SFist: 'VideoGate' Officer Andrew Cohen Doesn't Hold Back

suckafree

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:58:28 -0800

even the criminals commute to the city from places like antioch. really sad. they buy houses over there and drive in during non-commute hours to service their territory in places like the tl. gotta love the fact that they have such a great market to solicit their drug trade here in our wonderful district 6.

guest

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:36:29 -0800

Guest 12 how do we create this affordable housing that your speak of?

guest

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:21:41 -0800

Guests 4 & 10 - they don't live here because THEY CAN'T AFFORD to on their salaries!! We'd rather build precious overpriced condos for carpetbaggers from elsewherer to use a couple of weeks a year than create affordable housing for the oh, I don't know, our police & firefighters. Or teachers.......

guest

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 04:49:18 -0800

I have stated, it is always easy to blame cops for everything that is negative in the world, but other than being somewhat cathartic to those who bitch and complain, why not consider offering praise and support? We all know that there are factions of every group that tend to bruise the reputation of the majority, but lest not paint with the ever broadening brush, it tends to widen the gap between law enforcement and the communities that we serve and does nobody any good. I have said in the past that "one should be careful not to bite the hand that saves them". If you have questions: ask them. If you have suggestions: offer them. If you see a problem: lend a hand. This is what Community Policing is all about. The way it stands now, most people just call 911 and then bitch because it "took so long for the cops to come!". Well guess what...they're busy! And finally, for all of the folks who still think that we should be strung up by our "nads" for taking city time to do our comedy video, let it be known that you probably spend more time (at work) on the "john" in one week than we spent, collectively, using city time to make this video. Think about that next time BEFORE you throw in your two-cents. The Mayor and the Chief(s) were ABSOLUTELY WRONG in this case. If you have any other questions that you might like asking me, or other willing officers, please feel free to ask them so as to better educate yourselves before casting judgement. An open dialogue leads to better relations... -Officer Andrew Cohen

captain disco

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:17:20 -0800

i second the comment about police not living in SF. wtf?? get over here and live with us. or get a job as a cop where you do live. don't some cities have requirements for this sort of thing? while i feel for cohen and the havoc this caused in his life, i think the problem is too few reprocussions for bad behavior not too many. i don't know enough about the video incident (just vaguely what was in the papers) so i can't comment on the fairness of this particular investigation. but i bet this kind of incident will never happen again precisely because there have been huge consequences, even if the officers were/are eventually exhonorated. and while the net effect of the whole thing may be negative, the original incident should never have happened and that it will likely never happen again is very much a positive. meanwhile cops keep beating people up and jackasses like your hero suhr go beserk at the very notion of accountability. take him over to berkeley with you. i won't go out in north beach anymore because the cops have pushed me around too much at closing time. i'm literally afraid to be there on a fri/sat night now. how f&%ked up is that? i'm too afraid of the POLICE to go out in one of the biggest night spots in the city.

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 17:24:54 -0800

Both Captain Rick Bruce and Deputy Chief Greg Suhr are white males which effectively eliminates the possibility of being chief

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:30:27 -0800

Greg Suhr was terrible as Mission Station Captain, only eclipsed by Greg Corrales. Suhr is too political to be Chief. -marc

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:22:48 -0800

This is only the tip of the iceberg in SFPD, the mayor sucks as does the "chief" and most of the admin. I guess it helps to know the "right" people. Such a shame when POBR is violated and a once good department going downhill rather quickly. Good luck Cohen.

makfan

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:10:18 -0800

While I have mixed feelings about the video and the way it was handled, I think he is spot on in his thinking about the problems in the Bayview and Western Addition neighborhoods. We can't just do photo-ops and expect things to get better. It is going to take real work to build relationships and trust with the residents there. Far too many are born into lives of poverty with little hope for the future. Agreed on the 'support their troops' comment by evans (#5). You can't be blindly supportive, but you also can't immediately rip them apart to score points with the press. To me a good comment is something like: "Officer Cohen has had a fine career with the SFPD. However, while there may have been no intent to offend with this video, many of our citizens were understandably offended. We will conduct a full investigation and take appropriate action based on the facts." I'm also sure we can do waaayy better than Fong for chief.

ievans

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:18:19 -0800

I was skeptical at first, but good interview, and Cohen seems a smart guy, which introduces the question of why he made such a stupid video. But.... Someone who won’t bend under pressure and will ALWAYS support their troops. I hate, hate, hate this attitude. There's a difference between not blowing with the political winds and blind loyalty. Cops and soldiers always require this attitude, and it straight-up leads to corruption. Always. You can require unquestioned loyalty to the cops when you can prove to me that every cop is honest and always will be honest. When that happens, they can ride their patrols on black and white unicorns and carry guns that shoot rainbows and hope.

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:05:24 -0800

Confirms that most SFPD officers don't live in the city nor have any commonalities with the people of San Francisco. What's the matter with living here? We do (and we're not all rich, either).

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:35:04 -0800

Oh, sweetie. I feel for you. I really do. But that video was a mistake and you showed poor judgment in ever letting its distribution get beyond your control. Now you're an outsider and your victory -- probably after a decade or so of legal arguments -- will be Pyrrhic at best.

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:29:17 -0800

When did the guy from Midnight Oil join the SFPD? Kidding aside, good luck to you, Cohen.

guest

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:53:44 -0800

Second, third, and fourth the notion of Greg Suhr. Knows the city inside and out (native), understands the good guys and bad guys, politics, and has the respect of the brass. He isn't perfect by any means, but he'd get the SFPD back of track and restore the confidence of the city in its police force, and the SFPD in itself. Not only that, but dates Harris' spokeswomen, so could probably build some bridges there, too. Fong will be around until after this fall, then Newsom doesn't need the Chinese vote any more. Fong is the worst police chief in the history of the world. Decent administrator once upon a time, terrible chief.