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On April 28, 2005 Philadelphia, PA NBC 10's helicopter recorded the physical assault of a robbery suspect on film. An officer was observed hitting a hand cuffed suspect while on the ground then hit again before being placed in the squad car. During this ordeal, the officer's co-workers made no visible attempt to intervene during the attack.

According to A.J. Westrich, Ph D an expert defense witness for law enforcement, wrote an article that appeared on the website "America's Police Beat" which mentioned that physical aggression displayed by officers may be 'normal'. Westrich believes when an officer feels under attack they may experience several emotions such as initial shock,fear and anger. Westrich theorizes when the officer goes through the anger phase behavior such as kicking is not punishment but a response to anger.

One may question how much danger the officer believed he was in. The suspect was already in a vulnerable position in handcuffs and surrounded by other armed personnel. It is also difficult to fathom how a veteran officer of approximately 10 years felt provoked enough to display such behavior after allegedly being spat on and racially insulted.

An alternate theory to Westrich's postulation is that of arrogance. Despite hearing the overhead news helicopter and seeing the spotlight shined directly on him, he ignored the helicopter as well as the presence of his fellow officers. If this officer displayed such violent behavior while being observed, it is indefinite how many other victims may have been assaulted in isolation.

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Comments

Tomm wrote on 08/22/2005

That 'fuck up' deserved to be hit. Why the fuck would ya be on a criminals side anyway, he's the one thats done wrong here. That 'fuck up' deserved it.

PJmarplotz wrote on 09/01/2005

wow. good to see you've been so scientific in formulating an intelligent response to a serious issue. first of all, what is a criminal? well we all pretty much know that a criminal is someone who, as you put it, "done wrong." But who decides what is right and what is wrong? The guy robbed a bank. ok, on the surface that may seem like a bad thing but we don't even know what he was going to use the money for! Not to mention all the injustice and economic disparity in the world that is caused by... BANKS!!! Most banks are scum, they care about making money and will do anything to do that even if it means maintaining a corrupt and unjust system that creates HUGE wealth gaps the world over. Furthermore, it is the role of the police officer to protect that system, not the interests of the people who are victims of it. The police are there to maintain the status quo and nothing else. They do do some good work but overall, their role is to protect the class system and maintain the current order of things. This in no way means that all police officers are bad people and, unless i actually see one of them actually doing something i disagree with, such as beating a protestor, i will not judge them. The point is that life is black and white like Tomm thinks it is. The guy isn't necessarily a criminal just because he tried to rob a bank. Try and see how the bank itself is actually a far bigger criminal and a stab at a bank is a stab at an unjust system that the banks and the police uphold.

Ml4_1A wrote on 06/23/2005

Where is the outrage over the office that just died from a heart attack while doing their job at a protest in Philadelphia? The protestors were just kicking him as he was asking for help.

Whacky1 wrote on 12/02/2005

What bunk - A bank robber is not "necessarily a criminal" ...? What a strange opinion you have on the law - Are you an anarchist? Whether or not one believes that the police officer was justified, your approach is nonsensical and dangerous to say the least. Would you want to be robbed by someone who needed the money for a good cause - Say to feed his kids? Would that be acceptable to you? Get a life.