James Cousins has been suspended for 10 days without pay and must undergo alcohol and sensitivity counseling following an investigation after video of Cousins was posted on YouTube. Before he can resume working, he must also be evaluated to determine if he’s ready to serve. Blogger David Lohr calls this a “slap on the wrist”. Here’s video of the press conference the mayor held, posted by the Erie Times-News.
Do you think the punishment fits the crime in this case?
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Sports
Jeff Karstens allowed one run in six innings as the Pirates beat the Marlins, 3-2, on Tuesday. Adam LaRoche, Jason Jaramillo and Freddy Sanchez each had one RBI.
Aaron Laffey, backed by Grady Sizemore’s three-run homer, went seven strong innings in the Indians’ 8-7 win over the Royals. Victor Martinez hit a two-run shot in the eighth.
Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy scored in the second period, but Marc-Andre Fleury was the star of night, making 45 saves to help the Pens to a 3-1 win over the Flyers Tuesday in Game 4 of their quarterfinal series.
The Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League announced today that the team has signed Erie Otters defenseman “Mitch Gaulton”:http://www.ottershockey.com/team/players/mitch-gaulton/ to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement. Gaulton, a 6-0, 210-pound native of Grimsby, Ontario, played in 22 games for the Otters this season, after missing the first 45 games of the campaign due to injury. He scored one goal and added five assists for six points, with four penalty minutes. In five postseason games, Gaulton was scoreless with four PIM.
I understand that they couldn't give him any further punishment without a City Council hearing, but I really doubt that a few classes and “sensitivity” training is going to change much. This is like thinking you're going to change your spouse once you marry them. Give him a year or two and he'll be doing the same crap. I also doubt he embellished much – it's not hard to delete a cell phone picture.
So much of this stinks – he wasn't even suspended until the Times News called the EPD about the video. I also want to know why Joe Sinnott didn't say anything like this about the IA investigation before the press conference. Remember recently he said that he agreed with how “Jimmy D” conducted the investigation and with having Cousins present in questioning the poster's brother? Sorry Joe, you've lost my vote. You condoned this until it got out of hand and you had to take action. Erie needs a good leader, and it's obviously not you.
Does this cop have the right to free speech or not? Funny how no one protested the murder of a drug dealer in Erie BUT you sure better not say anything BAD about him! Where's the union on this? I'd be interested to know if there is something in the current contract about being off duty & out of uniform.
We have all complained about work and been insensitive to our customers & coworkers. Fortunately where I work I never have to see any murder victims.
There is no proof that Rondale Jennings was involved in dealing drugs. The officer has the right to free speech, but that right has it's limits of course. Because of the law enforcement power he is given, he needs to be held to a higher standard. Making fun of a homicide victim is out of line – taking a cell phone picture of that victim is absolutely out of line and disrespectful to the victim and his family.
Can you tell me what the limits of his free speech are? You are assuming the murder victim is innocent but won't give the benefit of a doubt to the policeman? has anyone seen this 'picture' of the victim? I mean besides the official crime scene photos. Sure it is disrespectful but is it a violation of his contract? Is it illegal? I am sure it wasn't illegal so what is the contract say?
Why should you give the benefit of the doubt to the police officer? I don't recall Rondale being accused of dealing drugs, but if he was, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty – That's how our justice system is meant to function. Without proof of guilt, you shouldn't be giving the “benefit of the doubt” to the police officer – that's straight bias. Just because you're a police officer doesn't mean you're always in the right.
I'm not going to get in an argument with you about “limits of free speech” – we'd be here all day nit picking. The fact is that a police officer that shows obvious disrespect to citizens he encounters in the line of duty, regardless of color or background, doesn't need to be on the police force. It is assumed you should give respect to a police officer, but that needs to go both ways.
Paramedics and doctors treat criminals, sometimes right after they've committed serious crimes and have gotten injured or shot. Hell, in some situations police officers give basic first aid to people they arrest. Should someone's life you *presume* to be a drug dealer be forfeit?
Cousins has a right to 'rap' in an urban idiom in the same way as his harshest critics. Or even those who let rap lyrics glorifying cop-killers pass without comment here, or anywhere, every day of the week.
C'mon. Wake up and put down the rose-colored glasses. You know darned well that this was a drug dealer…do you expect the family to admit it though? Sure…the officer acted in poor taste, but he was off duty and probably venting a lot of frustation from everyday on the job. Sadly, this country is getting like the Gestapo with all our modern-day technology….You now, with video cameras etc., have to always be on the awares of what you say and how you act no matter where you are. It is unfortunate that someone chose to try to bring this officer down as their cheap form of entertainment. They need to get a real life.
Ron: It's nice to see you back off your “of course there are limits to free speech” quote. It seems to that this post of yours is missing? can you explain that? I've never seen that before.
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.
Funny again the double standard: there's no proof this murdered guy was a drug dealer (in fact you said ” he is presumed innocent until proven guilty – That's how our justice system is meant to function” BUT we better not assume the policeman is innocent. Your hypocrisy is amazing!
So how do you know he was a drug dealer? I'd like to know what criteria brought this revelation to you.
I never said don't assume the police officer is INNOCENT – I said don't give them the benefit of the doubt, meaning don't assume that every arrest is warranted.
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.
he was convicted of drunk driving? WOW! I hadn't heard that. That whole 'innocent until proven guilty' line is fun to play!
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.
I'm not sure if you're aware, but Cousins admitted to Chief Franklin that he drove home drunk from the bar that night. So yes, he is guilty of drunk driving – Not in a legal sense however.
I was not. Thanks for that heads up. I wonder if they'll prosecute that. If they do and he's found guilty then his contract will determine if he's to be fired. Where I work you get counseling. BUT he should not be fired for what he says while he's off duty and not in uniform.
Bottom line, Cousins is a public servant, therefore any public criticism of a public servant's conduct (while on paid duty or not) is perfectly acceptable and inherently necessary. Any reputable police officer will tell you that when you take the sworn oath to serve and protect the citizens you work for (repeat that, CITIZENS YOU WORK FOR), your status as an officer of the law, and all of the standards of conduct that position holds, do not cease when you are out of uniform. It is demanded that an officer of the law conduct themselves AT ALL TIMES in a manner that is not damaging to those HE REPRESENTS. The right to free speech has nothing to at all to do with this. When you take a sworn oath to serve the public, and are expected to follow that oath, your actions as a public servant must fall in line with that oath (whether you are on the clock or not – I don't understand why that is even being brought up, we are not talking about some factory worker here). When you become a servant of the public, some of those rights that a private citizen enjoys with immunity are lessened, and in some cases, removed.
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.
Ron, Is that all you do all day is dispute people on the computer? Is y our life truly this dull?!?!? Or do you have another agenda thatyou're not willing to own up to…..????You cause me to chuckle anyway!!!!!!!
ER Doc
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.
Way to deflect the question there, Daphne, and instead attempt to insult me. A winner is you!
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!
Ron, I have a job and cannot be tethered to the computer all day as you apparently can. If you read the transcripts from the bar scene, you will recall the the officer made the comment that there would be one less drug felon with whom to deal, (or words to that nature…I do not have the time presently to go back and re-read). I believe that on-duty kfull-time officers know what's up as well as what is going down…I don't think he would have made sulch a comment without some pretty certain rational behind it. That is how I have arrived at my conclusion… a conclusion by which I stand. That's all I have time for. daph