Seattle Police Officer Punches 17 Year Old

[MyNameDidntFit]

Alright. So this is a topic that has been getting some rather heated discussion around on other forums/comment threads I've seen so I thought I'd bring it up here.

On Wednesday, a Seattle police officer punched a 17 year old girl in the face after she attempted to stop the arrest of another girl who was resisting arrest after the officer stopped her for jaywalking and she tried to walk away as he was speaking to her.

Now, personally, I think she got exactly what she deserved. If you shove a police officer, give him shit and try to intervene in an arrest you're getting off lightly if all you get is a hit to the face.

The video is on the source page. Thoughts? Opinions?

Source (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Cop-Caught-Hitting-Girl-In-The-Face-Seattle-Police-Officer-Punches-17-Year-Old-Female/Article/201006315650356?f=rss)

[Archangel]

Seems pretty fair to me.

After watching that video, seems like she was pretty much asking for it. I mean, booking people for jaywalking is a bit extensive, but then resisting arrest and fighting against a police officer is too. If you're gonna start struggling with someone as such, it's a fairly natural response to react strongly, with a touch of violence.

The guy was probably exercising some fairly solid self-control in only hitting her once, actually. Anyone else, officer or not, could have laid into her alot worse than that mild little punch.

[Lance]

Ok, just reading the subject I was thinking "Huh? How does a Police Office hit someone?" :D

Seriously though - hitting was maybe too far to go, but it just seemed to be instinctual as well. It's not like he continued to hit on her, it was one punch after he was provoked by someone that had nothing to do with the arrest.

[Jason]

If the officer genuinely felt threatened, then I see no problem with him acting like that to defend himself. As previously stated, if you push a police officer and act in an aggressive manner, then expect aggression in return.

This is actually where I have a lot more respect for the US (and other countries') police forces - they don't fuck about. If you're being a danger to others then you can expect to be taken down in pretty short order. Over here, we tend to be very British about our approach to policing - "excuse me sir, would you mind awfully putting down that bloodstained machete? No sir, please don't chop that hooker's legs off... look sir - if you keep dismembering people, I'm really going to have no choice but to fill in the form authorising me to consider thinking about maybe using this small can of pepper spray"

[Archangel]

What you need are '70s British Cops. Like Gene Hunt.

Great guy.

[dimples]

I'd have done the same thing. You just don't lay your hands on cops. You simply don't. She crossed the line, and who knows what she would have done if he didn't punch her. It didn't even look like a hard hit. If it had been a male he hit, no one would be talking about this.

[MyNameDidntFit]

The opinion here seems to be the general consensus of most people I've seen speak on the matter. One thing that greatly amused me on Steam forums was when someone who was against the copper's actions used the argument of "what if it was your daughter?" and both myself and a few other members returned with "I'd have dropped her myself".

[Landy]

I think the cop did the right thing in defending himself. There is a fine line between being defensive and abusive.

[Archangel]

I'd have done the same thing. You just don't lay your hands on cops. You simply don't. She crossed the line, and who knows what she would have done if he didn't punch her. It didn't even look like a hard hit. If it had been a male he hit, no one would be talking about this.

White* male.

[Jason]

Good point. Although going by the US Police's previous record, I doubt he'd have stopped at just the one for a black male. :p

[Archangel]

Mind you, if a black or white male had been whinging nearly as much as that, they deserve nothing less.

And the punch should have been followed up by an apt "Cry some more!".

Now that would have been excellent.

[dimples]

I don't care who it would have been. A man, black or white, or a woman. Wrong is wrong! And it sucks that we have so many double standarts.

[CemeteryGates]

A punch was going a bit far, I think, but it was probably just instinct.

Besides, as you guys said, it was only a punch.
In Mexico, trying to intervene in an arrest would probably result in a beating and being arrested for assault on a police officer and complicity with the other person's crime(s).

[MyNameDidntFit]

That's how it should be, I'd say. You interfere with the law, you're not better than someone who is outright breaking it and deserve to be punished in whatever way the officer sees fit.

Sometimes I get thinking it'd be nice if the law books of the countries had the same disclaimer most forums have 'officers of the law reserve the right to do their bloody job and if you don't like it; piss off or take it up with someone higher'.

[Archangel]

That's just asking for police brutality and corruption, though.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Pfft, a little corruption never did any harm.

[Steph]

Personally I hate to see a guy hit a woman but ... fair enough.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Usually, I'd agree. However, gender -- nor race, religion, creed or anything else -- is not, and should not be, a get out of jail free card when it comes to the enforcing of the law.

[CemeteryGates]

That's just asking for police brutality and corruption, though.


Police not fucking around would lead to corruption, you believe?

In Mexico, one of the most corrupt places in the world, probably the most in the northern hemisphere (exlcuding Pridnestrovskaya, though it's not officially recognized anyway), corruption exists because the police isn't harsh.

You do 90 kmph on a 90 kmph limit area, a police car stops you and says you were dangerously driving on the edge... you can solve this by going to the station, having your car in a lot for 2 days (where it'll likely lose pieces, plus you'll have to pay about $80 USD to get it back) and spend several hours there, until a lawyer gets there and makes a scene... so you lose 6 hours of your day.
Or they offer you to donate a little soda money and they'll get back to work...
If, however, you're doing 110 kmph or more, they won't bother trying to chase you and will just wait for the next sucker.
But then the government came up with something... now there's hidden cameras that photograph your plates when you exceed the limit, so if you're too fast for cops, you'll get a huge fine three times as expensive on the mail.

But what can you expect from these guys?
They get paid the equivalent to $280 USD a month. For patroling the streets of a country currently fighting an internal war against drug cartels that have better weapons and more manpower than the army, let alone the police?
Not only that, but police officers must also pay for every bullet they use... even in the training range.
Obviously, with that salary, few if any officers practice, and it's better for their economy, let alone their health, to simply look the other way than trying to engage heavily-armed criminals.

The only occasion in which they are very strict and do the sort of stuff I mention earlier, is when it's a plain civilian pissing them off and intervening.


I don't mean to sound as if I support a police state, which I don't, but many countries, and certainly mine, could use well-paid policemen with balls who are trained and even indoctrinated to deal with people who disturb social peace... in my opinion, that includes rebellious immature people who only want to stir shit up and show off in front of their friends by saying "fuck the police" and disrupting order.

[Steph]

They get paid the equivalent to $280 USD a month. For patroling the streets of a country currently fighting an internal war against drug cartels that have better weapons and more manpower than the army, let alone the police?
Not only that, but police officers must also pay for every bullet they use... even in the training range.
Obviously, with that salary, few if any officers practice, and it's better for their economy, let alone their health, to simply look the other way than trying to engage heavily-armed criminals.

Holy shit that's unfair.
I thought they got paid a lot.
And having to pay for every bullet they use, I don't think that's right ...

[Archangel]

On the whole, it'd probably do a world of good, really. But there'll always be some dick that signs up to the police force because he can do whatever s/he wants with no questions asked.

[MyNameDidntFit]

That's why you, obviously, have in place secondary and, possibly, tertiary tiers of 'governance' basically being higher rank officers who, while it is possible that they could be corrupt, it is far less likely and is even less likely to be the sort of corruption that directly affects the populace.

Their governing would, ideally, be in the same manner the police officers' enforcement of the law is: do as they see fit.