The suspension of the three Chicago Aviation Police officers who responded to a call from United Airlines demonstrates the politics of policing today. The videos have caused a firestorm and attacks on police conduct. The incident, which occurred in Chicago, were posted on You-Tube and picked up by news outlets worldwide.
The airline staff called police when a male passenger refused to leave the plane. He had been previously escorted from the plane, but turned and ran back to his seat. When he continued to refuse the officers requests to exit, they were forced to drag him down the aisle to the exit. Claims of excessive use of force and improper behavior by police officers followed.
Police officers called to a person refusing to leave have only one question. Does the person giving the order have the authority to remove them? They are not there to determine whether the request was based on any fact.
The man, who is a physician, then acted like a spoiled child and refused the requests of the police. That left the officers with two choices. They could walk away or use the necessary physical force to physically remove him. Had they opted to walk away, they would be subject to criminal arrest for Dereliction of Duty.
The simple question which must be answered is “What do you say to an adult who says ‘NO’?” The new “normal” appears to be that people feel that they can ignore a lawful order from a police officer without consequences. When there are consequences, they cry “police brutality.”
Think about this scenario. A four year old child walks into the kitchen where mom is cooking dinner. The child sees, and is mezmorized by, the open flame and begins to push an arm toward it. Mom will say “no, don’t do that,” but the child continues to get closer and closer. The voice will become more stern and louder as the arm moves closer to the flame. Just prior to making contact with the flame, mom will grab the child and jerk the child violently away. The amount of force to accomplish that is minimal and will likely not cause injury. Take that scenario and replace the child with an adult and the amount of force necessary increases exponentially. As the amount of force necessary to accomplish the task increases, so does the possibility of injury.