McKinney Police Officer: Racist? I think not!

So, like many of you, I saw a video emerge this weekend of a police officer in McKinney, Texas in which he threw a 14 year old girl in a bikini to the ground after receiving a call to some kind of disturbance at a pool party.  You can see one of the videos here.  There are a number of them.  But, immediately, the racist remarks began to flow.  It never ceases to amaze me how this is the first thing that gets the most attention.  I don't believe this officers actions were racially motivated at all.  Let's review, shall we?

First, the officers were called to a large disturbance at a pool party.  Allegedly, several people showed up uninvited.  What is not clear is who called the police to begin with.  When officers arrive, it appears, at least on one video, that there are several fights breaking out.  One officer, the one who is now relieved of duty, arrives after initial officers.  This is the officer who will eventually get himself relieved.  At any rate, when he arrives, what at first seems like a calm response by officers, turns into a very unorganized mess.

Now, having worked as an officer in Houston for 22 years, I can tell you that these kinds of crowds are difficult to deal with.  Anyone who has been on a scene like this will attest to how chaotic it is.  The now relieved officer responds by yelling at everyone to get on the ground. This is not a bad safety tactic.  This helps police identify who the aggressors are immediately.  They can then begin to deal with them in a more orderly fashion.  When the police tell several groups of teens to leave, however, they not only refuse, but they begin to yell at the officers.  The officer that responded most inappropriately lets his emotions take over.  He is human, after all.

Secondly, this video, although it is over five minutes long, only gives us a glimpse of the chaos at this party.  We do not see what is happening further away that causes the officer to draw his weapon.  Having said that, I don't see anything that would cause me to draw my weapon.  But, I wasn't there.  I didn't hear what the crowd was yelling.  At the same time, the girl that is eventually thrown to the ground has already had at least one verbal exchange with the officer.  He has told her and her friends several times to leave.  They refused.  Because of her refusal to do what she was told, she was eventually thrown to the ground.

This does not make this a racial issue!!  This is two human beings who are caught up in the moment.  Two wrongs don't make a right either.  This young girl put herself in that position.

Finally, for the sake of brevity, I don't condone the officers actions as shown in this video.  He violated a number of policies set by his department.  His chief will deal with that.  The officer does not deserve to get fired, even for drawing his weapon.  He did not point it at anyone and obviously felt threatened by something or someone we do not see on the video.  When he went to address the female he threw to the ground, he holstered.  The officer deserves a severe suspension as well as additional training.  The training should include how to calm his own temper under stressful situations as well as how to talk to people in a much more professional manner.  Foul language is only going to make matters worse.

This incident is simply not a racist incident.