I'll ask again – How do you know that Rondale Jennings was a drug dealer? What evidence brought you to this assumption? If you'd rather not answer the question, just say so. If you want to continue to act immature, then don't respond – simple!

I do understand. I would say that an elected official doing this is different. I realize the oath, but some how the picking and choosing who it applies to and that somehow it is the video that defines this NOT what is said. I believe in free speech. I think that people are human and say things about work. I know a Doc who did an ER rotation as a resident and he told the terribly insensitve story of how a motorcyclist came in and his leg had been ripped off. They washed it and tried to reattach it but were not able too. They played soccer with the leg before sending to the morgue or whatever.

I have never seen this kind of horrible situation ( a murder victim on the side walk or a leg without a body) and I am not sure how I would deal with it but the idea that these policemen should lose their job because of what they say off the clock and out of uniform, not doing anything illegal is upsetting to me.

We just had the governor of NY knowingly on tape make fun of a man in a wheel chair. Nothing will happen to him. But a policeman, who didn't know he was being taped, does something similar and we are looking to fire him? It just isn't the same.

Again though if the union contract spells it out than I am ok with it but not on some 'unwritten' theory of a 'higher standard'. More often than not there's a double standard involved.

Heavy D — these comments of yours illustrates this point perfectly, and shows how you obviously just don't understand.

Heavy D says: “You make it sound like he was 'disrespecting' the people TO THEIR FACES. Certainly that conduct would warrant punishment. I don't say bad things to my clients or my boss TO THEIR FACES either, but after a few beers who doesn't complain about who they deal with at work? You are trying to make it sound like this is how he conducted himself at work.”

Officer Cousins is a PUBLIC servant, he made his comments, and acted in a manner disrespectful to the Erie Police Dept. uniform in a PUBLIC place. If you said bad things about your boss to his face, don't you think you would face repurcussions? Well, that is exactly what Officer Cousins did – by saying those things he did in PUBLIC, he said them directly to his boss' (the PUBLIC) face. Get it?

Consider a different situation, Heavy D. Say a public school principal, district attorney, judge, teacher, city councilman, etc. was caught on video in a similar situation. You don't think that public servant would be judged by the public at large? I have a feeling that you are the type that would be first to jump on that bandwagon, questioning that public servant's conduct, professionalism, and lack of judgment and how they should not be allowed to continue to pursue their profession. Does the fact that we're talking about a police officer make any difference? If it does, then you just aren't getting the concept.

Seriously I don't see how off duty conduct that is legal can get you fired unless your contract allows for stuff like “conduct unbecoming” or something like the NFL has. I couldn't find any information on who was arrested for Jennings murder because I'd like to here why he did it. I also wonder if they did a tox screen at autopsy to see if he was using.

IF we do accept that we expect our cops to show inscrutable behavior 24/7 I sure hope we pay them more for it.

For me his behavior that night isn't as bad as how this whole thing is being handled by the politicians and the police department. Yet again Erie makes national news for something bad.

If, for instance, someone is falsely accused of a crime and is arrested based on those accusations, do you give the benefit of the doubt to the officer that they took a criminal off of the street, before they've even been able to defend themselves?

And no, he didn't disrespect the deceased man in front of his family's face. But he did do it in a public place, with others watching him. His judgement was obviously impaired, but you know what they say about alcohol – it's truth serum. Also, he drove home drunk, which he's probably pulled other people over for. He has no respect for those he is charged to protect and places a double standard on the laws he is to uphold. He is not fit to be a police officer.