The Kid vs The Cop

There is a video that has gone viral where a 12-year old boy confronts a motorcycle cop about illegally parking on the sidewalk.  This incident took place in Las Vegas as 12-year-old Jeremy Drew confronted the LV cop about where he chose to park.  Young Jeremy asked, “Is there a reason for you to park on the sidewalk? Is it an emergency or anything?"  The cop tries to ignore the young boy.  But, Jeremy persists in his questioning.  The cop, seemingly bewildered, does what any cop will do in this situation; deflect and threaten.  The LV cop tells the boy he is loitering.  Jeremy ignores him.  Jeremy asks for the cop's name and badge number which every Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) in the nation is legally required to do.  The motorcycle cop ignores his request.  To show how smart this cop is, the cop asks a 12-year old for ID.  Jeremy tells the cop he is a minor.  You can see the cop is fully exasperated and confused by this statement.  Jeremy never does get an answer to his questions.  In the video, you can see the motorcycle cop riding off.  This video was posted in September of 2012.  It now has over 3 million hits on YouTube.

There are many mixed reactions to the video that I have read over the past couple of days.  On one hand, you have those who say the kid was being a punk who was just giving a cop a hard time.  Some have said the cop's vehicle is an emergency vehicle and is allowed to park anywhere he chooses.  Um, actually no, that is not correct.  When the police officer is going into an establishment to get a soft drink (see the video), he is obligated to adhere to the very laws he is sworn to uphold.  Wearing a badge does not give the police extra rights, people.  Jeremy was perfectly within his rights to question the LEO on this.  If the police don't respect the laws, how in the hell do they expect civilians, especially children, to obey them?  If we don't obey laws, we are ticketed or go to jail.  But, these same laws are what a LEO must also obey.  But, on the other hand, there are those who applaud the bravery of young Jeremy for standing up for what is right.  He knew the LEO was illegally parking.  He had a right to ask for the officer's name and badge number.  Jeremy had the right to question (rightfully so) if the officer was on an emergency call.  From the looks of the video, he had a Big Gulp.  Maybe in his mind, that was an emergency.  But, it is a poor excuse, a poor example this officer exhibited to a 12-year-old boy.  Instead, the LEO badgered Jeremy.  He should have admitted he was wrong and thanked the boy.  That would have been the adult thing to do.

This was very brave of young Mr. Jeremy Drew.  Just when I think there is no hope for this nation's youth, someone like Jeremy steps up to the plate.  It was a small incident in the great scheme of things of interaction between police and the civilian population they are supposed to "Protect and Serve."  In the end, it was Jeremy who came out looking like the adult, not the "adult" Law Enforcement Officer.  I congratulate Jeremy and I hope he continues to challenge those who think they are above the law.