by Tina Pepito

Created on: May 18, 2008

Absolutely not! How can you justify several men beating and kicking someone lying on the ground? I watched the morning news as I got ready for work and stared in disbelief at this news story on one of the local news stations. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didnt see any of the suspects throwing any punches at the officers as they pulled them from the car and threw them to the ground. The three men shown in the news clip were supposedly shooting suspects in an incident which happened just moments before. It is true, innocent until proven guilty. I dont believe that was the case in this instance. I dont think the death of Officer Liczbinski a week before sparked the reaction from the officers involved in the beating of these three men but I do think it heightened their fear. Were these officers new police recruits who recently graduated from the academy and joined the department? How much experience did they have in handling that type of situation? I dont think that a seasoned officer would have reacted that way. I live in Philly and I think many of us are not sure of what we are going to come up against in our daily travels to and from our destinations. We dont pick someone out of the crowd, knock them to the ground, and start beating the life out of them because we suspect that they might be out to get us or do harm to someone else. I feel as though Philly Police Officers have an idea of what to expect on the streets of Philadelphia where there is an abundance of crimes, drug sales and drug use, and buying a gun is almost as easy as going to the corner store to get a gallon of milk. It's what they signed up for. They want to make a difference in their city. There are dangers involved but that is part of their job. Police officers are not above the law. They are human, as are the people they are supposed to protect and serve. It is not ok to emotionally hurt or physically abuse someone, no matter what side of the fence you are on. I think we still have respect for our men in blue. Realistically, not all officers are like the ones who made a poor judgment call in the action taken when pulling over the three gentlemen in the car that night. There are good and bad in all of us, in all professions. I definitely feel that the officers involved in the beating incident should be reprimanded or punished. It wouldn't hurt to have them re-trained on the procedures of apprehending a suspect, as well as a course in human relations.

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