Rhode Island Cops Make Teenagers Do Push-Ups As Punishment

Here's the news video:



I grew up in this area so I know it well, all I can say is, Rhode Island cops are some of the toughest in all of New England. I hardly ever hear of anyone catching a break from a RI police officer, they are about as hard core as it gets in New England. Connecticut state troopers are like marines, but RI cops are a breed of their own.

I don't know how I feel about this.

I am kind of on the cops' side here. Mark the date and time of that statement, it's rare.
I would much prefer doing push ups rather than getting tased and/or being the victim of police brutality.

This is old school policing to me. Running laps around a building for running a red light, writing 1000X, "I will not drive over the speed limit" for going 10-20mph over the limit, burning down their homes for producing fake $100 bills vs felony jail time, slipping an officer a $50 so he lets you go for a minor traffic violation......

What happened to the police officers of yesteryear?
Did things not run a lot better back in the day than they do now?

I don't disagree with these officers' approach here.

What do guys think?

reply to post by JibbyJedi

I bet this builds better character than anything else they could have legally done.

reply to post by PutAQuarterIn


Agreed. Old school discipline.
I might not be opposed to road side spankings for teenage drivers who drive recklessly and/or speed.

In today's world, a person can be killed for things like speeding, reckless driving, red light violations, refusing to produce ID, etc...

Let's bring it back to the old days when the police knew your parents and disciplined you themselves, in order to spare you from the long arm of the law.

EWRMAHGOD How dare they!1

Those children might have broke a sweat and lost one pound while gaining muscle mass during their punishment! Call the ACLU STAT!

If they didnt beat them, and more importantly, didn't put them in the SYSTEM, then maybe its ok, still dont like the idea of cops handing out punishment though, especialy to kids!!!

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Well this is much better than the cops just shooting the kids and claiming they had a gun..

I think this is just fine.


Teens know the difference between right and wrong, no sense in coddling them!

Push ups are harmless! It's better than the cops hurting them physically.



Ok so they were about to vandalize a mail box? They got push ups instead of jail. If they didn't vandalize anything then did they commit a crime?

I still don't think the cops didn't anything bad. Should they not have done it? Possibly? Is it going to scar the teens? Doubt it.....maybe they will learn a lesson...hopefully.

Stuff like this happens around here quite often for minor stuff. Or taking them home to the parents and whatnot. Good on theses cops is what I say.

I can't believe people are complaining! What would they have preferred, beat the crap out them and throw them in jail for a year or so.

I had a cop use this form of "punishment" on me as a teen. it was either pushups or a ride home in the cruiser, which would of ended in real punishment. parents disciplined children back then


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by GAOTU789
Stuff like this happens around here quite often for minor stuff. Or taking them home to the parents and whatnot. Good on theses cops is what I say.

I can't believe people are complaining! What would they have preferred, beat the crap out them and throw them in jail for a year or so.

edit on 29-11-2012 by GAOTU789 because: (no reason given)

Exactly. It really goes against my nature to take the side of the police, but I have no choice here.

It kind of feels good to applaud the conduct of police officers. I, and many of us here, actually WANT to praise police officers. We want to be supportive of them because they have a very hard job.

Police officers deserve our respect, but most of the time they don't earn it.

I think the real questions becomes: if the kids failed to do the pushups, would this be (legally) considered failure to comply with/obey a "LAWFUL" order???

THAT is the real question. If so, then, what does that say about the authority of the police? I'm sure what some of our resident cops would say...

Unless, of course, the cops gave them a *choice,* but still...

"You wanna go home or you wanna go to jail?" --Det. Alonzo Harris

Originally posted by Liquesence
I think the real questions becomes: if the kids failed to do the pushups, would this be (legally) considered failure to comply with/obey a "LAWFUL" order???

THAT is the real question. If so, then, what does that say about the authority of the police? I'm sure what some of our resident cops would say...

Unless, of course, the cops gave them a *choice,* but still...

"You wanna go home or you wanna go to jail?" --Det. Alonzo Harris

My answer would be, "I would like to go home officer."

As far as disobeying their commends as being a "failure to obey a lawful order", I'd sau this was the kind of thing that was off the record.

Reply to post by Liquesence

I think if the cops tried to do that it would probably back fire on them in court. I haven't read the article so I dont know if parents were present but if they weren't, I think cops aren't allowed to do anything with out them present. I could be wrong about that though.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

It seems sadist, or at best an abuse of power for a LEO to mete out punishment of any sort. The reason USA separates governmental powers is this. The officers are of the executive branch, which enforces the laws, whereas judgment and punishment are determined by the judicial branch.
So, it is not great when a person of authority takes such liberties; just another tiny precedent we may make light of, but great principles are being buried one by one thanks to such ignorance.

This is not good at all. If this becomes the norm then what is the point of a judge? Basically this cop has decided that he is guilty without even going to court. What happened to the presumption of innocence? What if the next cop goes one step further and says he wants a sexual favor to let you off or as punishment?

Kudos to the cop. He could have arrested them. Having a record would be long term damage for the kids.
This is how the law should work. He did not abuse his powers. Sounds to me he treated the kids like he would his own. Much respect.

reply to post by FreebirdGirl


He totally abused his powers, hes not judge, jury and executioner like Judge Dredd, this isn't a comic book. Now a days more people have records than not because of these overzealous buttholes.

Pushups? !!!! That's not fair. When I was a kid they would take your cigarettes and alcohol away and call you an idiot. My brother was once roughed up by a cop for the small crime of kicking the guy and spitting on him. Why oh why couldn't we have been brought before the judge to face criminal charges and records instead? Juvie is such a dream.

Good for the cop. He may have saved some kids from the SYSTEM.

reply to post by icmom


Or maybe the judge might of thrown the ticket out and no punishment or record, but the cop eliminated that option when he decided the kid was guilty, then he decided the punishment without the ticket be scrutinized by anyone.

Originally posted by geldib
This is not good at all. If this becomes the norm then what is the point of a judge? Basically this cop has decided that he is guilty without even going to court. What happened to the presumption of innocence? What if the next cop goes one step further and says he wants a sexual favor to let you off or as punishment?

They already ask for sexual favors. This usually applies to 3rd shift or road cops out in the desert

This is the way it use to be before the NWO. Police officers handled their areas effectively, it's when the new statutes started pouring out did the local cops become the Revenue Rangers!

Originally posted by geldib
reply to post by FreebirdGirl

 

He totally abused his powers, hes not judge, jury and executioner like Judge Dredd, this isn't a comic book. Now a days more people have records than not because of these overzealous buttholes.

I prefer comic book police officers if that is the case.
These are local cops to me, but not local enough for my standards.