“...the middle finger’s “nearly universal recognition” as an insult made it unreasonable for an officer to interpret it as a distress signal.”
On the other hand, I would consider anybody that flipped off an officer to have a screw loose and be a danger to himself and society. It’s a signal that the flipper has flipped out.
I would consider any public servant who feels that way to be unfit for office, and to be a prime candidate for immediate termination of employment.
Obviously, you didn’t grow up in North Philadelphia…
When I was in high school, I had some kid in my car against my will, and he deliberately flipped of a cop. Luckily, the officer didn’t see him, but I was not happy.
Screw loose... Nyet. Don’t look at the act by itself, look at it as part of a trend. This is becoming more and more common and is because people are losing respect for the police because of their bad behavior and refusal to get rid of their bad actors. This overbearing authoritism by the police will only become worse until people rein in the police and remind them that they are peace officers, not LEO’s. Being overzealous LEO’s does not seem to work with the american public...
That policeman is in the wrong job. If he can’t handle the bird, he can’t handle being a police officer.