VIDEO ANALYSIS: Contrast Conduct of NYPD with Santa Cruz PD
At a time that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly are unflinchingly defending the conduct of their police officers who have in recent weeks mass arrested, pepper sprayed, beat, punched, and run-over peaceful demonstrators, it is interesting to compare their police forces conduct to that of officers in other cities.
Police officers in New York City and Santa Cruz, California recently responded to calls at bank branches to assist with disagreements between branch employees and customers over when and how certain transactions could take place. Both incidences involved “activist bank customers” who intended to make a show of closing their bank accounts noisily complying with requests by bank employees that they exit the branches.
Compare the measured response of SCPD officers to the aggressive response of the NYPD officers:
The Santa Cruz officers, after considering the on scene observations shared by bank customers, decided that the legal issues involved were complicated and better sorted out by lawyers. No arrests were made. They were thanked for their response.
The New York officers do not give the bank customer an opportunity to describe the events and do not appear to spend any time evaluating whether laws were breached, making aggressive on scene arrests of twenty-four bank customers on criminal trespass charges.
Perhaps NYPD needs better training or the Santa Cruz PD needs a better fundraising department.
