A high-up NYPD officer told the Post that he believes more people should be prosecuted for resisting arrest. An average of 13,500 “busts” are made a year, but only a few of them are prosecuted:
“There is no legal consequence, and a lot of guys know it,” a high-ranking police official said. “If you resist arrest and get away, you’re free and clear. But if you’re caught, you know that charge has no teeth.”
The source further stated that people’s belief that they can then bring officers to court for false arrest “[is] horrible. It sends a bad message to the cops.” A former police officer who is now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice also said, “There needs to be a legislative change, or the district attorney has to target people who are flagrantly and repeatedly breaking the law [for resisting arrest].”
Of course, none of this mentions why these people are being arrested in the first place. It’s an unfortunate time for the police propagate statements like these. In light of the Eric Garner case and the situation in Ferguson, “[sending] a bad message to the cops” is not what law enforcement should be worried about. (Photo: Wikipedia)
