Was this police officer in the wrong?

[Mister Cheese]

http://nj1015.com/nj-cop-under-inves...ng-horn-watch/

A police officer in Sussex County could face criminal charges after he was caught on live video hitting a man who showed up to the police station dressed as a bunny and blowing a loud air horn.
Kevin Hemmerich, 29, and his brother thought it would be funny to make a video of Hemmerich causing “a little bit of ruckus” before he turned himself in for an arrest warrant, his brother told New Jersey 101.5 on Friday.
But a police officer on duty didn’t get the joke.
In the video streamed live on Facebook by Jason Hemmerich, an officer identified by Jason as Nicholas Maresca is seen hitting Kevin in the face after cursing him out.
A second officer, identified as Christopher Lotito, confronts Jason before the recorded live stream cuts off. Jason says the officer ripped the phone out of his hands.
When the video turns back on, Jason is outside of the police station and can be heard yelling epithets about the police.

Play stupid games win stupid prizes...

[ribz]

It should be mandatory for all police officer candidates to take tough, probing psychological evaluations before they are given a weapon just to see if they have temper issues.

Oh wait...

[Mister Cheese]

It should be mandatory for all police officer candidates to take tough, probing psychological evaluations before they are given a weapon just to see if they have temper issues.

Oh wait...

He slapped the guy. This looks staged so they can sue the state obviously.

[Endus]

Yeah, that's criminal fucking assault. That cop needs to not just be fired, but ideally, get charged.

An air horn's annoying. Being annoyed gives you no right to assault someone.

Yeah, the guy's an asshole, and having a "disorderly conduct" tacked onto whatever he was submitting himself for would be fine, but nothing he did warrants that attack.

[Kapadons]

Guy was a douche. Got smacked for it. In this backwards ass world, the cop is wrong. But the guy got exactly what her needed.

[Bags]

In this backwards ass world

douche isn't legal allowance for assault lol

[Donald Hellscream]

He deserved it, but the cop probably shouldn't have slapped him.

[PACOX]

Legally wrong? Enough to get a slap on the wrist.

Realistically? The guy got the reaction he was both looking for and deserved.. Right enough to slap the bunny kid in the face.

[Saucexorzski]

Yeah, sorry cop assaulted that idiot and yep a lawsuit is totally possible. Sucks the cop lost this cool.

[Kapadons]

douche isn't legal allowance for assault lol

It should be. If he wasn't gonna win some money for it, I bet he would think twice before walking into a police station and blowing and air horn like a jackass.

If he walked into your home and repeatedly kept blowing a fucking loud ass air horn and wouldn't stop after you asked him to, can you honestly say you wouldn't give him a hard slap? The language of ass whooping is universal. Everyone knows it. And it's nearly 100% effective.

[Daws001]

The two brothers were acting like idiots. Yes.

Do I expect law enforcement to actually abide by the laws and behave in a professional manner given the power they wield? Yes.

Of course the cop was in the wrong and should absolutely be punished as a result. Cops can't just assault people because they're annoyed or having a bad day. In fact, if they're the type of person that can't control their anger then they shouldn't be cops in the first place.

[Rakoth]

It should be. If he wasn't gonna win some money for it, I bet he would think twice before walking into a police station and blowing and air horn like a jackass.

If he walked into your home and repeatedly kept blowing a fucking loud ass air horn and wouldn't stop after you asked him to, can you honestly say you wouldn't give him a hard slap? The language of ass whooping is universal. Everyone knows it. And it's nearly 100% effective.

Unless my family is in danger. No.

I would simply call the cops and make sure my wife took my son out of the house while I watched to make sure he couldn't follow.

[Mistame]

The cop should not have assaulted him. But he also shouldn't be trying to start shit, either. They should have just arrested him and tacked on charges for the stunt.

[Venant]

Yeah, that's criminal fucking assault. That cop needs to not just be fired, but ideally, get charged.

An air horn's annoying. Being annoyed gives you no right to assault someone.

Yeah, the guy's an asshole, and having a "disorderly conduct" tacked onto whatever he was submitting himself for would be fine, but nothing he did warrants that attack.

Good thing that wasn't a privately owned police station, because then the police officer would have been completely in the right to pull out his gun and shoot the man in the face.

[Endus]

Good thing that wasn't a privately owned police station, because then the police officer would have been completely in the right to pull out his gun and shoot the man in the face.

And if it had been bunny-guy's home, he'd have been completely in the right, even outside of castle doctrine states, to shoot the officer dead after breaking in and assaulting him like that.

As long as we're making up completely irrelevant bullshit.

I don't know what the heck you think a "privately-owned police station" is, because that's a phrase that contradicts itself.

[Jimusmc]

deserved it. totally in the right imo

[Jotaux]

The cop should not have assaulted him. But he also shouldn't be trying to start shit, either. They should have just arrested him and tacked on charges for the stunt.

This is basically how it should have been handled.

[Fencers]

Looks like the officer broke the law and should be charged with assault. Fired too, of course.

[nextormento]

I'd also like to add that "It's just a prank, man," is the bane of my existence.

Peppers just got demoted?.

OT: looks like assault to me.

[Witchblade77]

Good thing that wasn't a privately owned police station, because then the police officer would have been completely in the right to pull out his gun and shoot the man in the face.

actualy, no. contrary to popular belief, you ONLY have a right to shoot someone if they are doing something that puts your or someone else's life in severe danger. physical assault, intention to hurt you with a weapon of some sort - justification for firing a deadly weapon is deadly danger - nothing less then that. someone being a douche? is NOT a deadly danger. so you have zero legal or moral right to shoot them.

to the topic at hand, cop was in a wrong. as annoying as the prank was - that punch was 100% unjustified and out of line.