Export thread

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/a...ing_suspect/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news

A tearful Detective Shandy Cobane told reporters the words he used \\\"were offensive and unprofessional.\\\"

\\\"A day has not passed that I wished I could rewind the events of that night and take back those hateful words,\\\" he added.

Cobane apologized to the Latino community, saying, \\\"I know that my words cut deep and were very hurtful.\\\"

Click to expand...

but not actions?

It turned out the man was not the robbery suspect, and the officers let him go.

Click to expand...

This is disgusting! Don't they screen police officers for this kind of behavior before they hire them??

After watching the video in question, it's not as violent as they're making it out to be. There was also no footage provided of what transpired when officers first made contact with the subject - there is no way of telling whether or not he was verbally belligerent/combative with officers - although, had he been verbally/physically combative, he'd have been in handcuffs for officer safety.

OTOH, there was no call for the officer to use that language. I'm a proponent of the "honey over vinegar" approach - 9 times out of 10 I'll talk with you rather than yelling at you. The officers couldn't have known what the subject was reaching for, so I can see stepping on his hand to restrain it, not to cause it pain. The female officer failed to follow through with her foot restraint, instead appearing to kick the subject.

All in all, a very poor showing for my side. There are those out there who can make the badge dirty.

I'm always a supporter of the police, but these two screwed up royally. If nothing else, those comments were out of line. I'm glad there's an investigation and it appears that the department is taking it seriously. They had better hope this guy doesn't sue, it would be a PR nightmare.