Before last month, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Logan Huysman’s Facebook page: The 18-year-old South Burlington High School grad posted the usual sultry selfies, plus a baby shot, a fishing snap and lots of photos with friends. But that changed on June 22, when she used the social media platform to publicly accuse the Burlington police of brutality during an altercation. Huysman claimed the cops touched her inappropriately as they shoved her into the back seat of a cruiser, and she included photos of her bruised arms for evidence.
“I would consider that sexual assault, especially coming from ‘authority,'” she wrote on her Facebook page. She did not file a formal charge against any of the officers.
Within a day, Chief Brandon del Pozo took her to task. He used his personal Facebook account to comment on hers — specifically, he posted a detailed police press release refuting her version of events. He also sent the communication to the news media.
According to the official narrative, which contained more detail than a standard police report, the Burlington cops had found three women asleep in a running car at the Cumberland Farms on Pine Street at 2:37 a.m. It took them more than four minutes to rouse Huysman. They found a bong, marijuana and alcohol in the vehicle.
The release went on to describe a scene in which Huysman threatened suicide, performed cartwheels in the parking lot, ripped up paperwork, threw a bottle, and kicked and screamed at officers. It went on, “She reached into her waistband and simulated producing a gun with her hand, pointing it at officers.” The police communiqué said a friend of Huysman’s asked officers to be careful, because she was anemic. That created an opportunity to explain her Facebook photos: “People suffering from anemia can bruise easily.”
The conclusion: “Huysman’s allegations of sexual assault are unfounded and do not bear comment or investigation.” The missive also noted that her behavior had been captured on police body cams.
Huysman was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and simple assault on a law enforcement officer.
The chief’s post started a lively discussion on the teen’s Facebook page. Many of the commenters were strangers to Huysman.
“Some people need to be put into a psych ward… just sayin,” wrote one poster.
“Look, another privelleged white person acting out towards police because she knows they won’t do shit,” chimed in another.
When Huysman saw del Pozo’s response and the outrage it generated, she deleted the entire thread.
Del Pozo maintained that his post was necessary to quell the spread of false accusations. But it also triggered critiques from people who see his approach to social media as an abuse of power and a violation of individual privacy.
“There’s a fine line between engaging the community, which is something we want our law enforcement officers to do, and doing what some might see as trying to shut down conversations,” said Jay Diaz, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont. “Affirmatively posting on a citizen’s Facebook page, especially in a sensitive situation, seems fairly inappropriate and would be understandably chilling.”
But, he added, it’s not a cut-and-dry issue.
“One thing I love about Vermont is how much we can engage with public officials,” Diaz said, noting that he has public online discussions with del Pozo. “I don’t know of a lot of other chiefs of police responding to tweets and Facebook posts.”
Del Pozo speaks out frequently on social media, describing family outings, life on the job, and his take on local and national issues. His recent posts include one about the police department’s community barbecue, photos of a hike with his son and news articles about the opiate crisis. In May, he posted body-cam footage from an officer who drew his gun but didn’t fire after a robbery suspect nearly ran him over. He praised the cop’s restraint.
Del Pozo is also largely responsible for the tweets from the department’s @OneNorthAve Twitter feed. He uses social media to engage with the community — “to go where the conversation is,” he said. The police department has no existing social media policy, though the city is creating one for all city employees. It will be published soon, according to Mayor Miro Weinberger.
For now, del Pozo said he responds as the situation demands. Police conducted a half-day investigation into Huysman’s claims, according to the chief, after a member of the public alerted him to her Facebook post. It called for a “detailed accounting,” he said.
“In general, we receive overwhelmingly positive feedback about Chief del Pozo’s use of social media and general accessibility to the public,” Weinberger wrote in an email to Seven Days. “In the few cases where we have received complaints, we have addressed them with the chief.”
Diaz also said he’d received complaints — two of them — about del Pozo’s social media activity since May 2016.
Former Burlington Progressive Party chair Charles Winkleman said he’s communicated with del Pozo on behalf of an individual from a minority community who was uncomfortable when the chief reached out to her via Facebook or Twitter.
Last August, Haik Bedrosian, a 44-year-old New North End resident and former city councilor, took offense when the chief commented on one of his Facebook posts. Bedrosian had written about the design for the new police badge, saying that it “belongs on a robot soldier in a dystopian future police state.”
Del Pozo, writing from the @OneNorthAve police Twitter account, messaged Bedrosian privately.
“Writing it off … is your prerogative and your opinion, but you should also take seriously the months of careful work a lot of people put into it,” del Pozo wrote. “They were not robocops, but nearly all born Vermonters who have a deep affinity for the city and its police.”
“Sorry, it’s Chief del Pozo,” he added below.
Del Pozo’s message, Bedrosian said, “came as a shock.”
Bedrosian deleted the post and blocked del Pozo. “I remain intimidated by Brandon del Pozo to this day,” he said.
After the Huysman posts, Bedrosian voiced his concern at a city council meeting last week.
“By personally commenting on an individual’s Facebook post, the chief sends a message that he is personally watching you,” Bedrosian said. “And when he visits your page and argues against you, the asymmetrical power dynamic tends to result in the post itself being taken down.”
After the meeting, Council President Jane Knodell said it was the first complaint she’d heard about del Pozo’s social media practices. Councilor Kurt Wright seconded that, but they both agreed that Bedrosian had a point. Knodell said she’d refer the matter to the police commission.
Rep. Selene Colburn (P/D-Burlington), a former city councilor, had more to say about how the Burlington Police Department communicates online. “I’ve heard concerns, and a lot of positivity, about how active they are on social media — how accessible they seem, how connected they seem to be to the community,” she said.
But she recommended “rules of engagement” for the digital space. “Is it akin to overhearing a conversation? Is it akin to responding to a published work? It’s a little of both, I think,” she said.
The internet is uncharted territory for police, said Christine Kemp Longmore, who serves on the Burlington Police Commission and founded the nonprofit Community Council of Accountability With Law Enforcement Officials.
“We’re in the middle of redefining policing, how we interact with the public and how social media tools are used is a part of those conversations,” Kemp Longmore said. “It’s important for us to consider the long-term impact of … anything he does as the chief.”
Sometimes, del Pozo said, social media posts can halt spurious allegations before they go viral or damage the department’s reputation.
Last year, he recalled, he was at a concert with his wife when he learned that someone was alleging that a Burlington police officer had pepper-sprayed an elderly black man in the back of a police cruiser.
The chief went online to correct the record — the man was 51, Hispanic, drunk and violent, he said. He ended up personally messaging several concerned social media users.
“These allegations are serious. How do you respond? It’s what we’re wrestling with, and it’s what everyone’s wrestling with,” he said.
Now more than ever, he added, an online presence is part of the job.
Fewer than 12 hours after the Minnesota officer who fatally shot Philando Castile was found not guilty last month, a Burlington woman called out del Pozo on Facebook for staying silent.
“There’s an expectation in an active online community that police weigh in on a range of issues,” del Pozo said.
“There’s an expectation in an active online community that police weigh in on a range of issues.” Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo
The chief is not the first Vermont cop to present his unvarnished opinion. In 2015, after a Hinesburg teen crashed his car into a bicyclist and both were killed, Hinesburg Police Chief Frank Koss wrote a column in the Hinesburg Record blasting the driver for “gross careless and negligent driving.”
“If you think that the chief of police should always be limited to political correctness and sensitivity, you should stop reading now,” he wrote.
The letter drew wide attention.
“It was to put it in perspective,” Koss told Seven Days last week. “The public has to be answerable to the truth.”
Koss praised del Pozo’s handling of the Huysman incident. Speaking for the police, he said, “We are not going to sit back and not say anything. We’re at least going to tell our side of the story.”
Huysman said the post and subsequent backlash has left her stressed and anxious. It was meant to be “a wake-up call” on police misconduct, she said. “Now I regret it.”
Huysman didn’t show up in court for her arraignment last Thursday — though her father was there. Greg Huysman had gone to police headquarters the previous day to see the body-cam footage and, after viewing the video, said he sided with the police account of events.
“She was resisting arrest, and she had to be forcefully put in the police car,” Huysman said as he waited outside the courtroom. “The police showed more patience than I would have.
“She’s a kid in crisis,” Huysman continued. “She made a stupid mistake.”
Del Pozo, too, said he’s learned his lesson. He’ll continue to express himself on his own social media accounts, but he’s done posting on the individual Facebook pages of others.
“It may well have sufficed to put it on my own page or our own Twitter feed,” he conceded.
Some of that may now be someone else’s job. Last week, Constance Crisp started in a new position at the Burlington Police Department — training and special projects coordinator — that includes managing its social media accounts.
The medium poses challenges that aren’t going away, del Pozo said. “I lament being in a situation where everything has to be resolved so quickly, or it spirals out of control so quickly,” he said. “Policing’s headed this way, because it’s on the heels of where society’s headed.”
Correction, July 5, 2017: Charles Winkleman communicated with Chief Brandon del Pozo on behalf of one person who had concerns about the chief reaching out to her on social media. A previous version of this story contained an error.
Related Stories
This article appears in The Cartoon Issue 2017.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Thanks for this great article, SevenDays! This is definitely a problem of our times without an easy solution! Glad to see many different ideas and viewpoints voiced and good food for thought in this article!
As taxpayers, we should expect police to protect us from real harm – not Facebook posts.
If the police chief thinks blogging helps keep us safe, let him blog.
Chief del Pozo craves publicity. As long as one of his officers appears on my doorstep if I need a cop, let him crave.
Police work is measured by crime, so del Pozo can do all the talking he wants as long as he’s reducing crime.
Judging from what has occurred so far on his watch, my speculation is that crime in increasing. Time will tell.
Del Pozo genuflects whenever he’s rumored to have mistreated an easy target for abuse – racial or otherwise, evidence the article’s reference to his leaving a concert to challenge a rumor about police mistreating an “elderly black man.”
The chief seems extra sensitive if a critic accuses him of mistreating a member of the minority community or of prematurely firing a gun at a dangerous suspect, whether or not the police behaved professionally as required. His paycheck depends on a liberal mayor and council who are more interested in mollycoddling supposed “victims” than in fighting crime that truly has real victims.
Chief del Pozo has hired additional training-coordinator and crime-analysis people, among others, arguing he needs more behind-the-scenes personnel to support the mission. He ought to use his money for hiring cops.
We pay cops to enforce the law, not serve as social workers finding housing for Church Street’s loungers. As long as those in blue stick to the real mission they have our support.
What we all want is to be safe – for a cop to come running when we are in crisis.
Even alleged victims of police mistreatment do one thing when they are afraid – they call a cop.
There is no legitimate business purpose for the chief to leave comments on an *individual’s* page. The only practical effect is to intimidate the person out of their freedom of expression and that is completely inappropriate. It’s very difficult to believe intimidation is not the goal.
Ms Crisp is “Training and Special Projects Coordinator”? Does Seven Days know who she’s training, and what the subject matter is?
It’s great that there is such heartfelt concern and opinion about Police services. Please continue to exercise your constitutional right to express your thoughts, to know your civilian rights and responsibilities, and consider taking advantage of opportunities to be involved. The BPD Commission meets every 3rd Tues 6pm at BPD and is open to the public. Christine Kemp Longmore
Happy to see Chief Del Pozo engaging with his community and, more importantly, using the tools available to him to debunk false accusations of serious misconduct. Attention should be focused on genuine problems, there are plenty of them.
To me the most important lines in this article are that the “victim’s” father went to the police station, saw the video, and agreed that his daughter had lied. I applaud him.
So, a person intentionally posted a false claim of police brutality and sexual assault on her PUBLIC Facebook page. Isn’t using social media to publicly make a false accusation wrong, whether it’s committed by Donald Trump or a local?
The person says she deleted her lie because she’s “stressed” from the backlash of getting caught in a lie. Hmm.
I think I disagree with Mr. Bedrosian. The Facebook page was PUBLIC. She wanted everyone to see her (fake) accusation, and knew that anyone could respond on her page. Isn’t this like shouting your lie on Church Street? Isn’t any passerby who hears it free to respond, including the Chief?
Knowyourass…. at last we agree on something. It’s really nice to see a parent of a millennial parenting and holding his kid accountable for her actions. If you could have left out the jab at Trump who has nothing to due with this case it would have been nice, but baby steps towards commen ground feels nice. I’m glad I could finally like one of your post.
My response to this article:
http://www.burlingtonpol.com/2017/07/dont-bring-gun-to-flame-war.html
Excerpt from my comments to the city council:
First: the police should always remember that any tweet, comment, message or emoji they send from a police email or social media platform carries the full authority and power of their position and that they represent not just their own point of view, but that of the police department and the city of Burlington. Any officer , including and especially the chief carries his badge and his gun into any online social media debate he gets into, and as such it should be *assumed* approaching a stranger online for any reason can be intimidating to that person.
Second: to the extent possible the police should avoid getting into online debates with people about anything. The police exist to protect people’s freedom of speech, not argue with them about it from their own personal point of view or even from the point of view of the department.
Third: based on the premise that an officer of the department, speaks for that department and the city when engaging in social media, the preservation of what that officer says and posts for the record becomes a matter of public interest. It is therefore advisable that to the extent possible the police limit their online engagement to the media platforms they control and can preserve for the record, such as their own Twitter, Facebook and web pages… Or perhaps to those connected to a commercial media entity with a physical address like the free press or Seven Days… But avoid engaging on citizens personal Facebook, Twitter etc, because that person will be free to change or delete what was said. That person may also not welcome it and find it extremely impolite and intimidating.
dude. haik chill out. just because he is a cop does that mean that he gives up all his own freedom of speech rights? what about posting his own opinion from his own page not the police page you seem to be claiming that would be somehow official but i disagree. I also like the point by knowyousassumptions that it was a public page. if i post something public, I can’t get made when randos comment because i made the choice to give them access. not sure it was cool of the chief here but i feel like there are a lot of things that we need to address before calling him out.
Important detail missing from this story: Did Ms. Huysman make the decision to post her allegations publicly on Facebook as compared to other of her posts which are by default Friends Only, or were her privacy settings on Facebook defaulting to all public posts? It’s a huge difference. If she chose to make that post, and only that post, publicly accessible, it’s a fair invitation for a response from the Chief. If she didn’t know she was posting publicly because ALL of her posts were publicly accessible, the Chief’s response was less acceptable.
Can you imagine being a grown man and saying “I remain intimidated to this day” because a cop tweeted at you?
I know it’s a balancing act but it’s important to understand that with the Chief’s continued efforts to “get out in front” of things he risks intimidating folks and or potentially losing their trust at a minimum. I hope that he also considers that his unfiltered communication on social media could be construed as “official communication”. This may be problematic and potentially serve as a liability to him, the department and the city of Burlington, especially when he gets it wrong. It’s pretty hard to un-ring the bell of mis-information. Finally, I think it is important that he consider that much of the general public may not be able to delineate his opinion from the facts and some may not have the courage to call him on it. On its face this power dynamic creates suppression, not open dialogue. I hope that the Chief is working with the community and the City Attorney to the balance constitutional policing and technology with oversight, transparency and accountability. Unless this happens we risk the prospect of BPD credibility being increasingly questioned and as a result, everyone being less safe.
Your a good Chief Brandon. I believe you can fix this.
Mark
I agree with Haik Bedrosian that once an official uses an individual’s social media account to challenge them, they have crossed the boundary of professionalism and are, in essence, no better than the Twit In Chief in the White House.
Amazing how people expect the police to be there in 3 mins if they are being robbed or need help, but attack them, when they try to defend themselves..This selfish brat thinks she’s above the law?? Think she does from her posting a false account of what happened..Her father was right to go to the Chief and asked to see the video, and to see that his daughter was lying..and for him saying “The police showed more patience than I would have.”, think the little girl is in big trouble with Dad..It’s nice seeing a parent that doesn’t say “my kid didn’t do it/wouldn’t do that , it’s all the police fault”.. kudo’s to the father..
“If you could have left out the jab at Trump”
You’re calling out this woman for lying on social media, which is fine, but you have nothing but fawning, drooling love for someone who tells public lies every day. Lies. Whoppers. Every single day. On Twitter, in speeches, and in interviews with the media. Yesterday he lied about whether US intelligence agencies “agree” that there was Russian meddling into the 2016 election. That was a lie. The 4 agencies who’ve actually investigated the issue agree there was. There’s no disagreement among the US intelligence agencies on that issue.
He’s a liar.
knowyourassumptions it’s plain to see that you hate Pres Trump, correct me if I am wrong.
What I’m wondering is who do you like, Clinton who is the queen of liars. or is it the Socialist Sanders who wants our country to be a socialist country.
I’m sure that everyone knows I’m a Republican and voted for Pres Trump. and stand by him..I’m not a shame of being a true Republican
I’m from strong Military families..from my great great grandfather, to my father who fought in WWll and the Korean War, my Uncles on both side of my family fought in WWll, Korea, my husband and cousins and friends were in Vietnam, my son was in Iraq..I’m proud of all of them and grieve for the ones who died… I lost my son in 2015, day before my birthday. he was in the Army, losing a child is the hardest thing in the world..
So I care about my country and our Troops and Veterans ..I’m not saying you don’t..I just don’t want people who don’t care about our Military, our country and the citizens to run our country..Sanders and Clinton are 2 who don’t give a rats ass, they only care about themselves and money.
. Vermont use to be a Republican state, long time ago..use to be a great state..not so much anymore..You don’t have to answer my question but was just wondering..
Pretending to being socially engaged as a citizen on social media when you are the chief of police is not possible, especially when it is well known that the police search through social media for criminal evidence. Del Pozo can’t have it both ways. His intrusion in this manner comes close to misuse of power.
There is no violation of privacy when you post on a public forum, ala Facebook. She made a claim against the police that was highly inflammatory and easily refutable by video evidence and a detailed account. Social media is not a facet of life completely divorced from reality, it is merely an extension of it. Chief del Pozo knows this, and I applaud him for engaging citizens in a public forum.
So facts mean nothing? Just “conversation”, regardless if the position is based on a pure lie and fantasy?? Like the Furguson lie?? So if I start a social media “conversation” about you being a pediphile and name you by name and where you work and speak about all the gory, made up details….regardless if their lies….thats ok??
stella, if you read the article, she said she wished she’d never posted it.
Have to wonder if any or you read this article all the way through! The Chief said he will not use social media again this way and will use it only for his own personal use in the future. I would hope this young woman learns from this and takes responsibility in the future for her behavior.
Holding people accountable for their public claims of abuse is right, proper and a long time coming. Being able to combine the rebuttal with proof positive that the officer detaining this little millennial idiot had patience above and beyond the call of duty. She should have gotten a face full of pepper spray or ridden the electricity of a taser. No cop should have top put up with a self proclaimed athlete assaulting him. If the chief doesn’t wish to post on the little liars page himself, he doesn’t need to. There would be suffiicent number of people who would take the time to find the little liars page and do it for him. The dad was right, she was wrong and this video will prove her idiocy for years to come. Wonder if she is proud?
Damn, a bunch of pansies over here: “Oh no, the Chief is defending his department against people slandering them!” Clutch your pearls everyone!
good lord vermont is suffering from Facebook misuse all over the place! when you post on facebook you control the settings so if you chose to make it public that is a choice and if someone you didn’t want to see it sees it and comments on it you invited that comment. if you don’t want public comments chose to make it private.
same goes for that obnoxious bar pretending to be a gay bar in winooski. the owner of the bar is currently using the public business page to shame members of the LGBT community who disagree with him and is agree that he is getting backlash. it’s the same problem because if you don’t want people to read your and respond to it don’t post it publicly.
the takeaway is that people should think before they post.
“I’m from strong Military families. . . I just don’t want people who don’t care about our Military, our country and the citizens to run our country.”
Then why do you like a guy who said John McCain ISN’T a war hero, because he got captured by the Viet Cong?
And why would you like a guy who insulted the family of a US soldier who died fighting in Iraq while trying to save other soldiers?
And why would you like a guy who dodged the draft during Vietnam and never served in the military?
It needs to be pointed out that there was at least one person who had a negative encounter with the chief when the chief direct messaged this person in response to a public tweet. But that story is not included here because that person was intimidated enough to ask for anonymity and Seven Days chose to exclude them if they weren’t willing to disclose their identity publicly. That’s the chilling effect that this kind of communication creates.
When this blithering idiot, Logan Huysman, chose to make a PUBLIC accusation to the PUBLIC, via a PUBLIC venue,,, the police SHOULD respond to dispel the BS blatant lies. Everything about this idiot screams ‘entitled b****’
Haik the Troll, come out from behind your keyboard and go talk to the Chief like a man.
Knowyourass….. why is it that you are never able to answer anyone that questions you with an actual answer? All you ever do is bring up comments from the campaign that are often taken out of context by the bias media. You should know by now that politics is a blood sport. And when one side attacks the other side counter attacks. I’m willing to bet that you have never sacrifice one thing for the betterment of the great nation you are privileged to live in. It must drive you nuts to know that Trump is 1000 times more of a great American than you will ever be. Donna my heart goes out to you and your family for the lose of your son. I’m sure he was a true patriot and a great man. Please thank all your family that have given so much of themselves to make our country great. Knowyourass…. Instead of criticizing people like Donna and her family try a thank you and be greatly for the freedom the provide for your sorry ass.
Huysman needs to be in a mental ward. he has the right to defend his officers against blatant lies.
Citizen, thank you for your heartfelt words..My son was very proud of being in the service and no one will take that away from me..
knowyourassumptions, I don’t care you didn’t answer my questions, I knew you wouldn’t..I do want to rebuff you’re comments
John McCain was not a hero he was a songbird, gave the enemy info..he’s far from being a republican
..
Pres Trump was given a 4-F and was permanently disqualified from military service in Vietnam..
Bill Clinton seeked ways of avoiding the draft. His first opportunity was provided through the political and social connections of Raymond Clinton, his uncle, and Henry Britt, a Hot Springs lawyer and former judge, who made arrangements with the commanding officer of the local Naval Reserve unit to keep Clinton from being drafted..
obumass never register for the service..he refused to..
Sanders was a draft dodger..NEVER IN THE MILITARY. he has no use for the Military..looked at the fraud and mishandling of the VA hospital here in Vt. veterans not being able to get appointments, having to wait mos, yes in the VA hospital.. and Sanders said the VT VA was great..tell that to the Veterans who are waiting to be seen..
John F Kennedy was a American Hero, more so then traitor McCain..
No one likes war, no one wants to die but they believe in FREEDOM and will die for it..I didn’t want my son to go to IRAQ..but I wouldn’t stop him..He was a proud Patriot and soldier.!!!!
The young woman should consider herself fortunate that the police chief has not (yet) sued her for libel, because her Facebook post was right smack out of the textbook. Logan Huysman told a big, whopping lie, and in doing so attempted to harm the police chief’s reputation and ability to make a living. It rarely gets this clear cut.
I am a retired journalist, and took the class where the law of libel was taught. And I didn’t attend some obscure community college; it was one of the top journalism schools in the country. Miss Huysman, you blatantly libeled Brandon del Pozo. You’d better hope he doesn’t file a lawsuit over it, because you stand to lose a boatload of money.
You sure wouldn’t want me sitting on the jury, because I’d teach you a lesson that your parents apparently didn’t: that stupidity has its consequences. I haven’t seen an apology from you. Someone should tap you on the shoulder and advise you to cough one up, now. And make it humble.
This is akin to my sitting in a coffee shop complaining loudly about the police, and the chief, sitting at the next table, overhears me, leans over and corrects something.
A private conversation? Social media feels that way, but when we broadcast to the world is really isn’t that.
Abuse of power? It does feel a little oppressive, but he also carries the responsibility for the community–a viral bit of misinformation undercuts the police’s ability to do their job. His power and responsibility weigh heavy against the individual kvetching over coffee, but my speech also has a cost for me.
We don’t want to relax in a coffee shop full of people not minding their own business, but we can’t be boorish ourselves and expect silence. Being in the community has responsibilities for all.
If you are posting on social media, then it’s there for everyone to see. That’s kinda the point of posting. Everyone is also free to read and comment as they wish on your posts.
There’s a really easy way to stop it, you know…..
DON’T POST THINGS TO SOCIAL MEDIA!
“Bedrosian deleted the post and blocked del Pozo. “I remain intimidated by Brandon del Pozo to this day,” he said.”
Then he has far bigger problems than getting PM’d by the police. Perhaps his balls will finally drop one day.
“Then why do you like a guy who said John McCain ISN’T a war hero, because he got captured by the Viet Cong?”
I know this wasn’t aimed at me, but I’ll field it, because I can…
I don’t like Trump. I thought he was a terrible candidate, and an awful person. My position has only changed on the former. I still don’t like him in the least. But I can support him when he does things that I support (a bit of a tautology there, I know).
Yes, insulting McCain because he was a POW is untenable. Absolutely disgusting. I didn’t like McCain and was pretty angry at some things he said and did, but I’d never disrespect his service, and the pain he suffered as a result. McCain was a war hero, and he had grit to stand his ground until the very end. It’s difficult not to respect someone like that, even if we were at odds.
So why does Trump talk such inane crap? Narcissism and partisanship can account for nearly all of that. It’s what led Nancy Pelosi to ask Trump if he didn’t see “the spark of divinity” in MS-13 gang members. She’s even nuttier and less lucid than Trump at his worst.
That person was “intimidated” by the chief for expressing his opinion about the design of a badge? Talk about thin-skinned. If you want to be a community leader you have to toughen up and be able to handle exceptionally mild disagreements from others. If that’s what “intimidated” that guy I suggest he run back to mommy’s basement until he’s mature enough to deal with people he meets in stores, on sidewalks, or at the movies.
As for the girl, she obviously learned nothing from her experience. Her father should have yanked her over his knee and publicly spanked her so the cops would see that someone in his family is responsible.
LOL this article was a joke. Someone POSTS that two officers sexually assaulted her on Facebook. SHE made that public for everyone to read. The police chief had every right to post the video showing she was a little liar.
MEN lose their jobs over false claims by women. They now do it on social media. How is an innocent person to respond? ON SOCIAL MEDIA. I applaud the two officers in how they handled that whole situation. I am glad the chief posted the video so people could clearly see she was not sexually assaulted.
Women scream sexual assault or rape because they are VINDICTIVE and want to punish someone. Men lose their jobs without even a trial in 2019. #metoo? #NOTME!! Move along liars move along. She’s lucky the police officer haven’t sued her over her false claim and damaging their reputations.