I dunno. I still say the cops are deterreing citizens from doing the right thing by acting like this. If i'm starting a job tomorrow, and some guy is touching my daughter today, I have to make a decision. If protect my daughter (which is of course the choice I make) ... I don't get to show up for work the next day because i've been arrested. Might lose my job or cedibility (what a way to start a new job). And now I have a record which hasn't yet been expunged, and *may* not be expunged at all.
That doesn't seem to be a choice that our public servants should be forcing citizems to make. He helped the police apprehend a sexual preditor and an illegal alien. *He* did THEIR job. Shouldn't the cops be presenting him with some kind of commedation or something? And i'm sure that if any of the cops had two neurons to rub together, they would have realized that on the spot.
I don't think the cops did their job in this intance. I believe they hurt this man, his family, and the community in which they work by setting a poor president and sending a terrible message.
Now, on another note ... there was a segment on Television a couple of months ago about the relative IQ's of various professions. Supposedly some researchers culled people from random occuptions and paid them to take IQ tests in the interest of research.
They showed a list of about 20 professions, and ranked them in order from "smartest" to "least smart". I think the Scientific folks ranked toward the top. One of the big suprises were that garbagemen actually ranked in the top 10 (everyone thought they would be last for some reason).
I remember the reporters were shocked at who came in absolute last. Police Oficers. Supposedly America's "Dumbest Occupation".
Now, i'm not saying this study was valid. I don't remember all of the details, I don't know how many people they tested, I don't know what conditions the tests were administered under, and I don't know if the researchers who put out the study had any particular bias towards any particular profession. So, no, I don't take it as gospel ... merely heresay.
However, it did at least cross mind when I heard about this story. I don't know any intelligent cop who could have arrested this guy. A guy who was holding a perp for them that he collared. A guy who admitted to his crime and was in the country illegally.
I think they did wrong. Maybe they should not be prosecuted, but certainly fired. They are not an asset to the community, and their judgement is too suspect to be in positions of authority.
All IMHO, of course.
I don't think they should be fired, they were being cautious, overly so.
However, one thing I didn't think of, is they could have simply held him for questioning, gotten his information, interrogated the other guy and then asked the DA for an opinion.
I don't know where this illegal confessed, for all I know, they could used the father statements to get there confession.
The really sad irony, is that depending on where this happens can determine response, say this was NYC, and the criminal is black and girl and father is white, now all the political crap is involved.
I know numerious cops who are friends of mine, and they follow (or try) and follow both common sense but also go by the book, deviating by one letter can get you in a whole world of crap. Its safer and better to go by the book sometimes.
Also, we don't know how the cops handled this after taking him in, I doubt they were happy to arrest the dad, and I doubt this made there day, more likely they did this to play it safe and protect themselves, also don't forget, and this is screwed up, the perp could press charges (he'd lose) but he could do it. I really, really hope that illegal perv doesn't sue for civil damages.
Considering that I once got sued by a burglar, I don't have faith in the civil justice system, I got my win based on the burglar being an idiot. I actually could have lost.