It has become appallingly apparent how many citizens of this nation do not know that a police officer can indeed issue a Lawful Order -- and that the citizen must comply with said Lawful Order at the time.

Or, to put it in other words, "You don't hold court on the street."

Be patient, take it to the courtroom, where the judge is very likely to favor the side of the citizen if the citizen did no wrong.

Never "argue" with the officer in the street, regardless of that officer's apparent position in the thing or whether or not you believe the officer's action(s) to be illegal or not. The officer is holding all the cards at that point in time.

Or, as we used to say to each other back when I was in LE, "the reason our badges are round and not the old sheriff's star is that the points on that star hurt a lot worse when a judge and lawyer shove that badge up yerass in the courtroom!"

I am an african american.

I, too, have been accused of much the same thing that Officer Crowley is being accused of.

It is actually a bit worse for a black cop, you wouldn't believe the epithets and accusations that get thrown at you by "your own" people sometimes -- and all you are doing is YOUR JOB AS IT IS DEFINED.

That said, I have also experienced being pulled over by a bad cop who was into the "driving while black" thang.

I took his mouthy crap out there on the street, received his traffic ticket, -- and waited until my day in court.

His badge ended up residing in his superior's desk drawer for 30 days...


--Mac