SFist: 'VideoGate' Officer Andrew Cohen Responds To Critics With A 'Call To Arms'

guest

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 11:03:15 -0800

Pretty much every work environment requires all employees to attend classes in how not to offend others & what the company can/will do to protect you if you are offended. Officer Cohen's attempt to "boost" morale backfired on him - he broke the rules - period. Now he's trying to get off the hook. There are many other positive ways to boost morale instead of making fun of others - so I don't feel sorry for this guy at all. Perhaps he should look into another line of work?

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:32:49 -0800

I agree that, intentions notwithstanding, it was a really and truly stupid idea. It would have been bad enough had they poked fun at themselves, but poking fun at the public? And using humor that, again regardless of intent, any fool could see might be interpreted as racist? What were they thinking? Law enforcement officers are supposed to make good judgment calls with split-second notice. Here, these law enforcement officers made very bad judgement calls with all the time in the world to reflect on the consequences before the waste matter struck the bladed rotary device. In any case, this is an internal matter that I can't get too excited about. This cop, that cop, what's the difference? They're all cops. I would be much more interest to see progress being done on how the cops in SF treat the public, which is jarringly out of place with SF's progressive reputation.

ievans

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 17:12:33 -0800

Look, it's one of those situations where, regardless of intent, it is just a dumb idea to make a video (especially in this day and age) that mocks the people you're ostensibly serving and protecting. You could be an officer in Newport Beach and make a similar video and get fired or booted to a desk. But it happened here in SF, where you don't have to go far to hear first-person accounts of how the police are incompetent and out of touch. That's why it turned into a political issue. Deal with it. As I've heard from a few peace officers in my time, "I don't care that the rest of the cars were speeding, I clocked you."

eyespy

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:20:56 -0800

Boo boos, dum dums...we are losing the message of what he is trying to convey. It is not about he officers getting in trouble..they accepted that even though it was wrong..it is about the corrupt system that is within that members only club. HELL !!!! them boys are girls are going to get PAID by the city. No way they can get away with punishing WHITES, Blacks and Hispanics and not doing the Asians...you talk about Ching Ching...I wish I was one of them Porky Pigs...tha..tha..that's all folks

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 16:14:00 -0800

A friend once said that there will always be those who cheer you on as well as those who jeer you down. He said always listen to the former, not the latter. I say listen to both so that you can have a fair and balanced view of how you are being observed. Still, take that with a grain of salt because at the end of the day when the tumult of the has died down, or its ennui put behind you, you have to deal with you. Put another way, "wherever you go, there you are." It seems to me that Officer Andrew Cohen is pretty well self-possessed and thoughtfully reflects on the matters at hand however those present themselves. From what I've seen in the media about Officer Cohen, he's a "round-the-way" kind of guy. From what I saw of the over-hyped video, all he was trying to do in his department was boost morale--there are some people who do this using humor believe it or not. Oddly enough, I say all of that as an advocate for police abuse victims. In this instance, that would include Officer Cohen and all of those officers suspended selectively. One question that still begs to be asked of Chief Fong is that since there were several Chinese officers that participated in the video, why were none of them suspended? Why was Cohen, et al., singled out? P.S. Tulloch Police Observers Working to Effect Reform (P.O.W.E.R.) http://yougotthepower.homestead.com

Dan Berkes

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:59:19 -0800

It should be pointed out that Officer Cohen was likely very fine protecting all these vested interests he now calls out as corrupt thugs, until he was kicked out of the club. While he got screwed on procedural, that angle makes the whole thing seem more like the rantings of a bitter ex than anything else.

J

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:50:43 -0800

Is any of this video in the public domain anywhere?

Jeremy

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:45:04 -0800

Not to mention that it was their honors Mayor Gav and Police Chief Fong that painted this guy as "public enemy number 1" a few years back. They're the ones who hyped it way out of proportion first. I know that if the mayor was calling me out in public, I might well think my situation was a pretty big deal. Accordingly, I don't think the somewhat hyperbolic nature in which he presents his comments are out of line.

KWillets

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:11:24 -0800

Come on, this is a beat officer who was been sitting in the records room for a year while others were unfairly excused. Is he supposed to write like Ernest Hemingway?

ievans

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:51:17 -0800

megalomania nouna mania for great or grandiose performancea delusional mental disorder that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeurIs a Rosa Parks analogy forthcoming? Or maybe a comparison with the Holocaust?

Jerry Jarvis

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:22:02 -0800

On November 6th I will let them read it in the headlines on November 7th.

KWillets

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:07:38 -0800

He apparently failed his "How to be a Doormat" course at the academy.

J

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:48:48 -0800

Me thinks he should unite with Mr. Ed Jew to fight "city hall" with a two-pronged attack. What is up with these people that fuck up and blame everyone else for their troubles?

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:19:55 -0800

When did being a narcissistic asshole become a required trait for officers of the SFPD?

guest

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:10:26 -0800

Life is like a box of chocolates.

bedorable

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:00:01 -0800

whatever