#1 |
LibertyPlease |
February 12th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
yeah, I had a cop threaten to arrest me once for doing 75 in a 60 (all traffic was doing 70-75). Seems I wasn’t sufficiently compliant….. much like this 14yr old “citizen nothing”
Love the end…if I find myself on….. hmmm, YouTube? he is going to do WHAT exactly? I’m shocked at the number of videos up with police utilizing pretty aggressive tactics with some little 70lb skater kids who aren’t being violent (this is one of many videos like this). It seems to me he is actually making terroristic threats against the kid (who committed the crime of ‘dude-ing’) by saying he was going to 1) beat him up and 2) that he was going to be dead soon. Very disturbing
Respect has to be earned. They taught us that at officers basic school. The bar gives you power, the respect gives you authority. There is a difference.
Officer Riviera needs a body image consultant. If you look like a clown, people will mistake you for one. He reminded me of the Bees (John Bulishi, et al) on SNL.
“Paul Blair, head of the police union, had not seen the video but cautioned that videos show only a slice of a story. He noted that it is impossible to know what happened before or after the camera was turned on.”
What a surprise — the kids turn the camera off because Officer Rivieri oinks a threat at them about having it on (after having waddled over to assault one of them already), and the head of the police union cautions against rushing to judgment because we can’t know what happens after the camera was turned off!
Its not the cop’s fault…its the video’s fault! BAN PEOPLE FROM FILMING COPS AND THINGS LIKE THIS WON’T HAPPEN!!! I guess we all know exactly why cops don’t want you to be able to film them.
What was that he was saying at the end? “You got that camera on? If I find myself…” I’m guessing that ends ‘on the internet’ or something, with another threat.
Oops, maybe officer suspended will learn to respect some citizens, and not just push them around because he’s got a badge and he’s bigger than them.
Never mind suspension — if I rushed at a child, put him in a headlock, choked him, and knocked him down, I’d be prosecuted. Will this guy face charges? Why wasn’t that battery?
“Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department and the mayor’s office, said authorities have begun an internal-affairs investigation”
Don’t worry everyone, they are going to do an internal investigation.
What a pathetic, little man. The best part is when he pulls up his shorts as he’s walking back to the kids. How delightfully cliche. This guy ought to be fired forthwith. I LOVE that these kids had the balls to tape this maniac and then upload it the video.
When I was a prosecutor in Baltimore I had to deal with clowns like this every day. The kid in question is a punk. But that does not excuse the unprofessional and threatening behavior of the cop. He should be fired and prosecuted for 2d Assault.
I confess. If I were having a really bad day (and was 50 lbs heavier), I am capable of acting like this cop. Then again, this is why I should never be a police officer — even at my current weight. Police work is not for everybody.
I pray for some wisdom here. Doctors make mistakes all of the time and people die as a result. Do we judge a doctor’s 40 year career by their worst five moments? Do we take the doctor’s pension away? This is rare. How can we put some slack into the system so that a cop having a bad day does not lose his pension? The way it is now, police think that they are the only profession that is cut off from their pensions with one mistake–cops think this is unfair, so guess what they do. They cover up everything. The same cover up system that protects “good cops” who made one little mistake is the same system that covers up for psyco’s like Officer Golf Cart here. We need a system that promotes truth and fairness for all sides. BTW, I bet this cop loves kids. I bet he has no idea how out of control he is. I feel sorry for him.
--11
#20 |
Michael Pack |
February 12th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
t. reed,this was not a mistake.It was assault and battery.Anyone who did this at his job would be fired.
+7
#21 |
ZappaCrappa |
February 12th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
So T. Reed…you’re ok with cops assaulting kids I take it…just because he might be having a bad day? Something tells me this cops has several bad days…usually in a row….for the last 17 years. I wonder what would happen to me if I was having a bad day and shoved a minor around and then put him in a headlock?
Yeah, so do I. Poor jackass, had such a bad day and then this mean kid disses him. And when the truth is exposed for the public to saviour, the poor cop is so alone … no corrupt police union to assist him, all alone…. Enough to make you quit the job …..
I hope he will.
You know t. reed, the small difference between a doctor and a cop is the latter has a gun, a taser, the backing of the law, the backing of his superiors and the backing of his union. And then he calls himself a proud public servant. He’ll get his pension, don’t worry. He would even if he had permanently injured the boy for “resisting arrest”.
I don’t feel sorry for him. When you have the responsibility of someones freedom and liberty, not to mention their life. There is no room for a bad day. These are public servants, not our keepers. If they can’t do the job properly and professionally they need to be fired, just like anybody at any other job. Things like this happen all to often across the country, his bad day could get someone killed. Do you think this officer had a bad day?
Cop dumping a quadraplegic out of his wheelchair in the booking area. Now here’s a REAL kicker….
“Records show Sterner was arrested on charges of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer from an incident on Oct. 25.”
Your kidding right? Fleeing and attempting to elude? I must be missing something or they must be REALLY juicing up those wheelchairs these days. I’m just going to give the benefit of the doubt to the cops on that charge until I see the whole story…but I’m suspicious of a quadraplegic being behind the wheel of a vehicle.
OK cops and apologists…we know your out there…justify this one please. Maybe the cop and her supervisors that were there to witness the whole thing were just “having a bad day.”
> Doctors make mistakes all of the time and people die as a result.
>Do we judge a doctor’s 40 year career by their worst five
>moments? Do we take the doctor’s pension away?
If they deliberately beat up one of their patients, then yeah, we do.
City Police Officer Accused Of Breaking Teen’s Jaw
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against a city police sergeant. It clams he broke the jaw of a teenager.
The police department tells Suzanne Collins internal affairs is investigating.
Tevin James says a city police sergeant punched him in the jaw for no reason. The 16-year-old has trouble explaining because after two weeks his jaw is still wired shut….
This cop reminds me of the drill sergeant in “Full Metal Jacket” — he’s acting like a fool and just daring those kids to smirk or talk back. The difference is that I can’t tell if this guy is doing it intentionally or not.
Pushing a broom? He should be pushing the bars of his bunk bed while his cell mate enjoys his new prison bitch.
And I’m sure the police want to find the person who posted this to YouTube — so they can send the SWAT team to plant drugs in his bedroom. That will show the citizen nothing just who is in charge.
+1
#35 |
Chris Farley |
February 12th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
It’s good to see civil libertarians like Frank up there getting all worked up about this type of police abuse, and then endorsing prison rape. That’s quite a combo.
Even if I hadn’t recognized the Inner Harbor from the video I would have bet good money that this incident involved a B’more cop. These are the same folks who arrest people for getting lost and having the temerity to ask a cop for directions.
#45 |
Observant Bystander |
February 13th, 2008 at 2:14 am
And who would defend this officer, but a blogger on a site that claims, “it is better to have the problems associated with too much liberty, than the problems arising from not having enough.”
I’m not bothered by what the cop did. The only think I wonder about is what he did with the skateboard.
If he’d taken the kid to the ground and handcuffed him, I’d have thought it was excessive. Did he even have handcuffs, a gun or a nightstick? He never indicated he did, and never tried to use them.
The only time he touched the kid was when the kid wouldn’t give him the skateboard. And he got a whiny 14-year old to sit down and shut up, without even cuffing the kid. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment. Good for him.
I bet all of these kids treat cops with ten times more respect now than before they met this guy. Not because they feel like cops are “good people.” Because, frankly, vast numbers of teenagers that age don’t treat people they think are “good” with respect. They only respect power and force.
Anyone who’s had to deal with whiny 14-year-olds like the object of this cop’s orders knows that all they really understand is direct threats of force. Everything else is just a challenge to overcome. They’ll wait for the slightest opening, and then immediately disregard everything they’ve been told to do.
If this cop hadn’t done what he’d done, the kids would have waited until his back was turned, and started skateboarding again. They don’t have an ounce of respect for him, and he knows it. He knows all they understand is force, and he applies it.
All of you who are mad at him need to go back and listen to his tone when he first speaks in the video, and then to his tone when the big whiner out of the three finally sits down and shows compliance. They are virtually identical. Note how he compliments the other two kids — they “have brains” and “know when to shut up.”
He’s in control. He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.
And don’t gimmie that crap that he was “threatening” the kids life when he told the kid he’d get killed if he didn’t learn respect. He was just speaking the absolute truth. If the kid isn’t killed by a cop, or a criminal, he’ll be killed by his own skateboard one day when he misjudges a risk. Respect is essential to survival.
This was on Good Morning America this morning. I was floored by how they almost seemed to be defending the cop.
I love how they claim that cops are “held to a higher standard”. I think the next time someon disrespects me at work, I’m going to throw them to the floor and take away their notepad. I could use a paid vacation… errr… suspension.
Phil, yeah, that’s what we need, a bunch of cops who go around ordering folks around. Who get pissy when their capricious orders aren’t immediately followed.
He only got mad when the kid didn’t give him the skateboard? What gave the cop the privilege to take the skateboard? Just some random seizure law “I can take anything I want by force”?
Here’s what the kids really learned: Some guy wearing a badge can hassle them as much as he wants whenever he wants, for whatever reason he wants, and then berate them, and tell them to be good little serfs. I certainly wouldn’t have any respect for a penny-ante thug like that, who demands it just cause he’s wearing a tin star.
+9
#52 |
Internal Affairs |
February 13th, 2008 at 9:58 am
After reviewing the tape of this incident, we’ve determined that Officer Riviera was wrong to to not seize the camera when contact with these disrespectful punks was made.
Corrective action will be taken, and policy updated, to make sure that this unfortunate mistake does not happen again.
I just watched an ABC news clip of this from Good Morning America. What really irritates me is the Reporter keeps saying the officer was wrong because we hold officers to a higher standard.
It is perhaps true we hold officers to a higher standard however that had no bearing here. A higher standard would be one where the officer does not raise his voice/start swearing/being disrespectful to people who are doing those things. Here the officer is using physical force to counteract percieved verbal disrespect. That isn’t a higher standard issue. Here the officer is responsible for escalating the situation to the next level.
- He didn’t take the skateboard from the other kids. Only the one he deemed disrespectful. Clearly he only did that because he wanted to punish that kid.
- There is no reason for him to touch that kid.
- It’s not the job of the police to teach kids lessons or respect. That’s the parents job.
- You seem to think the kid learned something positive from this. You are mistaken. He learned that cops are bullies who abuse their position and are full of BS.
- “He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.” Yeah, that’s how you get respect. Maybe you should try that next time someone cuts you off in traffic.
+6
#55 |
Observant Bystander |
February 13th, 2008 at 11:40 am
“He’s in control. He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.”
Phil, so do you think the missing line at the end of the tape might have been, “You got that camera on? If I find myself on YouTube, I’ll be ever so very pleased because I am in control and teaching all teenagers a valuable lesson.” I’m betting it wasn’t.
“He was just speaking the absolute truth. If the kid isn’t killed by a cop, or a criminal, he’ll be killed by his own skateboard one day when he misjudges a risk. Respect is essential to survival.”
What does respect have to do with how well he rides his skateboard and judges or misjudges risks? Is a less respectful person more likely to blow a jump off some stairs?
I have been treated the same way! And at 55, I don’t qualify as a smart mouthed teenager. Just a little mumbling can set these guys off. And, they have the guns. I think he needs a different type of job. He does not handle this one well. And I know a doctor who lost his career for marrying a patient! They can use call kind of reasons against them!
+2
#57 |
Internal Affairs |
February 13th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Oh, and we suggest that all school districts follow the example set by Prince Georges County:
“One response, by Prince Georges County high schools, has been to invite police to teach classes on how to be arrested, handcuffed, and searched. Wall Street Journal at BI, 16 (June 16, 1994).”
If the punk had known what is required of him when confronted by a peace officer, then his disrespectful attitude could have been prevented.
In what capacity have you professionally dealt with non-compliant 14-year-old kids? I only ask because you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about.
Les, what the cop did worked. That’s what I commended him on. He got total compliance from these kids without using any physical force.
I also appreciated how the cop told the kid to call his mom, as soon as the kids sit down and start complying. That’s not the act of a cop who wants to lord over kids and show off how much force he can use. This cop was taking control of a situation that could have very easily gotten out of hand.
It’s clear that these kids had been ignoring his commands to stop skateboarding. The tape conveniently starts after he finally gets them to stop and listen to him.
There were three of these kids, and only one cop. They were ignoring his verbal commands. How does one cop get control of that kind of situation? They could have run in three different directions, and he’d have only been able to chase one. And in his shape probably wouldn’t have caught the one he chased.
Yet by projecting authority, he got all three kids to comply and sit down. No handcuffs, no tazers, no high-speed chases.
I’m a strong supporter of high standards for the use of force by law enforcement. But I don’t understand why a cop simply yelling and taking away a kids skateboard is creating so much fuss. What do you want him to do? Ask nicely a few times, and when the kids keep ignoring him, and making excuses, taze them?
Someone mentioned that the cop only took one guy’s skateboard, to “punish” him. I don’t know what happened to the confiscated skateboard, and if the cop didn’t eventually give it back, then he should have. My guess is that he took one skateboard to show he could do it, to gain control, and then left the other kids alone because they were complying, and encouraging their mouthy friend to be quiet.
The force this cop showed was all hypothetical, other than grabbing the skateboard. I think that’s great, because he scared the crap out of the kids. And they should be scared. They’re breaking the law, and ignoring a cop’s orders to stop. Whiny excuses that “I didn’t hear you” aren’t sufficent to excuse that behavior (and the cop quite possibly didn’t believe them).
But again, the bottom line is there was no physical force used. No one was hurt. When the kids sat down and shut up, the cop immediately lowered his voice.
As far as I can tell, the only thing that offends people is that the cop was yelling. I guess I think that yelling is a fair response to kids breaking the law, and ignoring a cop’s command to stop. If there are no consequences for that now, what are the kids going to do next? Ignore a cop who tells them to pull over?
I wonder what Phil’s definition of force is? It sounds like by Phil’s explanation, the cop could have been pistol whipping the kid, but if he had his hand on the skateboard at the time it would be classified as “taking away the skateboard”.
I guess the cop figured if the kid got back up he’d make a mad rush at him and grab the skateboard back, so he had to push him down again?
The cop is Walter from The Big Lebowski.
Not to make light of an obvious case of (hemor)rhoid rage,but that real life video looks like it could be the opening scene from a sequel to The Big Lebowski.
Walter inadvertently reunites The Dude with the son he never knew he had.
Apart from the cop doing a pretty fair John Goodman impression,what really made me flash on Lebowski was the part in the video where the kid says he doesn’t have a father.
It’s Little Dude!
Some people might even have fun by mixing the video with the soundtrack to the movie.
Not to make cops look ridiculous.
They don’t need any help with that.
Just for fun.
Your defense of this officer is both delusional and pathetic. The officer begins yelling when the kid says he didn’t hear him, and seems to possibly cut him off while the officer is going on some over-blown mellodramatic speech about back-talk.
Combined with his harping on the word “dude,” and the second shove of the child to the ground, it’s pretty clear this officer is taking out frustration and anger, rather than proffessionally responding to a situation. The kids response that he didn’t hear the officer is not back-talk as much as a natural inclination to portray one’s actions as innocent and not disrespectful lest one be arrested.
But let’s assume the kid said “whatever!” or “What do you mean I can’t skateboard?! That’s stupid!” Would this officer’s response be any more appropriate? I doubt it. At the end the officer appears to clearly be over-reaching talking about how the kid is going to end up dead!!?? Threat or not, why is he talking about the kid getting killed because he told the officer he didn’t hear him?
“I also appreciated how the cop told the kid to call his mom, as soon as the kids sit down and start complying.” Ummm, seriously dude? The officer TOLD the kid to call his mom?????? Is there a video that you’re seeing that the rest of the world did not. “Damn right you’re gonna call your mom,” is the same as “I suggest you call your mother.” You’re a hack, Phil.
Man, I hope that parent eventually tore that cop a new one about harrassing her son.
As it’s been pointed out, he did use physical force, twice. Those kids, and most people viewing that video, have now less respect for police (and especially that officer), precisely because of the way he handled that situation.
I worked for many years with kids who made these kids look like happy preschoolers. Threats, attacks, you name it. In situation after situation, teachers a lot smaller than the fat thug on the video dealt with them without yelling and certainly without violence. They knew there were consequences for their actions and they actually did respect us because we were different from all the other adults in their lives who could only threaten them, the way the useless cop on the video did.
If you continue to confidently repeat your position in the face of the facts (again, the cop was violent, twice) and your utter ignorance of how to deal constructively with rebellious kids, I hope you’ll at least seriously consider having a vasectomy.
As a cop who defends other cops on this site. I can’t agree with you more that kids, and of course adults have lost respect for police officers in part thanks to this 17 year veteran, who of all people should know how to handle this job better.
What this jerk did was make it harder for me to defend cops, who I think use necesary force, to people on this site and elsewhere.
H enever even encountered these kids before. So, it’s not like this was the same kids gving him problems everyday. He never saw them before and they did nothing that I can see was disrepectful.
You hit the frickin’ nail on the head. I think most cops are decent people, and you reinforce that impression. Now, if we could just get police to stand up to abusive coworkers in situations when the cameras are NOT on, we’d be good…
And let’s not forget, if the kid had not shown restraint, this could have easily escalated into more injuries. Over what? Skateboards? Come on - a sense of proportion here.
Thanks and good point about co-workers. But I have to say not only becasue I am asuperviser but even as an offiicer, I don’t think the abusive officers, the one or many, would do things in front of decent officers. I can’t speak for all departments though.
Just my 2 cents, but as a long time B’more Native here is my opinion of what will happen to this guy. First keep in mind that this incident happened at the Inner Harbor. It looks like it is on the southern side near the Science Center, Rusty Scupper, Rash field etc. Not right on tourist main street, but darn close. No one in Baltimore or Maryland (politicians, police big-wigs, chamber of commerce or even state officials. ) wants tourists to see this going on in Happy Harbor. It’s bad for the tourist and convention trade. For cops, it might not be the cushiest job in the force, but its close. There is crime, but it is mostly theft and the cop-per-square block is high so there is plenty of back up. The police substation on the harbor should not be too far from where this happened. It ain’t driving the mayor around in an SUV, but it ain’t charging through crack house doors either. My prediction is that this guy will get a lot more grief than had this happened in Cherry Hill or Pigtown. He will likely get reassigned to some high violence crime area dramatized so well in The Wire. No one on this site will be happy, but his life will get a whole lot worse. Of course he will still manhandle teens and take his aggression out on helpless citizens, but they will be poor and likely black and it won’t happen in front of the cameras or tourists. Think of Herc’s career trajectory in the 4th Season. Moronic cop goes from cushy job to a high crime area and ruins Randy’s life. It’ll be a lot like that.
TJ: The guy in the video could well be a quad. Quadriplegic just means that you have lost SOME feeling or movement in all four limbs, not necessarily all. One of the many usefull things I learned in Murderball, the testosteroniest movie ever.
+1
#77 |
Herr Morgenholz |
February 13th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Question:
Everybody here who thinks ol’ fatass in the bee suit would’ve done this shit with 3 black 14-year old kids wearing their colors raise his hand.
{crickets}
3 white skaters was an easy mark for expressing his small johnson syndrome. ‘Nuff said.
[...] The other would be an extremely large Baltimore cop, who no doubt has some issues with the fact he drives a girly vehicle, grabbing what I’m guessing is an eleven or so year-old boy by the throat and then taking him t…. [...]
Think of Herc’s career trajectory in the 4th Season. Moronic cop goes from cushy job to a high crime area and ruins Randy’s life.
That was one of the most heartbreaking moments in TV drama of all time, I think. Especially when you see Randy in Season 5 and he’s completely transformed from a nice kid into a typical thug because he got placed in institutional housing. The Wire is too real, sometimes.
I also wonder how many officers like Bunny and Carver are on the real BPD. Because before the Wire I would never have dreamed that a cop would be my hero, but those two’s stories inspire me so much. It’s not really about law enforcement so much as the individual vs. the institution, which of course is the classic libertarian dynamic. When Carver tells Herc, “It matters. It all matters. I know we thought it didn’t matter, but it does.”, that’s more libertarian than a thousand Harry Brownes, IMHO.
Officer Rivieri probably thinks that none of what he did matters. Just an episodic drop in the bucket in a city with endless crime. Many of his co-workers probably agree. THAT’s the tragedy.
considering the damage our local ‘tedshred’ filth does to anything they can reach with their boards i have zero sympathy for them…
we built a huge skatepark for the little pukes and they still damage and deface eveything they can reach…
considering how many close calls there are every day for our elderly and disabled in our downtown area (posted on very corner ‘NO SKATEBOARDS”!) i have to side with the cop…
i have had the little pukes threaten me when i point out the signs and curse and scream at me when i won’t get out of their way…
oh yeah , and when they get hurt from their stupidity they go looking for a shyster to sue the city…
i’m gonna side with the cop on this one…
TheAgitator.com
yeah, I had a cop threaten to arrest me once for doing 75 in a 60 (all traffic was doing 70-75). Seems I wasn’t sufficiently compliant….. much like this 14yr old “citizen nothing”
Love the end…if I find myself on….. hmmm, YouTube? he is going to do WHAT exactly? I’m shocked at the number of videos up with police utilizing pretty aggressive tactics with some little 70lb skater kids who aren’t being violent (this is one of many videos like this). It seems to me he is actually making terroristic threats against the kid (who committed the crime of ‘dude-ing’) by saying he was going to 1) beat him up and 2) that he was going to be dead soon. Very disturbing
No real criminals to confront today, I guess.
But I’d be ticked too if I had to wear those shorts to work.
Dude, chill out.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-te.md.officer12feb12,0,2952754.story
Respect has to be earned. They taught us that at officers basic school. The bar gives you power, the respect gives you authority. There is a difference.
Officer Riviera needs a body image consultant. If you look like a clown, people will mistake you for one. He reminded me of the Bees (John Bulishi, et al) on SNL.
From the article linked by srr above:
“Paul Blair, head of the police union, had not seen the video but cautioned that videos show only a slice of a story. He noted that it is impossible to know what happened before or after the camera was turned on.”
What a surprise — the kids turn the camera off because Officer Rivieri oinks a threat at them about having it on (after having waddled over to assault one of them already), and the head of the police union cautions against rushing to judgment because we can’t know what happens after the camera was turned off!
Its not the cop’s fault…its the video’s fault! BAN PEOPLE FROM FILMING COPS AND THINGS LIKE THIS WON’T HAPPEN!!! I guess we all know exactly why cops don’t want you to be able to film them.
What a jackass. I wouldn’t respect him either.
What was that he was saying at the end? “You got that camera on? If I find myself…” I’m guessing that ends ‘on the internet’ or something, with another threat.
Oops, maybe officer suspended will learn to respect some citizens, and not just push them around because he’s got a badge and he’s bigger than them.
Officer Riviery needs a reality check. What an embarassment to (insert name of police force here) (I’m guessing Bawlamer).
Actually, we need Pembleton to come up and give him a dressing down. Ah, reality.
Now there are at least three kids in Charm city who will NEVER side with the cops again, no matter what. Way to go, Riviery.
Jesus.
Never mind suspension — if I rushed at a child, put him in a headlock, choked him, and knocked him down, I’d be prosecuted. Will this guy face charges? Why wasn’t that battery?
Man.. that dude is fat.
“Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department and the mayor’s office, said authorities have begun an internal-affairs investigation”
Don’t worry everyone, they are going to do an internal investigation.
You have to be careful of the cops in the clown cars, though. You have no idea how many of them might be in there!
What a pathetic, little man. The best part is when he pulls up his shorts as he’s walking back to the kids. How delightfully cliche. This guy ought to be fired forthwith. I LOVE that these kids had the balls to tape this maniac and then upload it the video.
Feel free to email your thoughts to the mayor, police commissioner, and his boss:
sheila.dixon@baltimorecity.gov
dean.palmere@baltimorepolice.org
frederick.bealefeld@baltimorepolice.org
Another reason people should always be able to take pictures/video of cops at all times.
When I was a prosecutor in Baltimore I had to deal with clowns like this every day. The kid in question is a punk. But that does not excuse the unprofessional and threatening behavior of the cop. He should be fired and prosecuted for 2d Assault.
I confess. If I were having a really bad day (and was 50 lbs heavier), I am capable of acting like this cop. Then again, this is why I should never be a police officer — even at my current weight. Police work is not for everybody.
I pray for some wisdom here. Doctors make mistakes all of the time and people die as a result. Do we judge a doctor’s 40 year career by their worst five moments? Do we take the doctor’s pension away? This is rare. How can we put some slack into the system so that a cop having a bad day does not lose his pension? The way it is now, police think that they are the only profession that is cut off from their pensions with one mistake–cops think this is unfair, so guess what they do. They cover up everything. The same cover up system that protects “good cops” who made one little mistake is the same system that covers up for psyco’s like Officer Golf Cart here. We need a system that promotes truth and fairness for all sides. BTW, I bet this cop loves kids. I bet he has no idea how out of control he is. I feel sorry for him.
t. reed,this was not a mistake.It was assault and battery.Anyone who did this at his job would be fired.
So T. Reed…you’re ok with cops assaulting kids I take it…just because he might be having a bad day? Something tells me this cops has several bad days…usually in a row….for the last 17 years. I wonder what would happen to me if I was having a bad day and shoved a minor around and then put him in a headlock?
“He looks like he takes steroids and is in full rage.”
From the comment section in the article.
The Dude is a wad and currently pushing a desk around the office. He should be pushing a broom in the evening!
Another prime example of a cop that needs to watch Andy Griffith!
“I feel sorry for him”
Yeah, so do I. Poor jackass, had such a bad day and then this mean kid disses him. And when the truth is exposed for the public to saviour, the poor cop is so alone … no corrupt police union to assist him, all alone…. Enough to make you quit the job …..
I hope he will.
You know t. reed, the small difference between a doctor and a cop is the latter has a gun, a taser, the backing of the law, the backing of his superiors and the backing of his union. And then he calls himself a proud public servant. He’ll get his pension, don’t worry. He would even if he had permanently injured the boy for “resisting arrest”.
I don’t feel sorry for him. When you have the responsibility of someones freedom and liberty, not to mention their life. There is no room for a bad day. These are public servants, not our keepers. If they can’t do the job properly and professionally they need to be fired, just like anybody at any other job. Things like this happen all to often across the country, his bad day could get someone killed. Do you think this officer had a bad day?
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3822534n
Here’s another good one…better even.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330345,00.html with video
I’m sure it just warms the hearts of cops everywhere to see this hardended dangerous criminal getting his “come uppins”.
Cop dumping a quadraplegic out of his wheelchair in the booking area. Now here’s a REAL kicker….
“Records show Sterner was arrested on charges of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer from an incident on Oct. 25.”
Your kidding right? Fleeing and attempting to elude? I must be missing something or they must be REALLY juicing up those wheelchairs these days. I’m just going to give the benefit of the doubt to the cops on that charge until I see the whole story…but I’m suspicious of a quadraplegic being behind the wheel of a vehicle.
OK cops and apologists…we know your out there…justify this one please. Maybe the cop and her supervisors that were there to witness the whole thing were just “having a bad day.”
“Do we judge a doctor’s 40 year career by their worst five moments? Do we take the doctor’s pension away? ”
Yeah, they do. Law suits often bankrupt physicians for a bad five minutes.
Sorry Tom…you must have posted the same story as I was posting. Looks like we’re on the same page though
I see that our train ride straight to Hell continues, unabated.
Just a matter of time now.
If I looked that dumb in those shorts and that clown car, I’d be shitty too.
here’s another story link:
http://wjz.com/local/youtube.salvatore.rivieri.2.651552.html
> Doctors make mistakes all of the time and people die as a result.
>Do we judge a doctor’s 40 year career by their worst five
>moments? Do we take the doctor’s pension away?
If they deliberately beat up one of their patients, then yeah, we do.
Sorry to triple post, but on that WJZ page I saw a link to this story. Seems baltimore cops have a problem with teens in general….
http://wjz.com/local/police.abuse.teen.2.651029.html
City Police Officer Accused Of Breaking Teen’s Jaw
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against a city police sergeant. It clams he broke the jaw of a teenager.
The police department tells Suzanne Collins internal affairs is investigating.
Tevin James says a city police sergeant punched him in the jaw for no reason. The 16-year-old has trouble explaining because after two weeks his jaw is still wired shut….
This cop reminds me of the drill sergeant in “Full Metal Jacket” — he’s acting like a fool and just daring those kids to smirk or talk back. The difference is that I can’t tell if this guy is doing it intentionally or not.
#22
Pushing a broom? He should be pushing the bars of his bunk bed while his cell mate enjoys his new prison bitch.
And I’m sure the police want to find the person who posted this to YouTube — so they can send the SWAT team to plant drugs in his bedroom. That will show the citizen nothing just who is in charge.
Fat cop in a li’l car. Fat cOOOoop in a li’l car.
#24 #25
Yep, more fine examples of Scalia’s “professional” law enforcement.
Two more people that are on the wrong side of prison walls. When are we going to stand up and demand these people get what’s coming to them?
#25
The link is now about Dolly Parton’s tits. I guess Faux Noise decided that story was too anti-cop.
The guy was not a quad.
But a bi as he said from his tits to his toes.
Oh and comparing cops to Docs?
Docs actually have to graduate, HS, College, then Med school and get through an internship. Cops? Well how about having a warm body?
It’s good to see civil libertarians like Frank up there getting all worked up about this type of police abuse, and then endorsing prison rape. That’s quite a combo.
So radical, Frank.
City Police Officer Accused Of Breaking Teen’s Jaw
A multi-million dollar lawsuit has been filed against a city police sergeant. It clams he broke the jaw of a teenager.
Dude. Didn’t anybody see The Godfather?
Did I say dude? I meant…DOUCHE!!! *
Good time for this, I say:
http://www.theforce.net/fanfilms/shortfilms/troops/
T
* Paraphrase of _Fear of a Black Hat_
I was quite amazed the cop actually threatened the life of the child. I would be quite gratified to see this police officer die.
Even if I hadn’t recognized the Inner Harbor from the video I would have bet good money that this incident involved a B’more cop. These are the same folks who arrest people for getting lost and having the temerity to ask a cop for directions.
And if there are no boys to manhandle, there’s always the disabled!
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=73747
And who would defend this officer, but a blogger on a site that claims, “it is better to have the problems associated with too much liberty, than the problems arising from not having enough.”
“Officer Salvatore Rivieri; A Positive Father Figure”
http://toomuchliberty.blogspot.com/2008/02/officer-salvatore-rivieri-positive.html
He should quit a become a wrestling coach.
#39
Typically that’s the threat cops use during interrogation, I figure turnabout is fair play.
Respect Gets Respect. Simple as that.
Skateboarders are a favorite target of bored cops who need a quick lift to their little man syndrome. Seen and dealt with it many times.
No question the cop should be prosecuted for assualt.
I’m not bothered by what the cop did. The only think I wonder about is what he did with the skateboard.
If he’d taken the kid to the ground and handcuffed him, I’d have thought it was excessive. Did he even have handcuffs, a gun or a nightstick? He never indicated he did, and never tried to use them.
The only time he touched the kid was when the kid wouldn’t give him the skateboard. And he got a whiny 14-year old to sit down and shut up, without even cuffing the kid. That in itself is an amazing accomplishment. Good for him.
I bet all of these kids treat cops with ten times more respect now than before they met this guy. Not because they feel like cops are “good people.” Because, frankly, vast numbers of teenagers that age don’t treat people they think are “good” with respect. They only respect power and force.
Anyone who’s had to deal with whiny 14-year-olds like the object of this cop’s orders knows that all they really understand is direct threats of force. Everything else is just a challenge to overcome. They’ll wait for the slightest opening, and then immediately disregard everything they’ve been told to do.
If this cop hadn’t done what he’d done, the kids would have waited until his back was turned, and started skateboarding again. They don’t have an ounce of respect for him, and he knows it. He knows all they understand is force, and he applies it.
All of you who are mad at him need to go back and listen to his tone when he first speaks in the video, and then to his tone when the big whiner out of the three finally sits down and shows compliance. They are virtually identical. Note how he compliments the other two kids — they “have brains” and “know when to shut up.”
He’s in control. He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.
And don’t gimmie that crap that he was “threatening” the kids life when he told the kid he’d get killed if he didn’t learn respect. He was just speaking the absolute truth. If the kid isn’t killed by a cop, or a criminal, he’ll be killed by his own skateboard one day when he misjudges a risk. Respect is essential to survival.
This was on Good Morning America this morning. I was floored by how they almost seemed to be defending the cop.
I love how they claim that cops are “held to a higher standard”. I think the next time someon disrespects me at work, I’m going to throw them to the floor and take away their notepad. I could use a paid vacation… errr… suspension.
Phil, yeah, that’s what we need, a bunch of cops who go around ordering folks around. Who get pissy when their capricious orders aren’t immediately followed.
He only got mad when the kid didn’t give him the skateboard? What gave the cop the privilege to take the skateboard? Just some random seizure law “I can take anything I want by force”?
Here’s what the kids really learned: Some guy wearing a badge can hassle them as much as he wants whenever he wants, for whatever reason he wants, and then berate them, and tell them to be good little serfs. I certainly wouldn’t have any respect for a penny-ante thug like that, who demands it just cause he’s wearing a tin star.
After reviewing the tape of this incident, we’ve determined that Officer Riviera was wrong to to not seize the camera when contact with these disrespectful punks was made.
Corrective action will be taken, and policy updated, to make sure that this unfortunate mistake does not happen again.
I just watched an ABC news clip of this from Good Morning America. What really irritates me is the Reporter keeps saying the officer was wrong because we hold officers to a higher standard.
It is perhaps true we hold officers to a higher standard however that had no bearing here. A higher standard would be one where the officer does not raise his voice/start swearing/being disrespectful to people who are doing those things. Here the officer is using physical force to counteract percieved verbal disrespect. That isn’t a higher standard issue. Here the officer is responsible for escalating the situation to the next level.
Sounds like Phil has a problem with teenagers.
- He didn’t take the skateboard from the other kids. Only the one he deemed disrespectful. Clearly he only did that because he wanted to punish that kid.
- There is no reason for him to touch that kid.
- It’s not the job of the police to teach kids lessons or respect. That’s the parents job.
- You seem to think the kid learned something positive from this. You are mistaken. He learned that cops are bullies who abuse their position and are full of BS.
- “He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.” Yeah, that’s how you get respect. Maybe you should try that next time someone cuts you off in traffic.
“He’s in control. He’s just showing these kids absolute and complete force, and tolerating absolutely no lip or whining.”
Phil, so do you think the missing line at the end of the tape might have been, “You got that camera on? If I find myself on YouTube, I’ll be ever so very pleased because I am in control and teaching all teenagers a valuable lesson.” I’m betting it wasn’t.
“He was just speaking the absolute truth. If the kid isn’t killed by a cop, or a criminal, he’ll be killed by his own skateboard one day when he misjudges a risk. Respect is essential to survival.”
What does respect have to do with how well he rides his skateboard and judges or misjudges risks? Is a less respectful person more likely to blow a jump off some stairs?
I have been treated the same way! And at 55, I don’t qualify as a smart mouthed teenager. Just a little mumbling can set these guys off. And, they have the guns. I think he needs a different type of job. He does not handle this one well. And I know a doctor who lost his career for marrying a patient! They can use call kind of reasons against them!
Oh, and we suggest that all school districts follow the example set by Prince Georges County:
http://www.fear.org/chicago.html
“One response, by Prince Georges County high schools, has been to invite police to teach classes on how to be arrested, handcuffed, and searched. Wall Street Journal at BI, 16 (June 16, 1994).”
If the punk had known what is required of him when confronted by a peace officer, then his disrespectful attitude could have been prevented.
Phil,
In what capacity have you professionally dealt with non-compliant 14-year-old kids? I only ask because you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about.
Les, what the cop did worked. That’s what I commended him on. He got total compliance from these kids without using any physical force.
I also appreciated how the cop told the kid to call his mom, as soon as the kids sit down and start complying. That’s not the act of a cop who wants to lord over kids and show off how much force he can use. This cop was taking control of a situation that could have very easily gotten out of hand.
It’s clear that these kids had been ignoring his commands to stop skateboarding. The tape conveniently starts after he finally gets them to stop and listen to him.
There were three of these kids, and only one cop. They were ignoring his verbal commands. How does one cop get control of that kind of situation? They could have run in three different directions, and he’d have only been able to chase one. And in his shape probably wouldn’t have caught the one he chased.
Yet by projecting authority, he got all three kids to comply and sit down. No handcuffs, no tazers, no high-speed chases.
I’m a strong supporter of high standards for the use of force by law enforcement. But I don’t understand why a cop simply yelling and taking away a kids skateboard is creating so much fuss. What do you want him to do? Ask nicely a few times, and when the kids keep ignoring him, and making excuses, taze them?
Someone mentioned that the cop only took one guy’s skateboard, to “punish” him. I don’t know what happened to the confiscated skateboard, and if the cop didn’t eventually give it back, then he should have. My guess is that he took one skateboard to show he could do it, to gain control, and then left the other kids alone because they were complying, and encouraging their mouthy friend to be quiet.
The force this cop showed was all hypothetical, other than grabbing the skateboard. I think that’s great, because he scared the crap out of the kids. And they should be scared. They’re breaking the law, and ignoring a cop’s orders to stop. Whiny excuses that “I didn’t hear you” aren’t sufficent to excuse that behavior (and the cop quite possibly didn’t believe them).
But again, the bottom line is there was no physical force used. No one was hurt. When the kids sat down and shut up, the cop immediately lowered his voice.
As far as I can tell, the only thing that offends people is that the cop was yelling. I guess I think that yelling is a fair response to kids breaking the law, and ignoring a cop’s command to stop. If there are no consequences for that now, what are the kids going to do next? Ignore a cop who tells them to pull over?
Phil,
Did you miss the part where the cop threw the kid to the ground? Twice?
How about the implied death threat?
Perhaps people here have already seen this one, but here’s another example of police behavior that is, uh, questionable:
http://www.tampabays10.com/video/16×9/?aid=55786&sid=73747
[...] tip to Mr. Balko. Filed under: Authority, Blogospherics, Police State Leave a [...]
This is becoming more and more associated with the increasingly militaristic and—may I add—fascistic local law enforcement in this country.
I wonder what Phil’s definition of force is? It sounds like by Phil’s explanation, the cop could have been pistol whipping the kid, but if he had his hand on the skateboard at the time it would be classified as “taking away the skateboard”.
I guess the cop figured if the kid got back up he’d make a mad rush at him and grab the skateboard back, so he had to push him down again?
The cop is Walter from The Big Lebowski.
Not to make light of an obvious case of (hemor)rhoid rage,but that real life video looks like it could be the opening scene from a sequel to The Big Lebowski.
Walter inadvertently reunites The Dude with the son he never knew he had.
Apart from the cop doing a pretty fair John Goodman impression,what really made me flash on Lebowski was the part in the video where the kid says he doesn’t have a father.
It’s Little Dude!
Some people might even have fun by mixing the video with the soundtrack to the movie.
Not to make cops look ridiculous.
They don’t need any help with that.
Just for fun.
“If there are no consequences for that now, what are the kids going to do next? ”
Do teenagers scare you Phil? It sure sounds like it.
Oh Radley, don’t feed the trolls.
Phil is putting us all on here…
In any case, who doesn’t have a problem with teenagers? What with all their baggy pants, and always being on old people’s lawns.
Phil:
You’ve made your choice.
Good luck.
Phil,
Your defense of this officer is both delusional and pathetic. The officer begins yelling when the kid says he didn’t hear him, and seems to possibly cut him off while the officer is going on some over-blown mellodramatic speech about back-talk.
Combined with his harping on the word “dude,” and the second shove of the child to the ground, it’s pretty clear this officer is taking out frustration and anger, rather than proffessionally responding to a situation. The kids response that he didn’t hear the officer is not back-talk as much as a natural inclination to portray one’s actions as innocent and not disrespectful lest one be arrested.
But let’s assume the kid said “whatever!” or “What do you mean I can’t skateboard?! That’s stupid!” Would this officer’s response be any more appropriate? I doubt it. At the end the officer appears to clearly be over-reaching talking about how the kid is going to end up dead!!?? Threat or not, why is he talking about the kid getting killed because he told the officer he didn’t hear him?
“I also appreciated how the cop told the kid to call his mom, as soon as the kids sit down and start complying.” Ummm, seriously dude? The officer TOLD the kid to call his mom?????? Is there a video that you’re seeing that the rest of the world did not. “Damn right you’re gonna call your mom,” is the same as “I suggest you call your mother.” You’re a hack, Phil.
Man, I hope that parent eventually tore that cop a new one about harrassing her son.
Phil,
As it’s been pointed out, he did use physical force, twice. Those kids, and most people viewing that video, have now less respect for police (and especially that officer), precisely because of the way he handled that situation.
I worked for many years with kids who made these kids look like happy preschoolers. Threats, attacks, you name it. In situation after situation, teachers a lot smaller than the fat thug on the video dealt with them without yelling and certainly without violence. They knew there were consequences for their actions and they actually did respect us because we were different from all the other adults in their lives who could only threaten them, the way the useless cop on the video did.
If you continue to confidently repeat your position in the face of the facts (again, the cop was violent, twice) and your utter ignorance of how to deal constructively with rebellious kids, I hope you’ll at least seriously consider having a vasectomy.
Les,
As a cop who defends other cops on this site. I can’t agree with you more that kids, and of course adults have lost respect for police officers in part thanks to this 17 year veteran, who of all people should know how to handle this job better.
What this jerk did was make it harder for me to defend cops, who I think use necesary force, to people on this site and elsewhere.
H enever even encountered these kids before. So, it’s not like this was the same kids gving him problems everyday. He never saw them before and they did nothing that I can see was disrepectful.
If I know anything about Baltimore Police email, he can likely be reached for comment at salvatore.rivieri@baltimorepolice.org .
Don’t get yourself in trouble though! Think before you send.
Marty:
You hit the frickin’ nail on the head. I think most cops are decent people, and you reinforce that impression. Now, if we could just get police to stand up to abusive coworkers in situations when the cameras are NOT on, we’d be good…
And let’s not forget, if the kid had not shown restraint, this could have easily escalated into more injuries. Over what? Skateboards? Come on - a sense of proportion here.
Jeremy,
Thanks and good point about co-workers. But I have to say not only becasue I am asuperviser but even as an offiicer, I don’t think the abusive officers, the one or many, would do things in front of decent officers. I can’t speak for all departments though.
Good point you make though.
Just my 2 cents, but as a long time B’more Native here is my opinion of what will happen to this guy. First keep in mind that this incident happened at the Inner Harbor. It looks like it is on the southern side near the Science Center, Rusty Scupper, Rash field etc. Not right on tourist main street, but darn close. No one in Baltimore or Maryland (politicians, police big-wigs, chamber of commerce or even state officials. ) wants tourists to see this going on in Happy Harbor. It’s bad for the tourist and convention trade. For cops, it might not be the cushiest job in the force, but its close. There is crime, but it is mostly theft and the cop-per-square block is high so there is plenty of back up. The police substation on the harbor should not be too far from where this happened. It ain’t driving the mayor around in an SUV, but it ain’t charging through crack house doors either. My prediction is that this guy will get a lot more grief than had this happened in Cherry Hill or Pigtown. He will likely get reassigned to some high violence crime area dramatized so well in The Wire. No one on this site will be happy, but his life will get a whole lot worse. Of course he will still manhandle teens and take his aggression out on helpless citizens, but they will be poor and likely black and it won’t happen in front of the cameras or tourists. Think of Herc’s career trajectory in the 4th Season. Moronic cop goes from cushy job to a high crime area and ruins Randy’s life. It’ll be a lot like that.
TJ: The guy in the video could well be a quad. Quadriplegic just means that you have lost SOME feeling or movement in all four limbs, not necessarily all. One of the many usefull things I learned in Murderball, the testosteroniest movie ever.
Question:
Everybody here who thinks ol’ fatass in the bee suit would’ve done this shit with 3 black 14-year old kids wearing their colors raise his hand.
{crickets}
3 white skaters was an easy mark for expressing his small johnson syndrome. ‘Nuff said.
Where’s Loren to defend the cops when they need him?
[...] The other would be an extremely large Baltimore cop, who no doubt has some issues with the fact he drives a girly vehicle, grabbing what I’m guessing is an eleven or so year-old boy by the throat and then taking him t…. [...]
2007 Saying: “Don’t Tase me, bro.”
2008 Saying: “Don’t call me ‘dude’.”
That was one of the most heartbreaking moments in TV drama of all time, I think. Especially when you see Randy in Season 5 and he’s completely transformed from a nice kid into a typical thug because he got placed in institutional housing. The Wire is too real, sometimes.
I also wonder how many officers like Bunny and Carver are on the real BPD. Because before the Wire I would never have dreamed that a cop would be my hero, but those two’s stories inspire me so much. It’s not really about law enforcement so much as the individual vs. the institution, which of course is the classic libertarian dynamic. When Carver tells Herc, “It matters. It all matters. I know we thought it didn’t matter, but it does.”, that’s more libertarian than a thousand Harry Brownes, IMHO.
Officer Rivieri probably thinks that none of what he did matters. Just an episodic drop in the bucket in a city with endless crime. Many of his co-workers probably agree. THAT’s the tragedy.
considering the damage our local ‘tedshred’ filth does to anything they can reach with their boards i have zero sympathy for them…
we built a huge skatepark for the little pukes and they still damage and deface eveything they can reach…
considering how many close calls there are every day for our elderly and disabled in our downtown area (posted on very corner ‘NO SKATEBOARDS”!) i have to side with the cop…
i have had the little pukes threaten me when i point out the signs and curse and scream at me when i won’t get out of their way…
oh yeah , and when they get hurt from their stupidity they go looking for a shyster to sue the city…
i’m gonna side with the cop on this one…
i have had the little pukes threaten me when i point out the signs and curse and scream at me when i won’t get out of their way…
Really? These same kids cursed and screamed at you? Or are all skateboarders the same?
And instead of being ticketed and fined, you think law enforcement’s response to kids who are rude to you should be to assault them?
And you think that helps, how, exactly?