COPS COLLAR, CUFF, BOOK & BRIG TEENS: FOR SKATEBOARDING

The Boston Herald ^ | 11 August 2004 | Casey Ross

[Hemingway's Ghost]

A pair of baby-faced Whitman boys, busted on a public street for illegal skateboarding, were arrested, booked and shackled before being hauled into a Brockton juvenile court to face charges, the children's irate parents said yesterday.

``It's absurd,'' mother Stephanie Saltzman said. ``My son is 12 years old and all he was doing is skateboarding. I mean, you gotta be kidding me.''

Saltzman's son, Josh, and 14-year-old neighbor, Ryan Maxwell, were arrested Aug. 3 when a Whitman police officer caught them skateboading on South Avenue. A town bylaw prohibits using skateboards or other devices to ``coast or slide'' along public streets.

Town officials would not comment on the specifics of the case yesterday, but they said police would not arrest kids unless their illegal actions were more severe than simply skateboarding.

``They would have to be doing something that causes it to rise to that level,'' Town Administrator Frank Lynam said. ``It's at the discretion of the officer to determine whether an arrest should be made.''

Dean Leavitt, the officer who collared the rosy-cheeked boys, declined to comment yesterday.

The boys insisted they were merely skateboarding in front of their homes when an officer took their boards and ordered them into the back of his car. They said they complied without any protest.

``I couldn't believe it was happening over skateboarding,'' Josh Saltzman said. ``We have too many cops that have nothing to do in this town.''

The boys said they were booked at the police station and then driven to Brockton Juvenile Court, where they were locked in a cell for two hours before being led into a courtroom with shackles around their wrists and ankles.

Michael Maxwell, Ryan's father, said he raced to court to pick up his son after he was told the boy would be held overnight if he did not arrive before 3:30 p.m.

``I was sitting in court when they called out his name and I could see his hands and hear the jingling as he walked,'' Maxwell said. ``To arrest a child for riding on a board? I don't know what that serves.''

The boys were ordered to perform 15 hours of community service before Nov. 1.

Town officials said they have had numerous incidents involving skateboarders jumping off library steps, weaving through traffic and creating other disturbances. They say they are trying to find a suitable location for a skateboard park.

[brianl703]

Perhaps they called him at 3:15pm?

[SilentServiceCPOWife]

Thank you for what you said, but my husband wasn't a POW. My screen name would be Silent Service CPO Wife if it were separated. The Silent Service refers to the Navy's submarine service and the CPO stands for Chief Petty Officer.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I must have missed it in the article, where does it say they left the murderers etc. alone?

[Cap'n Crunch]

That's fine, I certainly don't want to tell people who they can or cannot talk to, that's their business.

I just don't believe someone was going to get flamed for saying so.

[Malacoda]

Amen.

Of course, I am a bit biased, as one of these little punk-@sses mowed my three-year-old daughter DOWN as we went for a walk about two weeks ago. Two skinned knees, a skinned forehead, and assorted bruises, and the little jerk didn't even stop or apologize.

[headsonpikes]

Quite likely it is policy/SOP to restrain anyone transported.

It is just such mindless 'policies', admitting of little in the way of judgment calls, that has reduced Officer Friendly to a geared-up bully. That is why parents are driven to counsel their children to avoidance of authorities.

In rural parts of Western and Northern Canada, the RCMP still fulfills the traditional role of 'judgment-call go-to guy'. The RCMP constable is a very important and respected person in every small settlement I've ever been in up here.

Law enforcement is very discretionary in these parts, thank God! I'm sure many rural areas in the States are much the same.

Canadian cities are more down the U.S. road of sudden 'policy' shifts(pandering) caused by political finagling and activist lawyers.

[Cap'n Crunch]

When I first got on in '86 we had alot more discretion than we do now. Unfortunately law suits and pressure from political groups took that discretion away from us. At least that's how it is where I work.

Too bad people have given their freedoms away for percieved government protection. Too many of them are totally dependent on Daddy Government.

I don't like it anymore than you do believe me, I've got to go deal with these people. Just shows me what democrats want to turn our whole country into.