Posted on 03/07/2002 8:48:56 AM PST by wwcc
BALTIMORE (AP) - A police commander who wrote a memo telling officers to question all black men at a bus stop where a rape occurred has been forced to retire.
Maj. Donald Healy retired Tuesday after he was confronted by superiors about the Feb. 22 memo. ``Obviously, it's not only offensive to the African-American community, but it's illegal,'' Police Commissioner Edward Norris said.
Healy, a white, 29-year veteran, released a statement apologizing for causing offense but said the memo ``had nothing to do with profiling.''
``The memo was written hours after the attack occurred and it was meant to remind all of my officers to be thorough in their search for suspects who fit the description we had been given,'' Healy said. ``Unfortunately, in my haste to catch a violent rapist, my directions were not specific enough.''
Healy's memo told officers, ``A female was raped last night ... Every black male around this bus stop is to be stopped until subject is apprehended.'' It also gave the suspect's approximate height and weight.
Police spokeswoman Ragina Averella said police have questioned three people in the area of the bus stop, but have not made any arrests.
About a dozen Baltimore lawmakers gathered Tuesday in Annapolis to express their outrage. State Sen. Nathaniel McFadden said he had talked with Norris and Mayor Martin O'Malley.
``It is outrageous, it's totally unacceptable,'' McFadden said. ``It's racial profiling at its worst.''
State Sen. Joan Conway, whose district includes the site of the rape, said police should have issued a more specific description, including at least an approximate age for the suspect.
``Those type of blanket statements should not be made as it relates to every black male,'' Conway said.
"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate,
tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."
- Samuel Adams
Free Republic is funded solely by donations from readers.
Donations and official correspondence should be mailed to:
Free Republic, LLC, PO Box 9771, Fresno, CA 93794
Support Free Republic by secure credit card.
Send PayPal direct to JimRob@psnw.com
So in other words, the memo did NOT call for the detention of "every black male" in the area of the rape. It is not "racial profiling" to issue a bulletin describing a suspect by race, height and weight if that is the extent of the witness description.
Another peace officer career destroyed by race-mongering opportunists. And another criminal free to victimize again. Here's hoping he victimizes the very people clucking presently about the officer's "racist" memo.
Well said, I'm afraid political correctness will destroy what's left of the Republic.
This is what the reason for this cop's lynching boils down to, he wasn't "specific enough" about the suspected rapist, who everyone concedes was a black male. Well, what is he supposed to do---make stuff up? Did the woman who was raped take notes about her assailant's clothes, jewelry, private parts, etc. while she was being attacked, brutalized, and violated? Doesn't anyone realize that the skin color of the assailant (whether you like it or not) would have been one of the most salient, if not the most salient, feature of the criminal to the victim (who was ALSO black---does it score this poor officer any "brownie points" with the race-hustlers that the woman brutalized was black like her assailant???) And as another poster pointed out, how many black men are going to be around a specific bus stop, and how implausible is it that the suspect may decide to return to the place of his crime, or that a witness can be found of the circumstances of the crime among the men detained?
The more I think about this frame-up of this cop, the angrier I get. God help the poor people of Baltimore.
Your kneejerk reaction reminds me of the quip about what a "gaffe" is in Washington: "Someone telling the truth when he's not supposed to." Thanks to the bien pensant, politically correct attitudes of people like you, who are ignorant of anything about law enforcement but pious platitudes, not only will this "loser" with 29 years of service to the Baltimore community be "enjoying his unemployment," as you so smugly and self-righteously put it, but other officers in the Baltimore PD will take note and let perpetrators go uncaught rather than ruin their careers over trumped-up "racial profiling" charges.
And the only people who will really suffer as a result will be your fellow "innocent bystanders." But please, don't let that tax your conscience, so newly validated with gloating over the fate of this cop.
Good for you, Porsche driver! Tell you what, player: you pity me, and I'll pity the poor folks, black and white, getting jacked, robbed, raped and murdered 3,000 miles away from you in Baltimore just so folks like you can avoid getting your feelings hurt.
"Strawman"? No, player, we're talking real men, and real women, and which of the two of us thinks they have a right to be protected from violent criminals.
But if you have nothing more to say on the subject, that's fine with me. Maybe next time you'll think twice before trashing a police veteran trying to do his job and catch a brutal rapist, just because you and a bunch of scurvy, race-baiting politicians didn't like the way he worded a memo.
How would You Feel without FR??? Suppose one day you tried to log on and Free Republic wasn’t there?
Where would you get your up to the minute news? How about the live threads as things are happening?
How would you know about the latest Demorat scams, anti-second amendment schemes and all the other liberal, anti-American ploys that are tried every single day?
Insight into world affairs, brilliant wit, sharp retorts, instant information gratification are a few of the things that make FR so vital.
How would you keep on top of things without FR?
How would you know who to contact to complain about the lying politicians, Media Bias, Hollyweirds latest mouth off, sponsors of these idiots, company policies that are unfair and all the other things we need to know to counteract the liberal mindset and the evil plans of liberals?
How would you be part of a Freep?
What would you do without FR????
Freedom isn’t free.
If you enjoy the site and find it a place of like minded Americans to sound off, to get together,
to fight back, to have your voice heard and make a difference, PLEASE CONTRIBUTE NOW! Jim can’t do this alone.
The liberals are sure we won’t be able to keep FR up & running. Prove them wrong. Show them we are indeed united Freepers.
Whether it is $5.00, $50.00 or more, it all adds up. Please send a donation now to Free Republic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.