What Could McKinney PD Have Done Differently?
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MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - A McKinney police officer's demeanor, take-down of a teenager and pulling of his weapon are all problematic, according to a law enforcement expert who broke down the video of the pool party incident with CBS 11 News on Monday.
Former area police chief Catherine Torrez also said that the refusal of many people in the crowd to follow orders from officers likely made the incident worse.
Torrez reacted strongest to the officer kneeling on top of the young girl at the center of the incident. She called it a dangerous move that could have kept the girl from breathing. "She's not a violent threat," Torrez said. "She's a mouthy threat. There's a different way to handle those than someone who is actually causing concern, someone is not safe."
Torrez also pointed out that the girl is seen leaving the scene at one point, but returns and continues to say something in the officer's direction. It would have been better, Torrez said, if the girl had just stayed away.
Although, Torrez added that the officer likely lost respect from the crowd when he started yelling and cursing. Other officers can be heard calmly talking to teens at the scene.
"In the midst of that, you still have to remain calm, assertive, authoritative and respectful," Torrez said. "And when you lose respect for other people, they are not going to listen near as well."
Torrez stated that she did not believe that the officer needed to pull his weapon from its holster. Officers are trained to protect their weapon which, in many cases, she said, just means turning it away from the perceived threat.
