I see this case as one of where two people failed each other. They both made assumptions based on little evidence and failed to give each other the benifit of the doubt. The big problem with people in conflict is that they usually bring a lot of baggage to a meeting. I remember my Grandfather explaining how he felt one time after another driver yelled an obscenity at him on the back road to town. He said something to the effect that since he didn't know that man and that man didn't know him, it was just dust in the wind. He then explained that he could only really get mad at those he knew, and then on rare occasions. And that furthermore it had been his experiance that both sides getting mad only fanned the flames.
I did see him get mad a few times though. And boy could he do it. Once we both saw a man kick a dog for no reason other than it was in his way a bit. By the time Grandpa got done giving that fellow what for, the guy was totally embarassed and very shamefaced. I don't think I've ever heard anybody apologize so much in my life.
You know something. I would suppose for every case that we hear about like this, there are hundreds of cases where the matter is resolved in a courteous manner; at least I hope so.
As for the cop bashing going on here by some, all I can say is you usually only get what you pay for. If the money isn't allocated to attract the best men, and the money isn't allocated to train and counsel them in the proper performance of their duties, then what do you expect. The qualities that are desirable in a good police officer are not found in many men, in fact, I would say damn few. And often the best of what we do get, don't remain on the force. Most of the best police officers I ever knew have moved on to become lawyers, judges, county commisioners, not to mention those who move on to upper level police force management.
Students of history can tell you that we have, on the average, the finest police to ever walk this planet. Check your history books.
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