Professor Henry Gates and Sgt. James Crowley - In Crowley's Words
Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2009
by Judge Dred
Hello again, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to the latest installment of Professor Henry Gates' meeting with Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department.
There is an old saying that states, "Less is more." It seems that Sgt. Crowley did not stick to this little saying. Why? Look no further than the actual police report filed by Sgt. Crowley on July 16, 2009. It can be viewed at this link provided by The Smoking Gun, http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html?link=eaf
1 - Crowley responded to the scene and spoke with the witness while on the porch of the home in question, with his back to the door. This occurred as he responded to a possible life threatening situation, a call about a possible burglary.
2 - After entering the home, he sees a man later identified as Gates, who opens the door. Crowley enters the home alone, asking Gates if there is anyone else in the residence. He entered the home without awaiting backup from other officers.
3 - Gates is "uncooperative." No, Gates was more than likely taking every nasty verbal shot he could at Crowley, including the "racist police officer" and "you don't know who you're messin' with" statements. There were probably a few unmentionables thrown in for good measure by Gates. Although infuriating, that is not criminal conduct, not that Gates' actions are to be condoned, and they should not.
4 - Gates is identified with his Harvard University ID card and Crowley requests the presence of the Harvard University Police. Why? Gates is now identified, it is time to leave. Talk to the University Police outside.
5 - As Crowley leaves, Gates demands Crowley's name and badge, follows Crowley to the porch, where Gates is warned twice that he is becoming disorderly, in the presence of other police officers and citizens, and this warranted Gates arrest. Everyone present was "surprised and alarmed" at Gates' conduct? Complete nonsense!
See this for what it truly is. Sgt. Crowley was incensed that he was being spoken to in what he felt was an abusive manner. The long explanation as to what he was doing inside Gates' home for the period of time he was there can not be justified. I'll say this again, when Gates was found to be in the home legitimately, it was time for Crowley to leave. Gates could not be arrested for disorderly conduct inside of the house, therefore "I will speak to you further outside", where the arrest can be made, in front of witnesses. That is the oldest trick in the book, and Gates fell for it.
Crowley's report shows that he was attempting to cover his actions with police and citizen witnesses, as does the second report by Officer Figueroa. It never hurts to have friends backing you up, eh? The more Crowley writes, the deeper he sinks into the world of "I'm right, and I will make sure Gates is wrong". Unprofessional, at best on the part of Crowley.
Law enforcement is one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in the United States. However, let us not lose sight of one thing. In this case, Sgt. Crowley had the power to end this incident before it got out of hand. He was thin skinned this particular day, and by reading both reports, Crowley was trying to make his wrong action into a right action. Granted, Gates should have taken a more tactful approach, but nothing that he did rose to the level of a crime. I will leave you with this: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Both sides should have recognized that, but neither did. Just another lesson in this wonderful journey that we call life.
Until next time.
JD
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)JD, that report is suspicious and the confirmation came today when the neighbor who called, claims she never said anything about race and never spoke to Crowley as stated in his report. This report came from her attorney.
Looks like you had this one covered, Judge! I commend you. I do hope we can move on though and the meeting doesn't turn into a beer brawl. *laughing* I doubt that'll happen but I needed the laugh.
Good job!Hi Avis !Thanks for the complement, I appreciate it. There was something about this incident from the beginning that was fishy. The more that I read the report, the more convinced I became that Crowley was trying to cover his bad judgment. Seems that the Cambridge PD should apologize to us for the "blue wall of support" with that silly press conference.We can all learn from this, but I suspect Sgt. Crowley might have a "previous engagement" that will prevent him from attending the beer bash at the White House. Hmmmm.......Thanks again, Avis!JD
I think both side over-reacted, but you are right. Sgt.Crowley should not have arrested Mr Gates. But, do we know what REALLY happened?Hi Ken,Both sides did overreact. We will never truly know everything that went on inside of the house that day. There is one thing that can't be questioned. Gates did not commit a crime and never should have been arrested. A person's freedom should not be taken away because the officer's feelings are hurt.Thanks for reading and commenting.JD
Great article. Well done.Law enforcement is not all that glamorous. It hurts and it kills.Hi Connor,Law enforcement has been glamorized on television and in movies, but this is a job that can be downright dangerous and draining. The everyday job performed by the men and women in blue is to be commended, because it does take a special person to do it. In this case, this was a police officer that made a bad decision, and made it worse by submitting a flawed report while trying to cover his tracks.Thanks for reading and commenting.JD
Hi Judge,Good article, I think that the bottom line here is that one person who is paid to keep his cool lost it. Was he provoked? Probably, but aren't the Police always getting provoked? Better to ask where the idea that there were "Black" men breaking into that house came from because from the tapes it wasn't the woman who called in who made that assertion. It came from somewhere...Keep on truckin'!Missing LinkHi ML,You are right, the good Sgt. definitely lost it. Gates probably said everything but "good morning". If there were no threats, it never (the arrest) should have happened. Black men.... Crowley never thought that this would blow up the way it did, exposing the fact that he really lied on the report. The report rambles on, describing a non existent crime.By the way, what is the penalty for a police officer filing a false police report? Hmmmm...........Thanks for reading and commenting.JD
A picture ID only shows that he works for Harvard and has the name that he says he has, not that he lives in that house. If someone broke into your house, would you want a responding police officer to simply ask the perp for his name and an ID to prove that's his name and then leave? Grow up. If the same thing happened to a white man being arrested by a black no one would care. The arrest would still be as justifiable. Remove color from both parties and ask yourself, "Did the arrested party commit a crime?" The answer is yes, he did, therefore he deserved to be arrested. Cops take a lot of abuse everyday but we shouldn't have to put up with all of it just so we can tip toe around black people. When a cop asks you to calm down and quit screaming and yelling and that you're being disorderly, it's a good idea to stop what you're doing, no matter what your skin color is or how often you preach about the white man keeping you down. Yep, you're so down that you're the head of a department at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.Hi Martin,First of all, you have apparently taken a sip of the "law enforcement is never wrong" Kool Aid. You have also chosen to overlook certain facts.1) Crowley stated that he ID'd Gates while in the house. A picture ID only shows that he worked for Harvard. Good. Would I want a police officer to simply ask a "perp" for his name and ID if my house were broken into? Don't try to be so flippant here. If you bothered to read the report written by Crowley, the Harvard ID was good enough for him. Click on the link and take a look at the report. The growing up might better be done by you. I don't mind intelligent discussion, but you can't pull the wool over my eyes with your lack of factual details. Come to the table with facts, not your brainwashed opinion. Crowley SHOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY. Let's continue.2) The arrest was not justifiable, regardless of which party may have been black or white. Remove color and ask "Did the arrested party commit a crime?" Inside of the house, the answer is no, and if you did not know that, now you do. Yelling at a police officer inside of your home IS NOT tumultuous behavior. You may not like it, but the speech by Gates is covered by the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution (First Amendment). Tumultuous behavior must occur in a PUBLIC PLACE. Seeing as you state you are from New York, you might recognize it as Disorderly Conduct. Read your Penal Law carefully. Police Officers' hurt feelings are not covered in that statute, especially in a private home.3) Crowley stated "If you have any more questions for me, I will speak with you outside", AKA if he ( Gates) comes outside, he's getting locked up! Come on Martin, tell me that you would not have been just frothing at the mouth, waiting for Gates to come outside screaming. You know that there would be witnesses outside, so that people could be"alarmed" at Gates' conduct, allowing for the "justified" arrest to be made. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Crowley chose to show Gates who the boss was, instead of getting in his car and leaving. If Crowley was justified, he explained that another cop,Officer Carlos Figueroa, was standing behind him in the house. Why did Crowley not make the arrest on the spot INSIDE of the house, especially with another cop as a witness to Gates' indoor conduct? Hmmmm, maybe because it would have been an unlawful arrest? Like I said Martin, tell that fairy tale to someone who will believe the BS.I agree that is a good idea to quiet down if asked by a police officer in the performance of his duties. I wonder about your mindset Martin, maybe because you put the uniform on, the public should fall to their knees at the sight of you? Not gonna happen. By the way, I notice that you constantly mention "black people" in your comment. Do you have a problem with people of color? Seems that way. Cops put up with crap everyday, from all kinds, types and color of people, yet you only talk about blacks. Martin, you might be in the wrong line of work if you are a police officer. You should not get upset when the laws of the land don't mesh with your opinion. Thin skin is what this is about, Crowley did not act in a professional manner at the end of the day, and if you go along with this blatant attempt to cover up the facts, then I see why you responded the way you did. Your statements tell all. Why were the charges dropped? Because Gates is black? Because he is the head of a department at one of the most prestigious universities in the world? Or was it because someone decided the arrest was, in fact, unnecessary?One more thing. In his report, Crowley stated that a female witness informed him of what appeared to be two black males entering the house. That's not what's on the 911 tapes. Martin, the witness even held a press conference stating that she never told Crowley anything about black males. She said possibly Hispanic for one male, and did not see the other. Can you say filing a false official document, Martin? Or should I say PERJURY? Again, you are always entitled to your opinion, but please don't present it as fact in this case. If you simply read the report written by Crowley, anyone with a ounce of common sense can see that the good Sgt. Crowley was full of it. Always remember, present just the facts Martin, just the facts.Thank you for reading and commenting.JD
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