Video of US officer who drew gun on black teens raises tension

[NeverSure]

-snip-

The residents in this neighborhood that witnessed the entire event, not just that portion on video played over and over, say they are thankful to the police, the police acted appropriately and that the situations was much more out of control when the police officer arrived.

That included black residents. One of them is a local radio personality who defended the police.

Large crowds are very dangerous when running amok.

The only thing I can say is that I agree with many that the comportment and language of that police officer was inappropriate and he was just asking to whip things up. I agree he should be evaluated. I agree he had a reason to draw the gun and he put it away quickly. I can't see that he pointed it at anyone.

[cookee68]

Not another black protest, that means many of the shops will have to board up again, even the black owners, the cops did what they had to do, and there only had to be a drunk person with a gun there and all hell would have broken out, and they were not even meant to be there either, I am sure I saw a few racist cards fall out of their pockets,

[Credo]

This is a sad, I hope abnormal situation. The kids really didn't pose a direct threat and a little time and cool heads could have dealt with the situation. Not every situation has to be resolved in an instant. Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war.

Back off, call for some back up and assistance -- preferably with out sirens and lights and calmly start moving the kids out of the area and then sort the situation out.

The police have the power to do things. They know and everyone coming in contact with them knows it. Not using that power is sometimes more powerful than using it.

[geriatrickid]

Unprofessional copper has resigned. Good riddance.

MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — The white police officer who was recorded on video pushing a black girl to the ground at a North Texas pool party resigned from the police force Tuesday.

The Chief of Police got it right

Police Chief Greg Conley confirmed the resignation at a news conference later Tuesday, Conley said a review of the incident video showed Casebolt's actions were "indefensible," and that "our policies, our training and our practices do not support his actions."

In all, 12 officers responded to the report of fights and a disturbance at the pool party at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool in an affluent area of western McKinney. "Eleven of them performed according to their training," Conley said. Casebolt did not, he said. "He came into the call out of control and the video showed he was out of control during the incident,"

[slerickson]

I do not understand many finer points:

1) What does the color of these hoodlums got to do with events?

2) These 'kids' may be treated as children with their birth certificates checked, - but don't they look as big as the cop?

3) Were they not complying with repeated orders to get on the ground?

4) Weren't they too numerous for one cop who tried to control the situation?

But nobody is interested in this. All I hear is: - "kids", "black", "gun", "tension", "officer" and "white".

As if the media is hell bent on arousing tensions mentioned above. I wish them luck.

No there were numerous cops around. One observer said they appeared to distance themselves from "the one man band" cop in the video. They could see he was inflaming the situation. This video focuses on the star of show.

Keep in mind this action has been going on forever. But the cop was always taken at his word. It's the advent of video recording devices in everyone's hand that has finally brought the situation to light.

[webfact]

Related topic:

Officer caught on video in Texas pool party incident resigns
DAVID WARREN, Associated Press
TERRY WALLACE, Associated Press

MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) — The white police officer who was recorded on video pushing a black girl to the ground at a Texas pool party resigned from the police force Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831787-officer-caught-on-video-in-texas-pool-party-incident-resigns/

[Seastallion]

I learned at a very young age: don't argue with cops. Be respectful. If they end up being jackasses, do exactly what they say. They say get on the ground face down, that means on the ground face down. Argue and you get what you get.

Where I come from, and in Britain too as attested above, if you are going about your lawful business and a cop is being an arse, you have every right to mouth off at him and he has no legal right to take his frustrations out on you.

What is the reason behind the right to bear arms? Something to do with defending yourself against the government? I would say calling a power-crazy cop out for what he is a sort of excersise of your rights but without you actually bearing arms. There's also freedom of speech that Americans value so much.

Why is arguing with a government or state official OK, an expression of your rights, but not if he's got a gun? Give the man a gun, and he has the right to abrogate your rights?

There's something very wrong there, especially in a country so proud of it's constitutional rights.

There's something seriously wrong if you can't excersise your constitutional rights for fear of being shot by a public servant. There's something wrong with the attitude of "never argue with a cop".

Edited June 10, 2015 by Seastallion

[Nowisee]

You bring up valid issues.

Why use police to enforce pool party rules?
You could not pay me enough to wear a gun and a badge in the usa now.... IF I had to do that work, I would be chilled and just walk around and chat with everyone and suggest they stop pissing off the HOA and have a great day...10-6

I do not understand many finer points:

1) What does the color of these hoodlums got to do with events?

2) These 'kids' may be treated as children with their birth certificates checked, - but don't they look as big as the cop?

3) Were they not complying with repeated orders to get on the ground?

4) Weren't they too numerous for one cop who tried to control the situation?

But nobody is interested in this. All I hear is: - "kids", "black", "gun", "tension", "officer" and "white".

As if the media is hell bent on arousing tensions mentioned above. I wish them luck.

[Linky]

These kids at the pool party in McKinney Texas were not harming or threatening others, the community, the police....not anyone.

Conversely, the unstable and self-frenzied cop was dashing about to round up kids who were trying to drift away. Other kids that had drifted away from the unstable cop stood harmlessly across the street to watch and observe his dubious one man show.

The shaky cop showed up at a pool party in a panic and with a determination to alone and by himself round up everyone at the scene, which was impossible and irrational to attempt. Failing to command the entire scene and everyone there, the unstable cop further aggravated himself and made matters worse for everyone.

Instead of the cop identifying the principals at the party and interacting with them, the cop tried to take on to stop and detain a couple of dozen high school aged kids exiting a summertime pool party in all directions. He quickly found out he didn't have a net big enough but he didn't let that stop him.

The cop is a nutcase who after a dozen years in law enforcement failed to show he knew anything about it.

Not harming anyone? Dude, wake up. 5 or 6 of them were kicking the crap out of the woman who said go back to Section 8 housing and there was reportedly a second fight where someone else got jumped.

The nut case is someone other than the cop that was actually able to get control over the situation pretty quickly. You haven't a clue. Kids like those have no respect for authority. He did exactly what he had to do to take control of that situation.

We are no seeing what happens when cops are not proactive in Baltimore where murder and crime rate has risen dramatically since the indictment of the 6 cops.

He did what he had to to to control the situation?

There where 12 officers there and the crowd was dispersing whis is exactly what they wanted to happen. It was already under control.

The chief of police does not agree with you as he says the actions of the officer are indefensible. The officer has also resigned.

The community is safer without him in uniform.

[sdanielmcev]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

[weegee]

Aparrently, something happened BEFORE the video was taken, that has a lot to do with this officers reactions...

A witness at the scene, made this statement, on prime Television, DEFENDING the officer....and he was black!

So, as we dont know the real story fully, it's time to stop ragging this officer...

[Publicus]

Yes, yes, exactly. The situation seemed well in control by a police officer doing community policing- cop1 I will call him. He was validating their protests, their antics, yet sternly trying to exert authority and control when a piece of crap emotional mess of a man in uniform (cop 2) stumbled into the scene and like a wolf on patrol began looking for prey. There is a reason the camera immediately transferred to the cop at issue and stayed with him. It was as if the observers already took for granted that something out of control would happen from this cop. It is basic human body language he conveyed. He was hungry, emotional, and dangerous. This cop was expressing his emotion on citizens. Indeed, he even bitched about the unbearable burden of having to wear 30 lbs of gear- pussy! I would wear a single piece of equipment at work that weighed as much.

I get that cops are concerned and rightfully so. I get that certain populations of people are more prone to violence- this is a fact irrespective of how PC the topic is. But in this instance the cop perpetrated the entire affair. And why could those children not gather on the sidewalk. What was the purpose of commenting on the black girl's ass? Had the ass not been in the view this might hardly have been meaningful but it was stated as soon as she turned to walk away.

I believe black racial divides are being actively agitated in America and there is numerous examples of this happening, and the black population responding as an aggrieved body. Sure, when anyone is told they are a victim they race to embrace the label these days. There is considerable incentive to be a wounded population. Besides the benefits, there is no accountability for actions. This cop is a piece of crap but when those two young black men drew up on him the way soi dogs round about and draw up on the ankles he was correct in drawing his weapon and scanning his area. However, he did all of this. He brought on this entire issue. He should never be entrusted with a public service job again.

I would note there is little prophecy in the world or history but it is inescapable that a certain political savvy class of people keenly predicted these balkanization events within the past 7 years. They were not predicted based on tangible distortions in American access to opportunity rather they were predicted based on elected officials deportment, the relationship of organizations to color revolutions around the world, and the demonstrable re-tasking of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to actually deploy to areas and instruct and guide community organizers in how to foment protest, dissent, and open conflict. The US media rarely identifies what is actually taking place in America these past few years and it is basically a widespread, wholesale assault on white America. Indeed, a major push is now present in all schools to teach a required pillar of black militant theology theory regarding "White privilege-"

all White people are guilty by virtue of being born white and black people, by definition, can never be racist because they ostensibly do not control the apparatus of state. How utterly vacant and diabolical.

Edit: My post just hit as one posted ahead of mine suggesting exactly what I speak of. However, this is not the curricula of white privilege, this is an example of the self loathing that the curricula is designed to trigger in white people. First it was a corruption of blood for slavery. Then it was affirmative action in the great society. Now it is a larger net cast to forever label white people guilty just for being born. If one thinks this is extreme or sensational posting read the news, look at the facts. What I assert is widespread and endorsed through the Dept Education. White privilege? This is dark, dark stuff. The only thing that can evolve from this is war and conflict. Why? Because there is nothing left to give.

the demonstrable re-tasking of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division to actually deploy to areas and instruct and guide community organizers in how to foment protest, dissent, and open conflict.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 authorized the Community Relations Service at DoJ which the hard core right sees instead as "diabolical" not to mention "vacant." The post is yet another post from the moon that requires being 100% corrected then dismissed for the rubbish that it is.

The Justice Department's soft side: How one federal agency hopes to change Ferguson

The Community Relations Service is just one part of four Justice Department operations here.

But the Community Relations Service a 50-person, $12 million-a-year unit is entirely different from those three larger operations. It has no investigative authority. Its mediators have been in St. Louis quietly working on disputes long before Browns death thrust Ferguson into the global consciousness.

And its goal, said Director Grande H. Lum in an interview last week with the Post-Dispatch, isnt to make arrests or file lawsuits, but to give all sides a private place to talk, and, hopefully, solve their own problems.

Those are the longest-lasting solutions when the people themselves resolve their own disputes, Lum said. His unit, he said, allows people to speak.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/the-justice-department-s-soft-side-how-one-federal-agency/article_591a2e64-7dd1-5008-b300-0ab9ad8b9168.html

One issue about the cop in McKinny Texas is why he chose to ignore the menacing strong black guy every racially oriented right winger sees at every black event to instead assault a 15 year old girl wearing a two piece pool setup who is a quarter the cop's size. A cop has to shoot a black guy, every time, always??? The only armed people at this incident were the cops, to include one bizzare cop who should never be allowed near a police firearm as has only now become unmistakably apparent.

The teenagers at the summer pool party were broadly and consistently compliant. It was the frantic and disoriented cop who was dashing and tumbling about scaring the wits out of everyone at the scene. The 15 year old girl was decidedly manhandled by the disoriented cop who was not in control of his faculties. The cop went after the tiny girl while avoiding physical contact with any male at the scene.

How the Justice Department can change things??? They can start by getting the rift raft to stop acting like violent little thugs that commit violent acts, steal and act like little heathens. You want respect, act respectable.

The one guy arrested (then released without any charges), 18 year old Adrian Martin, had been invited to the summertime pool party.

Martin said he instinctively moved in the direction of the officer and the girl because the girl was calling for her mother while being manhandled by the cop to include pulling the girl's hair (the cop never laid a hand on a male on the scene). Martin said it was tight quarters and he got bumped toward the cop a couple of times, which is when the berzerked cop pulled out his firearm.

Martin said on television today he thought the other cops "did a good job" and acted responsibly. Yet the right sees Mr. Martin as some sort of stereotyped and requisite menacing black guy about to assault the officer, which is the figment of the imagination of those who spend so much of their time trying to build a case against black people everywhere, in every place, at all times, in every circumstance, regardless of the facts.

[Publicus]

Aparrently, something happened BEFORE the video was taken, that has a lot to do with this officers reactions...

A witness at the scene, made this statement, on prime Television, DEFENDING the officer....and he was black!

So, as we dont know the real story fully, it's time to stop ragging this officer...

The cop resigned after having been placed on Administrative Leave (with pay) and the chief of police said the cop was out of control from start to finish of the incident.

The cop was wrong.

He's a video of the "riot" before the cop went berserk on the video most of us have seen......

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/06/second-video-emerges-showing-fight-at-texas-pool-party-before-police-arrive

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2015/06/second-video-emerges-showing-fight-at-texas-pool-party-before-police-arrive

The cop was wrong in everything he did.

Period.

[jesimps]

I don't know that that is true. Teenagers of any color can be pretty poorly behaved. Black teenagers don't have a monopoly on stupid, that's for sure.

True, but they do have the benefit of PC. I back the officer 100%.

[Publicus]

I don't know that that is true. Teenagers of any color can be pretty poorly behaved. Black teenagers don't have a monopoly on stupid, that's for sure.

True, but they do have the benefit of PC. I back the officer 100%.

He's no longer a police officer because he resigned from the PD.

Under Texas law he's liable to be charged with "Official Oppression" for excessive state force against a citizen, 15 years old, because she was complaining to the berzerk cop about his aberrant behaviors. A 15 year old girl a quarter his size mouthing off and he has to assault her, take her to the ground and kneel on her indefinitely. Which led to his pulling out his firearm.

The cop is gone from the McKinney PD because he forgot what police work is, if he ever knew to begin with.

[Linky]

I don't know that that is true. Teenagers of any color can be pretty poorly behaved. Black teenagers don't have a monopoly on stupid, that's for sure.

True, but they do have the benefit of PC. I back the officer 100%.

The chief of police does not.

[MaeJoMTB]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

When he drew his gun on teenagers and assaulted a young woman in a bikini, he became a lawbreaker.

[sdanielmcev]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

When he drew his gun on teenagers and assaulted a young woman in a bikini, he became a lawbreaker.

Nope. The officer has full authority, within the law, to do that.

[namatjira]

What's the problem, he is clearly on a roll, a career in Hollywood awaits,

Might even interest the robocop people,

The man has rolled into history......very hard to do

[F430murci]

I don't know that that is true. Teenagers of any color can be pretty poorly behaved. Black teenagers don't have a monopoly on stupid, that's for sure.

True, but they do have the benefit of PC. I back the officer 100%.

The chief of police does not.

No one can say for sure what the Police Chief thinks or feels about the situation. He perhaps did what he had to do given the current racially charged climate and surrounding media circus.

[napoleon3]

Maybe I am a little stupid ?

- Can someone please tell me how this cop could know how old she is ?

- Can someone please tell me what would happen in a similar situation in this country ?

[MaeJoMTB]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

When he drew his gun on teenagers and assaulted a young woman in a bikini, he became a lawbreaker.

Nope. The officer has full authority, within the law, to do that.

His police chief though different.

And he is now deservedly unemployed.

And hopefully will later be facing charges of assault.

[F430murci]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

When he drew his gun on teenagers and assaulted a young woman in a bikini, he became a lawbreaker.

Nope. The officer has full authority, within the law, to do that.

His police chief though different.

And he is now deservedly unemployed.

And hopefully will later be facing charges of assault.

We don't know what the Police Chief really though. Perhaps what was said and the resignation had more to do with the racially and political charged climate than anything.

[connda]

The video makes clear the cop thinks he's The Flash.....

This cop needs some vacation time at Happydale.

Thanks for the video link.

I don't understand why the cop was focused on subduing the black gal and several other youths and I don't approve of his language.

However, having said that, I am impressed by his situational awareness with regard to the big, fast guy with the cigarette that was jockeying for position behind him as he was dealing with her. The guy had absolutely no business, IMHO, approaching the cop from behind and I could see how he could have been as a serious potential threat to the officer (officer starts to draw his firearm - 7:19 on the video and before as he jockeys). He was also much bigger and older than the other kids and didn't seem to fit into the crowd. He is last seen being chased by another officer:

Pool_Party_Police_Draws_Gun.jpg

Do you have anything actually meaningful and pertinent to add, Publicus?

I have something to add. About 1 to 1.5 seconds before this frame was shot, the guy with a cigarette in his mouth (blue shirt/khaki shorts and another man (to his right and out of the picture frame) were running at the officer from the rear as two women were screaming at him from the front. He saw it and drew his gun. In the US under most states gun laws, that officer had the right to unholster the gun - and fire it if need be - based on the triad of ability/opportunity/jeopardy where 'ability' means that the officer faced the threat of being overwhelmed by a 'disparity of force'. He was well within his rights to draw the gun, and showed a lot of restraint by re-holstering it after the idiots who tried to attack him ran.

This will be interesting to see what come of this seeing that the officer resigned after being thrown under the bus by the McKinney, TX PD.

/sarc on

You notice that the guy with a cigarette in his mouth (blue shirt/khaki shorts and larger than the officer) is just a 'child'. The liberal media makes me want to throw up.

/sarc off

So yeah, I'm pretty sure he'll be cleared regarding drawing his weapon. But, thuggishly tossing that girl around like a doll. That one has me confused, and that's that type of police behavior that seriously needs to be reined in as far as I'm concerned. I'll be interested in what actually comes out in the official police report.

Edited June 10, 2015 by connda

[ABCer]

Nonsense, non sense, no sense.

I do not know how many other cops were there. On the pics I see a small size guy

intimidated by "kids" bigger than he is, running around, screaming at him in some kind of pandemonium.

They clearly disobey his orders. They clearly brake the law. By being there. By smoking if really underage.

Are you sure what shit are they smoking? I can see some coolers there. Are you sure what and how much they were drinking?

I am not. But from their behavior I have legit suspicions.

The Police were called in. Some say by black neighbors. Do you know why?

Now, his resignation is presented as proof of his guilt. Bullocks!

He was suspended with pay. Yet he chooses to resign. He is obviously pissed off !

What the pen pushing Chief says about this is only dictated by the political climate there and than.

I wish some people have another look at this huge screaming crowd of out of control law breaking crazed meat

and stop Police bashing because it is the 'in-thing' today.

[connda]

After reading the posts and viewing the video numerous times, I'm always amazed at what people interpret that thought they saw (if they viewed the video in it's entirety, no less viewing it at all vs what is really shown on the video).

[spidermike007]

This super freak is completely out of control. He needs therapy. He is not a good fit for law enforcement. Allowing this fool to carry a gun is a mistake. The police in the U.S. are really getting aggressive. Hard to trust guys who are so prone to over reacting.

[Linky]

Amazing. Blame the cop instead of the lawbreakers.

When he drew his gun on teenagers and assaulted a young woman in a bikini, he became a lawbreaker.

Nope. The officer has full authority, within the law, to do that.

His police chief though different.
And he is now deservedly unemployed.
And hopefully will later be facing charges of assault.

We don't know what the Police Chief really though. Perhaps what was said and the resignation had more to do with the racially and political charged climate than anything.

So because you dont agree with the chief he must be lying.

Brings clutching at straws to a new level.

[Linky]

Nonsense, non sense, no sense.

I do not know how many other cops were there. On the pics I see a small size guy

intimidated by "kids" bigger than he is, running around, screaming at him in some kind of pandemonium.

They clearly disobey his orders. They clearly brake the law. By being there. By smoking if really underage.

Are you sure what shit are they smoking? I can see some coolers there. Are you sure what and how much they were drinking?

I am not. But from their behavior I have legit suspicions.

The Police were called in. Some say by black neighbors. Do you know why?

Now, his resignation is presented as proof of his guilt. Bullocks!

He was suspended with pay. Yet he chooses to resign. He is obviously pissed off !

What the pen pushing Chief says about this is only dictated by the political climate there and than.

I wish some people have another look at this huge screaming crowd of out of control law breaking crazed meat

and stop Police bashing because it is the 'in-thing' today.

There were 12 police in total. All other police were calm and speaking reasonably to the teens who were dispersing. Until Chuck Norris commando rolled onto the scene to inflame things.

[Credo]

I am still of the mind that this is little more than an unfortunate incident. I am not sure why it made the news, except police seem to be the flavor of the month, so to speak.

The two situations that are always difficult to deal with are domestic violence situations (which can be quite dangerous) and parties involving kids. In this situation it appears that it was a situation where some regulations were broken, but maybe not any laws, so who should be removed is difficult to know.

I hope the kids learned something from this situation, including to respect the police and do what they are told and I hope the police officer in question gets some help for what seems like an anger problem.

Fortunately, nobody was physically injured.