Professor Gates, Harvard's Pride

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

If there was someone hiding in the house, unknown to either of them. What if the cop left and the prof was murdered?

So the cop was putting Gates in protective custody to save him from a hypothetical burglar who he offered to lock in the house behind them?

He wasn't arrested for his attitude, he was arrested for his actions, and the fact that he was arrested proves the cop was in control of the situation, if not his temper.

He needs to be in control of both. Gates' actions were displaying attitude, so actions vs attitude is a bit of a quibble.

I still maintain they were both wrong.

Sure. Gates was wrong for being an ass, and Crowley was wrong for arresting him.

Cops are supposed to deal with people who are having bad days, and if they can only handle asses by tossing them in jail, they need a new line of work. "Don't poke the bear" excuses are only appropriate if the cop is considered to be a wild animal, unable or unwilling to deescalate.