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Trouble at the skate park: Two arrested last night in Cambridge
By adamg on Mon, 10/01/2018 - 2:57pm
.@MassStatePolice Officer Kamel badge #814 - Lynch skatepark, MA. Derek politely asked the officer why they were kicking 40+ out of the skatepark at 8:30, when lights shut off at 9pm. Kamel gave no explanation for arrest, he did not read him his rights, then escalated. Share pls pic.twitter.com/UKVrkGnS1k
— ryan (@Animal_Mothah) October 1, 2018
State Police give their side of the story:
Per DCR rules, the skate park closes at dusk, as noted on a sign hanging in the park. The Trooper issued 6 to 8 requests from his cruiser's PA system and in person after exiting the cruiser, instructing the skaters to leave.
The Trooper observed one person continuing to skate despite the repeated requests to leave. The Trooper began a conversation with that person, later identified as DEREK HANLON, 27, of Boston, and again informed him numerous times to leave the park. HANLON continued to refuse to leave, leaving the Trooper no choice but to arrest him. As the Trooper attempted to place HANLON into custody, the defendant continually resisted while approximately 30 other skaters began to move closer. The Trooper then took necessary action to overcome the defendant's resistance and make the arrest quickly before the situation escalated further. Fortunately, neither the Trooper, nor the defendant, nor any bystanders were injured by the defendant’s refusal to comply with the Trooper’s directive. HANLON was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest.
The Trooper subsequently observed a second man, identified as ASKIA BURNS, 24, of Boston, walking back toward the park and stating that he would continue skating as soon as police left. BURNS was arrested and charged with trespassing.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Oh looky here
Picking on skaters is easy.
Rooting out your corrupt thugs is hard.
DA's Office
Good example of a "crime" that shouldn't be prosecuted. Don't know if the current DA would prosecute this case, but the new one will not. This young man will spend some time in jail and then be released on bail and the charges will be dropped. Getting cuffed and spending time in the back of a squad car is probably enough, but he will probably be put in a cage for a but as well. It's typical that resisting arrest and trespassing charges look exactly like this. That's why the new DA doesn't want to prosecute these charges. Nobody needs to spend any significant time in a cage for this type of stuff.
The old DA wouldn’t have prosecuted either...
FYI
There isn't a new DA, since current DA isn't going anywhere.
Marian Ryan was reelected and will continue in her role as Middlesex DA. This happened in Cambridge, which is part (and is one of the two shire towns) of the former Middlesex County.
True
True, well it's awful close to Suffolk so forgive my mistake. The new Suffolk DA wouldn't prosecute this and some people are (were) all up in arms about it. Just wonder if they would be up in arms about this?
statie vs skatie
maybe you could cooperate for a minute and the cop might be easier to deal with? maybe you should not argue with state police about skateboarding when you are 27 years old.
does anyone know who paid for those lights?
What’s the problem with
What’s the problem with skateboarding when your 27? I’m guessing you like to watch 30-40 year olds get dressed up in tights and toss a ball around a field and feel that’s somehow more mature...
Lets hope the skaties..
Don't have an overtime scandal...
Who paid for the lights?
Listed here:
http://www.thecharles.org/projects-and-programs/skate-park/thank-you-don...
and/ or here:
http://www.thecharles.org/media/uploads/2013/04/Baker-Polito-Administrat...
Derek Hanlon is not listed. That doesn't mean he didn't donate; he may have donated through a group.
And while we're talking about the lights, what exactly is the point of lights in a park that is closed at dusk?
The City of Cambridge and the Charles River Conservancy might consider what the point of the lights is. If they are left on after dark, people will be attracted to the lights for recreational purposes. Either the park should be opened or the lights should be shut off.
Simple Answer
Q: And while we're talking about the lights, what exactly is the point of lights in a park that is closed at dusk?
A: it deters drug dealers. It also makes it easier for police and neighborhood groups to monitor those areas for illegal night-time activity (such as skate boarding after dusk).
Know whut?
Active skater activity deters drug activity.
DUH
Ah yes
those early bird special dealers, who work supposedly empty skateparks and call it a night at 9pm.
And those damn skate rats, with the audacity to use a skatepark after dusk, in New England, in the fall. How dare they partake in physical activity in a closed in space designed solely for said physical activity after 4:30pm. Think of the children!
All the violence going on and
All the violence going on and in and around Cambridge but its ok we have to mess with the skate boarders we will get to the murderers and drug dea!ers later
There's that much gang violence in Cambridge?
I must have missed out.
Trust me
There's plenty of gang activity in Cambridge and Somerville, including violence l.
Cmon
You seriously haven’t seen alll the shootings and shots fired calls Adam posts here???There is a lot of gang violence in Cambridge-there always has been. If you follow this page or @stacos on twitter you should know.
The globe just won’t report crime in Cambridge because realtors/developers. It ain’t Brookline... and they have much larger issue to deal with than arresting skaters at a damn skate park. But alas these are Massachusetts State Police and thus effective policing is not their forté
Yes,
you go.
It's a good thing we have
It's a good thing we have these brave officers keeping public skateparks safe from skateboarders. The Charles River Conservancy installed the lights and announced that the skatepark is now open until 9pm. These people were doing nothing wrong. I'm sure there will be an influx of bootlickers in the comments to defend the cops though.
Maybe DCR didn't get the memo
From the CRC website:
Want answers?
Email your state reps. Tell them to call State Police. If a dozen legislators all ring up MSP, there will be some answers real quick. Find your legislators here.
Respect the neighbors
It's not OK to disturb the neighbors. They tolerate the skate park with the understanding that it closes at dusk.
Yes, the police should enforce the law.
There are no neighbors
This is next to railroad tracks and I-93. There's an EF office building overlooking it. The nearest place anyone lives is across O'Brien Highway in East Cambridge, or City Square in Charlestown.
Ever hear of the various
Ever hear of the various residential buildings of North Point?
Ever hear of a map?
The skate park is nowhere near those buildings.
Nice try - next time, google it!
Not close
1/4 mile away from the closest housing.
Word
Ah, so they should leave at 9? When the city announced the park closes? But he was arrested at 8:30...
Cops in cambridge are terrible
Never in my life have I seen cops giving out tickets to dog owners because they don't live in Cambridge and are at the park.
Maybe they should try and arrest the people who are committing real crimes instead of the petty crap.
They are state police. Read
They are state police. Read the article.
Not quite
While I am very much against the institution of policing as it currently exists, the laws themselves are not the fault of the police. There are parks in Cambridge in which Cambridge residents and their leadership have decided only dogs licensed in Cambridge are allowed. Residents and leadership have called for enforcement of this. This would only be a policing issue if we believe there are patterns of enforcement of certain demographics but not others, or if police are incorrectly enforcing the laws.
While I think the whole idea of a private public park and using municipal resources to enforce this is ridiculous, it's something Cambridge has chosen. They do at least charge for dog licenses, so some of the funding is coming directly from people who use the parks for their dogs. I encourage you to take your issues up with municipal government.
Yo uwould think, given the scandal and criminality that has
afflicted the MSP, that they would be more deferential toward the public and would show greater discretion.
I have been walking through that area to and from work since the opening of the pedestrian bridge to Charlestown many years ago, and anyone can see that the activity generated by the skateboard park makes the area inordinately safer.
The MSP, or at least this particular trooper, is doing a huge disservice to the community here - in particular to people like me who would like to have activity, and other people around, to dissuade the muggers.
Not really
You would only think that if you were ignorant of police culture. "When you're in the wrong, double down." must be something they teach at the Academy.
Miranda only applies with custody and interrogation
Contrary to what people may see on TV police shows, the strict requirements of the Miranda Warning (right to remain silent, etc.) must only be given when there is both custody and interrogation. Not much interrogation needed for trespassing and resisting. Plus he was barely in custody when the video ended. No Miranda warning needed. As standard procedure, he would get the Miranda warning at the booking desk once at the barracks but doubtful any interrogation was conducted on two misdemeanors. 27 years old? Grow up.
God Bless our police who have faced resistance, assaults and numerous shootings since Obama proclaimed that the "Cambridge Police acted stupidly" responding to a call for a break-in-progress where the man breaking into the home (Professor Skippy Gates) refused to cooperate. Glad the trooper here appears to be an ethnic minority and that's certainly not his badge number which would be assigned to someone who came on in the early 80's.
godbless?
love how the trumpers use god bless every time they speak like an ass. I guess it makes sense. I mean Christianity is responsible for the most violence, death, and wars.
Are you forgetting
USSR, Cambodia, Nazis (no the third Reich was not Christian) and China’s cultural revolution, all atheistic governments led buy atheist leaders, to name a few that might have just a bit of blood on their hands? Just trying to be even Stephen and tell it straight. It’s a human condition.
Nazis are the opposite of Socialists
Regardless of whether or not Hitler himself was an atheist (which is not confirmed one way or another), the Nazi program is inherently built upon Christian theology. The most basic concept of an Aryan race is that God made them superior to other races and this is what gave them the right to persecute and kill lesser, unfit races.
27 years old? Grow up.
Who the fuck are you to judge how and at what age somebody can have fun on a skateboard? You're an insufferable piece of shit.
Nice omission
"where the man breaking into the home (Professor Skippy Gates) refused to cooperate"
You conveniently left out the fact that it was his own house he was "breaking into" and he told them that and they didn't believe him for some mysterious reason.
Do you
Know who I am? No, you can’t see my ID!
Me thinks he brought it on himself
Gates issue was more of a bruised ego. The whole incident could have been avoided If he had kept his cool and showed his ID instead of demanding that everyone on earth recognize one of his lackluster PBS specials.
wait, so
being ruffled at unreasonable search and seizure is "bringing it on yourself"?
mkay.
Sure about that?
I'm pretty sure that the property was owned by the school.
You're interpreting "own" very narrowly
It was the house where he lived and kept his stuff. That would make it his own house. The actual ownership is meaningless.
Why were they there in the first place?
The state police, not the skateboarders. It seems that the hours are indeed until 9PM as informed by the Charles River Conservancy Twitter feed. The problem is that they we're in fact asking the officer why they were being told to leave when there weren't any rules being broken and the MSP officer decided that was too much democracy for one night. Be happy skateboarders are in the place built just for them and not actually trespassing like what many skaters do to get clips.
Because
ESCAPE IS FUTILE!!!!
God forbid they actually do a traffic detail somewhere that motorists have killed people.
Where is the beginning of the
Where is the beginning of the video? Don’t tell me the cop showed up out of nowhere and started randomly arresting entitled brat skater guy because that is not believable. We all know how much uhub hates cops so no need to go there.
What do you think happened?
There’s no other mention of any bad behavior on the skater’s part, only that he wanted, legitimately, to stay at the park. Honestly—the state police have nothing better to do than harass skateboarders? This is lazy, inept policing and you know it.
Well I'm sorry to tell you
Well I'm sorry to tell you something that "is not believable", because that's exactly what happened. He showed up and started using his PA to demand they leave under the (incorrect) pretense that the park closed at dusk, when they tried to tell him that the park is open until 9, which is precisely why the lights the skater is referring to were installed, they arrested him without an explanation. All the officer had to do was use a little common sense (why else would they install lights unless they were planning to keep the park open past dusk?), basic communication skills, or perhaps checking with the park department to verify what the skaters were telling him rather than assuming he was omniscient, and the situation would have been resolved peacefully. Instead, he escalated a situation that he was wrong about and embarrassed himself, his department, and his profession.
Why does the park need to close at all?
It's in a non-residential area, by deliberate design, so if someone wants to skateboard at 3:45 am, why not let them?
Agreed
I understand the sign has to be there as a way to clear the skate park if needed. But if the cops patrol the spot and see nothing but folks skating, why not let them have their fun and say out of trouble. As long as you don't see drinking or drug use or such, what's the harm?
Maybe a cost issue
Electricity isn't free, and the number of users probably decreases as it gets later. Valid question, though. Probably the current agreement. No reason it couldn't change.
The skaters
have paid for the lights to be on.
I'm conflicted
In general, it's been my overall experience that both skateboarders and state troopers can be real dickheads, especially the numerous times they think they are right. Moreover, both sides are basically playing the roles they had when they were 16 years old.
Tie Breaker
The ones with the badges and guns and arrest powers need to be held to a vastly higher standard than the childish RESPECT MAH AUTHORITAY behavior we see here.
These idiots should be fired. My tax dollars don't like them.
Lack of respect on both sides
The skater should have complied with the officer's demands. That's what you do. The officer should have shown some class and deescalated the situation instead of letting his macho instincts take over. (And why didn't the other uniformed officers help out? Three of them could have stood the skater up and cuffed him...instead they just stood there looking like, "Oh man, I'm not getting involved in this one.")
staties vs town cops
they hate each other!!!
1982 called
They miss you.
Wrong
An officer's word is not law and it should not be treated as such. Good way to end up with (more of) a police state. Only lawful directives should be followed.
MSP - Arborway
Let's hope we see the same law-enforcement zeal exercised by the MSP on the Arborway at the intersection of South St. and Washington St. Show up at dusk this Fall and Winter and pull every box blocker over and write a ticket. The idiots that block the box at and fly at high speed through those intersections cause more harm than some guy on a skateboard in a skate park.
Caveat: I think it's MSP that has jurisdiction in these intersections - not BPD. I'm not positive...
The park is open until 9pm as of last week
...when the lights went up. You know, the lights partially paid for by the skaters themselves. Per the Charles River Conservancy:
https://twitter.com/CharlesRiverCRC/status/1046848732959002624
Apparently DCR didn't update the signage on time, and nobody told this hothead trooper. He saw an opportunity to hassle some youths, and by golly he took it.
Disband the MSP.
I'll bet dollars to donuts...
Officer Kamel will be at the park at 9:01 PM tonight.
I put on my dickhead thinking cap and said to myself..."now that the officer is proven fucking wrong, what's the most dickheaded thing he could possibly do?".
You spelled
8:59 pm wrong
:)
A complete waste of time and
A complete waste of time and resources. The State Police have enough problems right now to be wasting their time with people skateboarding in a skateboard park. How stupid.
Troopers are your best protection
Against scary skateboarders! Trooper you will be reassigned to patrolling the Quabbin Reservoir after this video makes its rounds to the Governors office.
Crazy World
Except for the skateboarder mouthing off, I see no real attempt to resist arrest. The officer kept repeating "put your hands behind your back" while he was actually holding the guy's hands behind his back. Near middle aged skateboarders, out of control staties...the world is crazy.
When did 27 become the new 50
When did 27 become the new 50? WTF
Some horrible threat lurking over the horizon?
If 27 is the new middle age, Boston's life expectancy must be dropping fast...
Mid to late 30s
Guess what? You're early middle aged. You are no longer a yoot. 27? Not far off; and with a very tenuous hold on youth.
SOP
Officers are trained to say that to use it as an excuse. This wasn’t too extreme, but there have been videos of officers beating people who have turtled and are just lying on the ground covering their head while the officers yell, “Stop resisting! Stop resisting!” eith each swing of the club.
Mouthing off?
Like, asking why Trooper Looozer was closing the place down when it wasn't nearly time yet?
That isn't "mouthing off". COPS DO NOT HAVE UNQUESTIONABLE AUTHORITY.
We pay their salaries - this one should be FIRED.
Apoligize Trooper!!!
This trooper owes this young man an apology. He's resisting arrest, for a crime that wasn't taking place.
Why?
Per the skater’s side of the story, the staties were enforcing the closing time, as verified by a tweet by the CRC posted several times in this comments section. A crime was indeed committed. The skaters owe the State Police an apology if anything.
EDIT- As I note below, I misread the video description. My bad, which is what MSP should probably be saying too, or at least they should explain why the tried clearing the area at 8:30 instead of 9.
No Choice
"leaving the Trooper no choice but to arrest him"
I hope the State Police find they have no choice but to suspend Officer Kamel for assaulting a man who was not committing a crime... they should put him back on duty after he receives whatever training he needs to see there are other choices for his behavior.
He was trespassing
Which is a crime. My belief is that it was an asshole on asshole incident, but the trooper has the law on his side.
And yet
He wasn’t. Per the Charles River Conservancy, the park is open until 9. The skaters were not trespassing, nor breaking any other law. The trooper was making up an infraction.
http://www.thecharles.org/projects-and-programs/skate-park/
I’m not going to lie
I misread the description with the video.
The trooper was wrong in clearing the park early. That said, after watching the video (which I just did) the skater was completely resisting arrest. Now I’m back to two assholes having a pissing contest.
How was that resisting?
He was just talking, not struggling. The trooper kept stating "Stop resisting" not because he was resisting but because the skater wouldn't stop arguing [rightfully] that kicking them out was unjustified. You do not have to comply with unlawful and incorrect application of the laws. And debate is not resisting arrest. The skater was not even acting overly agitated or raising his voice, but speaking calmly and rationally. Technically, one of the skaters could have lawfully, in turn, detained the trooper as a citizen's arrest for unlawful detainment.
Actually you do have to comply blackKat
Unlawful arrest is not a defense, and you can’t make a citizens arrest for misdemeanors (false arrest) anyway, only felonies.
Read the statute (286 32B) and associated case law.
So technically no, your wrong.
"Put your hands behind your back"
That was pretty much ignored. Then he made a move to get away, at which point the trooper pinned him to the ground. He still refused to put his hands behind his back. That would be resisting arrest. The trespassing part is when the trooper told him to leave and he wouldn't. That there was confusion over the closing time of the park (the signs say dusk, but new rules that were not reflected in the signage said 9 PM) is immaterial.
Would love to see your reaction
if a cop/statie/FBI agent just came up to you and tried to arrest you for murder. And did so aggressively. I bet you, as a freedom loving republicunt, would just roll right over for them and wait for your day in court like a good lad.
Were I being arrested for murder
I’d freak out, but I’d see the futility of resisting arrest.
Yea wouldn't faze me.
And that is totally different than this situation where (according to the troopers) he was advised numerous times to leave the park and was then arrested for a misdemeanor. He at least knew what was going on and was told by the trooper what was going on.
I probably wouldn't be "excited" if I were arrested for murder, but you might get some serious money for a false arrest in something like that. I obviously know I never killed anyone so I would not be scared.
Constitution Change
When John Adams wrote the Massachusetts Constitution he deliberately did not make resisting arrest a chargeable offense if the "arrest" was illegal. Your rights were recently taken away when they changed Adams writings. It is now illegal to resist an illegal arrest. I believe that John Adams was concerned about establishing a "police/king" state and felt it a right that must be protected and essential for a people to remain free.
Liberty is the soul's right to breathe
Will: There is a lengthy legal precedent, your honor, going back to 1789, whereby a defendant can claim self-defense against an agent of the government, if that act is deemed a defense against tyranny, a defense of liberty.
Prosecutor: Your Honor...
Will: Henry Ward Beecher in Proverbs from the Plymouth Pulpit, 1887, says, and I quote--
Prosecutor: 1887? This is the 20th century, your honor.
Will: Excuse me. Excuse me.
Prosecutor: You're making a mockery of the court here!
Will: I'm afforded the right to speak in my own defense, sir, by the Constitution of the United States. This is the same document that guarantees my liberty.
Prosecutor: Hey, don't tell me about the Constitution of the United States.
Will: Now, liberty, in case you've forgotten, is the soul's right to breathe. And when it cannot take a long breath, laws are girded too tight. Without liberty, man is a syncope.
Prosecutor: Man is a what?
Will: Ibid, your honor.
Two things are concerning
(though I am glad nobody was injured on either side).
1) unclear to me having read the whole post why the skateboarders were ordered to leave before 9pm by an officer who supposedly would mind the cessation time, and not some earlier arbitrary time.
2) the sclerotic mantra of "stop resisting" leaves much to be desired and I think needs to be part of a larger conversation about training for this particular officer. I don't know if Kamel is a meathead or not, but if he is (and he sounds like one), a good department culture would, ideally, leave him a little doubtful about whether he made the right call here. Instead, it seems as if he has been trained particularly to exhibit for these bad optics.
Again, super glad nobody was hurt and that the situation was minor.
Skater was indeed hurt
My son had to go to the hospital for X-rays after sustaining an injury by the officer. His hand was still tender after breaking it in the past. Before anyone says then why was he skating I can honestly say he’s so good at it that he can skate better than some bike riders as long as he does not try any crazy stunts he can do. He also told me the officer chocked him in the cruiser at the station. My son is very respectful and would not hurt a fly. Yes I wished he walked away but as you know officer Kamel never mentioned why he was being arrested. I know my son and he would have been cooperative and walked away from this incident if the officer would have just treated him as a human being. My son is a very intelligent person and not a trouble maker and has never been in trouble with the law before. The officer didn’t help the situation by bullying him and chose to use unnecessary aggregation. Typical rookie move. I respect the police but wished a more veteran officer was there instead, I’m sure with his experience the situation would have been thought through and would have resulted in no escalation at all.
In this Instagram video..
You can see that it is after the skateboarder moves away from the officer that the officer grabs the skateboarder and arrests him. Apparently it's giving an officer their personal space that is illegal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoYJpUelVHi/?taken-at=1020247924
Plain and simple
If a police officer tells you to put your hands behind your back and stop resisting, you put your hands behind your back and stop resisting.
You could be pushing your newborn in a stroller on your way to see grandma who’s volunteering at the local holiday bazaar... guess what? You put your hands behind your back and tell your newborn to shut up.
He's right
I don't like it, but he's right.
Once an officer initiates an arrest, it's over. You are getting arrested, even if it takes an entire battalion. You won't talk your way out, you won't "fail-to-cooperate" your way out. The best you can hope for is for someone to film, someone else to take care of your personal belongings the cops don't seize, and for you to have a quick and safe processing.
Too bad that is in direct
Too bad that is in direct conflict with human nature. Our brains are not designed to go into robot compliant mode when put in a high stress situation. Perhaps if the police considered that (overall, not just in this instance) we would have less conflict.
Signs?
So I'm somewhat confused again after watching the evening news. They showed a sign saying park closes after dark, but they did not show any sign that says the park closes at dusk - supposedly a sign the office was referring to in the report listed above. So did the news now show that sign, or was there no sign?
News also said the park will eventually be open until 9pm, which is why the lights were installed - but the park was not open until 9pm yet.
Wonder if they'll be able to make a case that the park was lit so it must be open??
I caught that too
Again, since this is a battle between two tribes that think they know everything, it's tough to take a side, but the cops did have the signage on their side. They saw a sign saying the park should be closed, saw people there, then we got the rest.
The honest truth is that the charges will probably be dropped and any complaint against the officer will also be dropped, which will be just but will leave everyone unhappy.
Two tribes
How quaint.
Try "people who should damn well be trained better than this and are paid by the public got a hard on for some people they wanted to terrorize for no legit reason".
Simple. Very simple.
The 9pm closing was recorded online.
So the skateboarder refused the officer's commands because the officer was wrong on the facts. Or at least, the facts (closing time) was reasonably in dispute. Then as the a crowd began to approach, the officer decided safety required that he detain the skateboarder.
This trespassing case cannot be arraigned because there is not sufficient evidence to say the skateboarders were trespassing. No one was physically injured. so while the resisting arrest is still possible, but it seems that the dispute about closing time should be considered. If the state police had been aware of the closing time or consulted the park rangers this might have been avoided.
It is not the class of crime but the circumstances that dictate that this case cannot be prosecuted. It is not clear from the report whether Mr Hanlon identified himself. Obviously the mistake would have come out if he was summoned for arraignment.
The officer was not (necessarily) wrong
Based on the information he had (the posted signs,) he was right, despite the fact he was wrong. Same thing with the skate boarder. Hence, I see nothing on either one's record in the future.
I think the expectation that the State Troopers saw the hours on the CRC's website, or indeed ever have been to the website, is not realistic. If the change in hours were communicated through the chain of command, the trooper has problems. If not, either the chain of command or the DCR should be pondering what they did wrong.
Getting an ID and summonsing
Getting an ID and summonsing the subject would have allowed this issued to be resolved safely. The dispute about the closing time was escalating the incident. I agree that it was reasonable that trooper thought they were trespassing. I don't agree that an arrest was required.
Right
because something posted online is never incorrect.
Okay
So in your world, the cops are never wrong.
If factual evidence conflicts? See number 1.
Pretty sneaky
Be aware.... the sign that states the park closes at dusk WAS ERECTED THE NEXT DAY. There is a video showing officers putting up the sign Monday morning. The evening of the arrest, there was NOT a sign. That’s all. The trooper was looking for an arrest then covered his behind the next day.
Had to do something to
get people to stop talking about the corrupt cops and their OT scandal. Thanks goodness we have a prick with a badge protecting the world from skateboarders, in a skate park, during park hours, minding their own business, not hurting anyone...
WAIT.. WTF IS THIS GUY DOING?
Literally that cop should have rolled up, said, "thanks for skating here and not on the sidewalk, works of public art, every curb in town, etc etc" and driven off.
sure, these guys should of
sure, these guys should of walked away when told to leave (and came right back, obviously..) but this is typical Statie behavior. I dont understand why these guys can't be courteous and fair? Local cops are. Not these guys, when pulled over they have to belittle you and scream and play tough guy. I support our police but the state cops have a huge attitude problem.
Do the State Police need to exist at all?
Suppose we abolished them and left all policing to local municipalities?
Interesting question
I suspect that there would still be a need for cross-boundary police for the interstates and for investigations that span multiple jurisdictions.
Perhaps a highway patrol and a detective unit, of the top of my head.
The larger issue is that they may need to realign their mission, values and especially their training to modern needs and priorities, and be set up in a way that receives greater oversight and input from citizenry. As currently constituted, they seem to have lost their way and become trapped in silo mentality. The general public is not the enemy, and should be the supervisor.
It’s a state park
And I assume you know what happened to the police force that used to patrol the parkland of the Metropolitan District Commission, but for the newbies I’ll explain. They were merged with the State Police.
Yes, but ...
Why does that mean that the State Police have jurisdiction?
There is a state highway one block from where I sit, and two more within a half mile. They are patrolled by my city police force. The interstate, however, is patrolled by the state (as is the large state reservation nearby unless there is a pursuit).
Point being: we have definitions as to which highways are patrolled by which entities - seems like smaller parks that are entirely in a town could be local jurisdiction.
It's history, my friend
At one point, the MSP patrolled the highways and some of the more sparsely populated parts of the Commonwealth, along with Logan Airport for some reason probably connected with MassPort, which is why there's that odd quirk at the Seaport. The MDC Police had jurisdiction over MDC lands, including MDC parks and parkways, which is why the State Police patrol the Boston roads connected to the Emerald Necklace but not the Emerald Necklace (city/town parkland) itself. Then, of course, there were the Capitol Police, who patrolled a single building.
If the MDC Police were still around, jurisdictionally it would make more sense, but Bill Weld wanted to reform things, so here we are, with the guys patrolling the Turnpike also patrolling the Southwest Corridor Park. Of course, we would also have to have the MDC around for things to make sense, but that's one of Romney's legacies.
state police also have
state police also have juristic ion over all of the waterfront area, which used to be just the ICA and courthouse..
Both of you miss the point
What they do now makes no sense. What they should do needs to change.
That means small parks and roads within towns = town business. Smaller areas within cities = city business. Larger areas and roads crossing borders = state business.
Whoa Ron
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