Analysis of Police Response
Just over three weeks ago, the Ithaca community was flabbergasted to discover that a white police officer had drawn an assault pistol on four—no, two—minority teenagers. In a cloud of confusion, several reports of this case have come to conclusions about these “racially-charged” and “senseless” actions taken by the Ithaca Police Department. Coincidentally occurring on the same night of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri this case faces similar scrutiny and criticism.
According to the police report, around 11 pm on August 9, Ithaca Police responded to two reported vehicle arsons and a burglary in progress near Esty Street. Two off-duty officers were called as well, one arriving with his belted IPD badge. Another officer, after observing the same individuals repeatedly bike by the scene of one arson, requested the officers to investigate.
The report goes on to explain that after the suspects saw the emergency lights, they fled on their bicycles, and the police units on scene followed them. The Investigations Sergeant then identified himself as a police officer and ordered the individuals to stop, and when they eventually did, the Sergeant unholstered his gun to the “low ready” position (apparently due to his lack of information of the individuals or their intentions) and told the suspects to lie down until other officers arrived on scene. Note that the gun was not pointed at the suspect, but taken out of its holster as a precautionary measure. After searching the teenagers’ backpacks, police released the suspects without charges.
Does racism and police brutality exist? Of course it does! But so does every other type of crime and injustice—I quote a part of the title of a book by physicists Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw: “Everything that can happen does happen.” My point is not that we should dismiss the possibility of prejudice in this or any case, but that it is unwise and quite dangerous to make assumptions based on mere hunches, emotional distress, or events that took place 750 miles away. As students, staff, faculty, and supporting community members of an Ivy League institution, one would expect higher standards of critical thinking than those that caused the immediate reaction of this case—namely, the assumption that race is an underlying cause of the events that took place the night of August 8. Careful analysis is required to fully understand potentially complex situations such as this one, and it requires patience, thought, and attention to detail—not impulsive conclusions based on personal feelings of victimization.
Race aside, there are many other factors that must (and have) been evaluated that led the police to pursue the teenagers on August 8. To start, the officers had probable cause as stated above—the suspects repeatedly passed the fires and fled at the sight of the police car’s lights.
The officer’s drawing of his gun also sparked an unnecessary abundance of controversy. People must bear in mind that police officers have one of the most dangerous jobs in society; every day, a police officer must worry about being able to come home to his family in the evening—all for the sake of protecting the public. The incidents that took place before the teenagers were pursued that hectic night and the events in Ferguson earlier in the day only increased the extra measures of precaution the police rightfully decided to take.
Due to the stressful nature of police work, mistakes are made. Unfortunately, when they are, the mistakes are costly and high-profile. In this case, a chaotic sequence of events in combination with an understaffed department led to actions that may have not been the wisest (such as sending the unmarked officer alone to pursue two of the three teenagers, even if for only a minute, according to Ithaca Times). However, I would have to defend the officers’ actions considering the circumstances of the case.
Common sense reports that the staffing issue would only benefit from a better economy.
It seems that even our educated populace is succumbing to the societal culture of victimization. Today’s society allows little room for reason before the emotional bandwagon begins to play a role. Our generation has been taught to question authority, question the traditional, and question what works in hopes of making things better, yet some are unable to question the new direction that society is headed.
Mark LaPointe is a junior in the College of Engineering and can be reached at mnl38@cornell.edu. Laura Gundersen is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and can be reached at lcg63@cornell.edu