I don’t hit women. My sisters don’t count.

I don’t hit women. My sisters don’t count. Neither do thugs on the street.

I spent the last weekend with several police officers I had the privilege and honor to serve with. We were in Austin where one was receiving our state’s highest honor for first responders, the Star of Texas. His story, and the one that follows, shows how police work can change in an instant.

My friend and his partner knocked on an apartment door to speak with a suspect from a disturbance. He spoke with the male for a matter of seconds before he saw the gun, and in an instant, was critically injured on the ground. Fortunately his partner was able to take the suspect into custody, and he is pending trial for Aggravated Assault of a Public Servant. If all goes well, he will never see the outside of a prison wall for the rest of his life.

A more recent example of how police work can turn to chaos in an instant. NYPD officers taking a murder suspect into custody, and the situation turned treacherous instantly.

Video shows NYC cop punching woman in the face, to the ground

An NYPD cop was caught on camera slugging a woman in the face — sending her flying backward to the pavement — after police say she attempted to interfere with the arrest of an attempted-murder suspect.

The shocking footage shows the scuffle break out on the sidewalk on West 136th Street near Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem late Tuesday afternoon as cops from the 32nd Precinct moved in to collar Elvin James, 22.

Tamani Crum, 19, in a green skirt and crop top, can be seen in the footage approaching the fracas and briefly talking to James before getting into it with an officer.

The cop, identified as Kendo Kinsey, pushes her away from the crowd. But the video then shows Crum lunging at Kinsey, pushing him in the shoulder before the ­officer decks her.

Bystanders can be heard screaming, “Why would you do that?” as she lies on the ground holding her face…

To answer the question, because she, along with others who quickly closed on the cops, was a threat to the officers. Exaggeration? The suspect was armed and took the effort of multiple officers to get him into custody. Was Ms. Crum armed? If you say “no,” I have one question. How did you know that?

Too many cops over the years have mistakenly taken their guard down, made assumptions, relaxed too soon, leading to tragic outcomes. If Ms. Crum had a knife and slashed Officer Kinsey Brachial artery, could that be life threatening? Seeing you can bleed out in 2-3 minutes, I think that’s a deadly threat.

Let’s see how this looks to the naked eye. Here is a phone video from the Internet, with several people blocked out.

 

 

It does not show much before Ms. Crum was struck. Now look at the police body worn camera video released by the NYPD:

Starting around 00:45, it shows Ms. Crum approaching Mr. James, coming within three feet. She was forced back by Officer Kinsey. Ms. Crum approached again, this time she was pushed back by the officer. At this time Ms. Crum strikes Officer Kinsey, and he strikes her in the face.

Violent, yes. Excessive, not necessarily. No question the officer is much larger than Ms. Crum, but he tried to push her away from the suspect and the officers attempting to control Mr. James. Unjustified, not in my opinion. Her actions, combined with the requirements of getting Mr. James into custody (not sure if the police knew he was armed at this moment), and the fact the crowd was riled and was an active threat made very direct action a requirement.

One of the points I’ve made is when judging the actions an officer takes, you must look at them from the viewpoint of the cop on the scene. With the uncertainty of the actions of the people on the scene, the possibility of injury or death, etc. The Supreme Court ruled on that thirty-three years ago, setting a legal standard to evaluate a cop’s use of force.

From Graham v Connor 1989,

The Fourth Amendment “reasonableness” inquiry is whether the officers’ actions are “objectively reasonable” in light of the facts and circumstances confronting them, without regard to their underlying intent or motivation. The “reasonableness” of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation. Pp. 396-397.

Good to know the usual suspects are out to make money and publicity.

The footage drew outrage on social media and was quickly condemned by activists…

…The New York City chapter of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network condemned the video, saying the cop “brazenly punched an unarmed woman to the ground.”

“Records now public under a landmark 2020 law show Kinsey has had at least six complaints in the last 11 years, two of which have been substantiated,” the organization said of the cop.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said this to officers, “You’re not getting complained on, you’re likely not doing your job.” And you’re well judged by your friends. And your enemies. Seeing this is a black officer engaged with black suspects, this incident will die off quickly

Officer James, you made a quick decision under difficult circumstances, and you and your fellow cops made it out OK. Hopefully your department doesn’t try to throw you under the bus for doing your job. Be safe.

Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.

Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.

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