Sgt. Crowley's Report

[mikepro8]

... as it was sent to me via email.
Not confirmed as authentic.

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police%2...s%20arrest.PDF

[kevindsingleton]

If that's accurate, it doesn't answer all my questions.

Why didn't Crowley leave, once he'd positively identified Gates as the lawful resident of the property? He had no further reason to remain on scene, did he?

[AxiTech]

If that's accurate, it doesn't answer all my questions.

Why didn't Crowley leave, once he'd positively identified Gates as the lawful resident of the property? He had no further reason to remain on scene, did he?

A little background before I answer your question: I have had my share of run-ins with overzealous LEO's, and am sympathetic to folks who are truly being treated wrongly by such LEO's. HOWEVER, there is a very valid reason for him not leaving and for drawing Gate's (the true racist here) out of the dwelling. The initial report was of TWO black males forcing entry. Getting the homeowner out of the dwelling would serve to ensure his safety in case the second male was actually holding the racist Gate's against his will. Gate's behavior could quite possibly have been intended to raise the Officer's suspicion that ,indeed, something like this was occurring inside.
I think Sgt Crowley performed quite well actually. He secured Gate's safety, and then proceeded with the investigation. It was at this point that the racist Gate's proceeded to force the issue by disturbing the peace.
My opinion and of course, I don't know all the facts.

[kevindsingleton]

A little background before I answer your question: I have had my share of run-ins with overzealous LEO's, and am sympathetic to folks who are truly being treated wrongly by such LEO's. HOWEVER, there is a very valid reason for him not leaving and for drawing Gate's (the true racist here) out of the dwelling. The initial report was of TWO black males forcing entry. Getting the homeowner out of the dwelling would serve to ensure his safety in case the second male was actually holding the racist Gate's against his will. Gate's behavior could quite possibly have been intended to raise the Officer's suspicion that ,indeed, something like this was occurring inside.
I think Sgt Crowley performed quite well actually. He secured Gate's safety, and then proceeded with the investigation. It was at this point that the racist Gate's proceeded to force the issue by disturbing the peace.
My opinion and of course, I don't know all the facts.

I understand what you assert, and that might very well be the case, but that's not what's in the report, and, if it's not in the report, it didn't happen.

Again, if this is an accurate depiction of the officer's report.

If it happened as you say, then Crowley is a much more humble officer than anyone has yet described!

[AKross]

I haven't been following this case to closely but if this report is true I don't see anything really went wrong here. If I am plowing my front door open with another gentlemen and the police show up and I start yelling at him I would expect him to be suspicious. If it was me I would just tell the officer it was my house, present him some ID and be on my way. If I was out front of my house drinking a glass of lemonade and reading the paper and they came and asked me for my ID I would be a little less helpful. His activity regardless of race could be considered suspicious. I am going to read up on this case a little more, now I am interested.

Also as I always say, keep your voice down and your anger in check when dealing with the police even if you know you did nothing wrong. Yelling solves nothing and will likely lead to large complications.

[LittleRedToyota]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/27/gat...est/index.html

911 caller in Gates' arrest says she never referred to race

By Wayne Drash
CNN

(CNN) -- The woman who made the 911 call that led to the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. never referred to race when she contacted authorities for what she thought was a potential break-in, her attorney told CNN on Monday.

Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested after a break-in was reported to police.

Attorney Wendy Murphy also categorically rejected part of the police report that said her client, Lucia Whalen, talked with Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, at the scene.

"Let me be clear: She never had a conversation with Sgt. Crowley at the scene," Murphy said. "And she never said to any police officer or to anybody 'two black men.' She never used the word 'black.' Period."

She added, "I'm not sure what the police explanation will be. Frankly, I don't care. Her only goal is to make it clear she never described them as black. She never saw their race. ... All she reported was behavior, not skin color."

Calls to the Cambridge Police Department about the issue have not been returned. In the police report, filed by Crowley, he says he spoke with Whalen outside the home before he approached Gates' house.

"She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of Ware Street," the report says. "She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."

Murphy's comments add yet another layer of intrigue to the July 16 arrest that has prompted heated discussion across the nation on race relations in America.

Murphy also disputed accounts of her client as a white woman in the traditional sense. "The fact is she's olive-skinned and of Portuguese descent. You wouldn't look at her and say necessarily, 'Oh, there's a white woman.' You might think she was Hispanic," Murphy said.

[Robert Kayland]

Get your mama to read that report.

[AxiTech]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/27/gat...est/index.html

HMMMM, is it possible that the woman is fibbing now? Possibly she works for a black employer and is rethinking getting involved? Does she fear retaliation in the neighborhood now? Lots of things cause people to change their story. The 911 tapes will be the answer to the question of whether she reported 'race/color'.
I don't know what happened at the scene, however, given Gate's remarks and Obama's statements I CAN determine two things: Gates is a racist, and Obama is a racist sympathizer, and quite probably a racist also.
I don't know why Crowley didn't put that in his report about 'two suspects'. One would think a highly experienced Sergeant, dealing with a 'Al Sharpton type' would at least write his report with a CYA factor built in. The truth, but with CYA.
As another poster noted, if it happened to me while cutting my grass, or swimming in my pool.... I'd be pissed. BUT, if it happened after a report of someone breaking into my house, and the house had evidence of such a break-in (as Gate's house did) , then no, I would not be the least bit angry. Rather I would be thankful that they showed up so quickly and acted to protect life and property.
Try to remember as you read that last paragraph, that while I do support LEO's as a rule, I also am a huge proponent of major punishment for them when they cross the line.

[NineseveN]

HMMMM, is it possible that the woman is fibbing now? Possibly she works for a black employer and is rethinking getting involved? Does she fear retaliation in the neighborhood now? Lots of things cause people to change their story. The 911 tapes will be the answer to the question of whether she reported 'race/color'.
I don't know what happened at the scene, however, given Gate's remarks and Obama's statements I CAN determine two things: Gates is a racist, and Obama is a racist sympathizer, and quite probably a racist also.
I don't know why Crowley didn't put that in his report about 'two suspects'. One would think a highly experienced Sergeant, dealing with a 'Al Sharpton type' would at least write his report with a CYA factor built in. The truth, but with CYA.
As another poster noted, if it happened to me while cutting my grass, or swimming in my pool.... I'd be pissed. BUT, if it happened after a report of someone breaking into my house, and the house had evidence of such a break-in (as Gate's house did) , then no, I would not be the least bit angry. Rather I would be thankful that they showed up so quickly and acted to protect life and property.
Try to remember as you read that last paragraph, that while I do support LEO's as a rule, I also am a huge proponent of major punishment for them when they cross the line.

Two things:

1. It's difficult to seriously claim that Gates is a racist, his actions, at least as you've characterized them, are more in line with being a race-pimp/race-baiter like Al Sharpton (though I think Sharpton is something or a racist as well). At the very least, Gates seems *prejudiced, which is not the same thing as being racist.

2. As I recall, based on how you’ve characterized your prior dealings with persons of color, some might consider you to be racist, yet I’m not so sure that’s accurate either and really, it’s unfair to label you like that based on a single incident and a misunderstanding of what actually constitutes racism.


*Racism, in the purest sense is an actual hatred based purely on racial differences, whereas prejudiced thought occurs based on prior experiences, usually poor, with a uniquely identifiable group. Hitler killed Jews due to hatred and an ideological belief that they were inferior, whereas Gates seems to harbor very strong emotions about White cops based on the history of inequity between people of color and law enforcement in this country. Neither trait is admirable, but one is certainly understandable to a degree. Where Gates fails to get a pass is that, to my knowledge, he’s never been personally injured or traumatized by law enforcement. It’s true that the climate created by the more recent events in the area as well as the aforementioned history in this country most likely contributed to Gates’ pull of the race card and his reaction to Crowley, but it’s not an excuse IMHO. It can help us understand his perspective and actions on the race-issue, but it doesn’t really excuse them.

Of course, in my opinion, based on the information we have thus far, I think Crowley should have left the residence once he has positive ID.


P.S.

The 911 tape shows that Lucia Whalen did not ID the men as two black males, she said that one of them may have been Hispanic when asked for detail.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/...n5191074.shtml

Whalen does not mention the race of the men she saw until pressed by a dispatcher to describe them. At that point, she said one of the men may have been Hispanic.

So now that youve given the cops the benefit of the doubt, suggesting that Lucia Whalen may have had motivation or reason to lie, can we move in on that same angle for the cops? What reason would Crowley have had to lie here?

[larrymeyer]

If that's accurate, it doesn't answer all my questions.

Why didn't Crowley leave, once he'd positively identified Gates as the lawful resident of the property? He had no further reason to remain on scene, did he?

I understand he was leaving the professor followed him outside still yelling at him.

The report has been posted at least 3x