This is awesome. tl;dr: Grumpy old man calls cops “too much” on single parent + kid across the street. Cop and dispatchers get drunk, egg his house, and presumably drive away hitting fire hydrants and telephone poles in their daring escape. Chief steps in like a boss and terminates those involved.
Yes, I feel sorry for all of the individuals involved. But I stand firmly on the side of law and order in this case, and that probably means “Don’t throw eggs at peoples houses.”
I am a big fan of law enforcement even when I am on the wrong side of it. That’s why I pay my speeding tickets — dur, I was probably speeding. You treat me with respect and I treat you with respect. But with great power comes great responsibility. If I were to egg my coworker’s house, I’d probably get a stern talking to and would probably not get fired. But if you’re a cop with guns and authority and all that comes with it, then you shouldn’t be in the business of retaliating against your customers.
I found this story through the DMN’s Carrollton blog, and you can read the police chief’s full statement on the matter as well, or Steve Blow’s column on the whole thing.
Again, my sincere condolences to all the individuals involved, but the action that the organization took has made me trust the Carrollton Police Department a lot more as a whole. Having a bright line against abuses of power is what will hopefully prevent future abuses and just plain stupidity.
19:55 CST | category / entries
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