James Crowley Lied in his Police Report

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/25/757783/-James-Crowley-Lied-in-his-Police-Report

James Crowley Lied in his Police Report
by BigBlue
Sat Jul 25, 2009

I have read all the back and forth about the controversy with Skip Gates and James Crowley, the Harvard Prof and the cop who arrested him. The media loves it, because it gives them an opportunity to go on and on about race, and all the stuff that goes with it. But the fact is, this isn't (primarily) about race. It's about the power cops have in situations like this, and the abuse of authority that occurs. And, in this case, the evidence that the cop, James Crowley, lied in his police report. Why do I say that, you ask? Well, read on...

Keep in mind that most media accounts take the police report as the truth, without a grain of salt. Consider these passages from the police report (which have been taken as fact by the media):

Gates opened the door and exclaimed "Why, because I am a black man in America?

While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer.

Gates continued to yell at me.

My reason for wanting to leave the residence was that Gates was yelling very loud and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information...

Gates continued to yell at me...

The gentleman shouted "You don't know who your [sic] messing with!"

Notice the many references to Gates yelling, shouting, exclaiming, etc. This is important, because the yelling is the basis of the arrest, which was for "loud and tumultuous behavior". Gates's own account has none of the yelling, and we are left with one guy's word against the other. In this situation, many believe the cop by default.

However, look at the following from Gates's account:

HLG: The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That’s a joke. Because I have a severe bronchial infection which I contracted in China and for which I was treated and have a doctor’s report from the Peninsula hotel in Beijing. So I couldn’t have yelled. I can’t yell even today, I’m not fully cured.

See also Charles Ogletree (his lawyer) on MSNBC, saying the same thing.

Now, if this is the case, Gates has a doctor's report, as well as many witnesses who would have heard him over the course of the last few days, having difficulty speaking, much less yelling. So it isn't something he is likely to just make up. This is especially true after talking to his lawyer, who would not have signed on to using this storyline, if it were not true, considering how easily it would be refuted if it were false. So I'm convinced that this is the case, that he couldn't have yelled. This makes the police report false.

And while the media considers there to be a difference between a statement containing "falsehoods", and the person giving that statement having "lied", I have no such qualms with the "L" word, so I'll say it again: the police officer lied in his report.

You may want to see more evidence that the things in the report are wrong, but keep in mind that the yelling key to the officer's story. It's the only thing that could justify an arrest (for "loud and tumultuous" behavior) in this situation. And though this is only one piece of evidence, I think the police report being wrong is the more likely situation, than Gates and his legal team stupidly clinging to a easily-refutable story about bronchitis.

Some people may dislike the claim of a police officer lying, but consider the following:
-Everyone in the justice system will believe a cop over a normal civilian, if there is no other evidence.
-Often confrontations between cops and civilians have no record, and the only evidence is the account of the two people involved.
-In a line of work such as being a police officer, any mistake likely has legal implications. It is probably easy to find yourself in violation of the law, if you are a cop and the situations you face every day are in a legal grey area.
-The police have a habit of arresting people for being jerks, for what is apparently called "contempt of cop"; the charges are often for something like "disorderly conduct", and quickly dropped, once the person has learned his or her lesson.

Forget that this guy is a cop for a moment, and remember that he is human. As a cop, he has a tough job; his mistakes carry big consequences, but he can most likely escape them by lying about what happened, and nobody will ever doubt him. Is it a huge surprise what happens?

I am not saying we should crucify the guy, but we should use this as a catalyst to call for changes in how our police works. We have the right to expect more from our police, and we also should offer more to people working in the often thankless job.

And we should stop hearing about what a terrible person Skip Gates is, how he verbally abused this cop, how he felt entitled due to being a Harvard prof, and how he got what he had coming to him. Because what we are hearing in the media, which is based on the police report, is not what happened.