Keeping cops honest

I can't tell you exactly what happened between Sam McConville and a couple of Lynchburg police officers in the parking lot of McConville's tour bus company lot back in 2008, because I wasn't there.

Moreover, I have always and will continue to be grateful to police officers everywhere for taking on a difficult, stressful job. Very often, they find themselves dealing with people who are not thinking clearly -- domestic disputes, DUI arrests, etc. -- and wind up becoming the target of generalized frustration.

Almost all of the dealings I've had with police officers and sheriff's deputies in this area (there haven't been many, but I have been guilty of a heavy accelerator foot from time to time) have been polite and professional. Of course, I know better than to make an issue of getting a ticket at the time it's issued, and I always operate under the assumption that the officer is just doing his or her job.

Having said all this, though, I am also well aware of the seductive charm of being an authority figure. And police officers need to understand that nobody likes being ticketed, arrested, or even lectured, which means there might be a tendency for that person to momentarily snap back at what they perceive as the source of their problem.

Given that, I don't think anyone should be arrested for "talking back" to a city cop or deputy, because that person in uniform is actually working for us. Citizens have a right to disagree, as long as it's not done in an aggressive manner. If the encounter escalates into prolonged yelling or physical confrontation, that's another story.

What actually happened in the McConville case -- which was decided last week when a jury awarded McConville $80,000 because officer Ben Currin sprayed him with gravel while peeling out of the unpaved lot in his squad car -- depends upon which side you believe. 

McConville said Currin was arrogant and overbearing; Currin said the same about McConville. Based on court testimony, there were some apparent inconsistencies in Currin's account. As I said, I wasn't there.

The $80,000 award was probably more for false arrest than any injuries McConville (who was acquitted of resisting arrest, an important point) might have suffered from the gravel thrown up when Currin left the lot. It might also have been nice if the officers had asked if he minded if they set up on his property to watch for speeders.

I wouldn't want police officers to become afraid of protecting themselves from angry citizens for fear of being sued. At the same time, however, they need to be reminded that they are not parental figures, and that a thick skin should be an absolute requirement for the job.