I have a ton of respect for the majority of police officers on the force here, and it was a slow and grudging buildup of said respect after some of the horrendous treatment I've received at the hands of "law officers" who did more harm to me psychologically and physically than any amount of drug abuse ever did. I have a close friendship with one of the finest Metro PD officers on the force and I have had a great working relationship with many others as well.
But I've also heard numerous reports about how people on the street have been victimized, abused, hassled, mistreated, unfairly harassed, and targeted by officers with a vendetta or, as the folks on the street like to say, "a hard-on" for them.
I recognize the difficulty of the job we ask our police to do for us. It's a dangerous and often vicious world out there beyond the safety of the sunshine and the homestead, and we ask the police to go where most of us would never dare. They take on things we normally RUN from so they deserve our respect if for nothing else than the fact that they do the work none of us wants to have to deal with.
But part of being a cop is understanding that you work in a diverse community and as such, cultural sensitivity is a must. Furthermore, an officer must protect him/herself from the creep of cynicism towards their community members as a result of constantly immersing oneself in the worst that the community has to offer.
I realize this is a difficult balance and at times a damned tough wire to walk.
I gotcha.
But an officer is expected to maintain a higher standard of ethics, morals and behavior than the rest of us, simply because they represent the ideal of these things when they put on that uniform. We as a community can accept the fact that they are human and everyone makes mistakes or has a bad day now and then.
We gotcha.
But there is really no excuse for maligning anyone, or adding to the stigma of a particular group of people who are trying to exist in our community.
Police are here to "protect and serve" all of us, not just those they may deem somehow worthy of protecting. It's the "I may not like what you have to say but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" ideal. When that starts to fade and/or is replaced by some preconceived, stereotypical notion about the type of person, neighborhood or community an officer may be dealing with, it's time to begin looking for a new career.
A final concern I have with this event is the short length of time the officer in question has been on the force. It's awful early in the life-cycle of cynicism to already have so many stereotypes embedded in one's thinking process. I have some doubts about whether a three-day suspension will correct this; perhaps it would have been smarter to require the officer to take some training in cultural sensitivity and diversity, anger management, sociology and effective communication skills.
Might not hurt to sit through a couple of showings of Crash as well....
Posted: Sep 14, 2010 10:49 PM CDT Tuesday, September 14, 2010 11:49 PM EST
by Nicole Ferguson
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Metro police officer has been suspended after an internal investigation concluded he made inappropriate comments to drivers last spring.
Several of those drivers said the comments were either racially charged or took a hit at the homeless. Metro found they were simply "inappropriate."
Sabine Noelus filed a complaint against Officer Richard Coleman following her March car accident along I-40.
Noelus was rear-ended by an out-of-town driver near the Jefferson Street exit on March 23. While strapped in the ambulance gurney, Noelus says said she overheard Coleman tell the driver and his passenger that they "must feel awkward they're the only Caucasian people among all these African Americans," referring to Noelus and witnesses.
"They (police) need to learn how to treat people with respect and just do their job," said Noelus.
Following the complaint, Metro began to interview witnesses from the scene and the two other men involved in the accident, who Officer Coleman drove to Smith's Towing on Jefferson Street following the accident.
The men, who were from out-of-town, told investigators that Coleman made comments during the ride that were "rude," "demeaning," and "awkward.
One man said Coleman asked how they felt riding in his back seat, going onto say ""Well, lots of bums come in there and puke and (expletive) and you know, (expletive) all over the place, and they've got nasty diseases."
Another said once they arrived at Smith's Towing, Coleman said "There are a lot of black people here, this is the ghetto, you are the only two white boys that are going to be here, watch your (expletive)."
Coleman told his superiors a different story, denying he used any racial undertones or called anyone a bum, but admitting to inappropriate behavior.
In the report file, Coleman said he did ask the men how they felt in his back seat, explaining it was lined in plastic because it's "easier to clean when he has homeless sitting back there".
Coleman said he never referred to being in a black neighborhood, but warned the out of towners they "needed to make sure they locked up their valuables."
Metro concluded Noelus and the drivers, who were all interviewed separately after the accident, had similar accounts of conversations with Coleman but the language differed in their stories, and those stories could have easily been exaggerated.
Their report concludes Coleman did not make any racially charged comments on the scene of the accident.
They also interviewed Coleman's African-American colleagues who work with him in the primarily minority West precinct. Those officers said they'd never heard Coleman make any racially charged comments while conducting his work.
Coleman was offered a five-day suspension by his superiors for the Category C offense of unbecoming conduct. He counter-offered a three-day suspension, which was accepted on Monday. It will come out of his vacation time.
"If I'm saying something, and most of the stuff that the other drivers are saying, if they correlate with each other, how come that's all he's getting?" asked Noelus. "I'm not trying to get him terminated but at the same time I think there's something else that should be done."
Noelus and her attorney are also disputing the validity of Coleman's accident report, saying the sketches and narratives don't seem to correlate. Metro concluded the report was filled in correctly.
Coleman has been with the Metro Police Department for two years and has earned honorable recognition for his service. This is his first suspension.
Email: nferguson@newschannel5.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Metro police officer has been suspended after an internal investigation concluded he made inappropriate comments to drivers last spring.
Several of those drivers said the comments were either racially charged or took a hit at the homeless. Metro found they were simply "inappropriate."
Sabine Noelus filed a complaint against Officer Richard Coleman following her March car accident along I-40.
Noelus was rear-ended by an out-of-town driver near the Jefferson Street exit on March 23. While strapped in the ambulance gurney, Noelus says said she overheard Coleman tell the driver and his passenger that they "must feel awkward they're the only Caucasian people among all these African Americans," referring to Noelus and witnesses.
"They (police) need to learn how to treat people with respect and just do their job," said Noelus.
Following the complaint, Metro began to interview witnesses from the scene and the two other men involved in the accident, who Officer Coleman drove to Smith's Towing on Jefferson Street following the accident.
The men, who were from out-of-town, told investigators that Coleman made comments during the ride that were "rude," "demeaning," and "awkward.
One man said Coleman asked how they felt riding in his back seat, going onto say ""Well, lots of bums come in there and puke and (expletive) and you know, (expletive) all over the place, and they've got nasty diseases."
Another said once they arrived at Smith's Towing, Coleman said "There are a lot of black people here, this is the ghetto, you are the only two white boys that are going to be here, watch your (expletive)."
Coleman told his superiors a different story, denying he used any racial undertones or called anyone a bum, but admitting to inappropriate behavior.
In the report file, Coleman said he did ask the men how they felt in his back seat, explaining it was lined in plastic because it's "easier to clean when he has homeless sitting back there".
Coleman said he never referred to being in a black neighborhood, but warned the out of towners they "needed to make sure they locked up their valuables."
Metro concluded Noelus and the drivers, who were all interviewed separately after the accident, had similar accounts of conversations with Coleman but the language differed in their stories, and those stories could have easily been exaggerated.
Their report concludes Coleman did not make any racially charged comments on the scene of the accident.
They also interviewed Coleman's African-American colleagues who work with him in the primarily minority West precinct. Those officers said they'd never heard Coleman make any racially charged comments while conducting his work.
Coleman was offered a five-day suspension by his superiors for the Category C offense of unbecoming conduct. He counter-offered a three-day suspension, which was accepted on Monday. It will come out of his vacation time.
"If I'm saying something, and most of the stuff that the other drivers are saying, if they correlate with each other, how come that's all he's getting?" asked Noelus. "I'm not trying to get him terminated but at the same time I think there's something else that should be done."
Noelus and her attorney are also disputing the validity of Coleman's accident report, saying the sketches and narratives don't seem to correlate. Metro concluded the report was filled in correctly.
Coleman has been with the Metro Police Department for two years and has earned honorable recognition for his service. This is his first suspension.
Email: nferguson@newschannel5.com
