Allentown Cop Behaving Badly

By now some of you may have or may not have seen on the local blog 'Lehigh Valley With Love' a video in a post entitled :"Allentown Cop Smashes Singer to the Ground". Here's my thoughts..

Over the last several months I've become increasingly angry with these type of Rambo policing methods. There's a right way and a wrong way police should deal with loud mouth resisters. I'll give you four videos of how a good cop should behave in far more difficult scenarios then this street singer, then discuss more of this after you watch them.




First Up Dealing With Protestors Looking For Confrontation



Dealing With Traffic Stops



Confronting Open Carry Activists



Another Open Carry Confrontation

Increasingly police departments are hiring from former military members. Many who don't understand the difference between "escalating" and "deescalating" a situation. Wouldn't it been a whole lot better if the cop said, "come on James these guys don't want you here, let me walk you out of this area, OK buddy?" I know it sounds like appeasement, but in this guy's case what's the point of escalating this guy's anxiety with a WWE smack down? How does that help him or reduce the negative impressions of diners who may or may not want him around when they visit Allentown?

In the 60's when I walked to high school in Allentown we had such characters as "Uptown Susie", "Uptown Tony" and "Downtown Tony" as we called them. They spent their entire days wandering back and forth on Hamilton Street. Police knew them and somewhat patronized them understanding they had issues. On occasion they were more disruptive then this guy. No one ever on the police force back then would ever think of taking them down like this. We've closed the state hospital and Weaversville which once could provide the care they needed. Now police are punishing them on the streets instead of understanding some of the problems these people have.

As always I have a personal story. When the father-in-law was still alive he did crossing guard at 19th & Hamilton after he retired. Across the street was a home for outpatients. So he not only helped kids across the street but some of those as well. One day one of the women came to his corner and waited lunch box in hand for the bus to take her to her outpatient job. Howard (my father-in-law) said to her, "Did you forget something this morning?". There she stood completely naked. She said oops I forgot to get dressed and went back into the home. She wasn't arrested nor hauled in. She simply had issues. A few minutes later she reemerged dressed and ready for work. Something I doubt this cop would understand in today's world.

Good police work isn't about seeing how many people someone can throw into the back of a police car. It's also about looking out for the welfare of those incapable of understanding how their actions may irritate others or unable to meet what we consider the social norms. With that in mind I ask would this cop do this to his father or brother given the same circumstance?

These people aren't vermin and shouldn't be treated that way. Where's the compassion? Where's the understanding. Good lord what have we become!