment at Raw Story has an interesting take as well:
If one understands police procedure, it is easy to conclude that Crowley intended to arrest Gates from the beginning, even if the professor was in his own home. Once Crowley ordered Gates “to step outside” on the porch, and Gates complied, Crowley could arrest Gates, since the porch was visible from the street, and Gates was no longer legally protected by the “privacy of his home.” This is why all the other officers supported Crowley on police procedure grounds. Had Gates refused to leave his house, Crowley would then have to decide whether to shoot Gate for “resisting arrest” and count on the thin blue line for support or call for backup, whereafter the issue would have been decided in Gates’ favor. In this respect, Crowley is a sneaky bastard, using the system to mask his prejudice. The fact that the public does not understand police procedure in these instances always works in the favor of the police.I'm no legal expert, and certainly no expert in police procedure. Perhaps a reader can comment on the validity of the above.
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