I can’t say that I disagree with you. Better judgment should have been exercised on both sides.

I do agree that the videographer did not do himself any favors by pushing the cop’s buttons, but we do not know what occurred prior to that incident.

I’m thinking there was some type of verbal confrontation beforehand which caused Foley to ask for his badge number. Something deeper than the cop simply not telling him where to go because cops stonewalling reporters is an everyday occurrence and hardly grounds to demand a cop’s badge number.

It takes a lot of patience to be a good cop. People are always going to be testing you.

In this case, the cop should have simply given his name and badge number – even if he was fully aware that the reporter was trying to push his buttons.

And especially knowing that the reporter is filming him.

The cop was not only overly aggressive – for all he had to do was order him to put his hands behind his back – he was also stupid for acting that way in front of a news camera.

I remember photographing the Bush protest at Miami-Dade College and a group of youngsters marched by a Miami-Dade cop chanting “fuck the police!”.

Although that is protected speech, the cop could have probably arrested them for disorderly conduct or obscenity or whatever, but would that proved anything? Would that have even been worth the time?

No. And the cop knew that so he just ignored them.

Guzman should have done the same, if for anything, his own career.

One question, though, is it so hard to put the sarcasm aside and simply follow what a PO says? The guy here felt compelled to respond sardonically to the officer with a: “Was that so hard?” Come on, you’re in the middle of a tense situation, the POs’ adrenaline is running, they’re covering a perimeter looking for a gunman and this guy feels the need to throw a couple of verbal jabs in and then follow it up with the classic atom bomb in the antagonization of a PO, “Can I have your badge number?”

Granted, the officer should have taken the high road and continue to walk away, but POs are human beings too. And just like the cameraman, the PO got angry and reacted.

Come on, there’s a big difference between fighting for basic rights and fighting for the right to antagonize POs.

I’d compare this to going up to a PO, giving him or her the finger, telling the PO to go f- him or herself, then getting mad when the PO walks over and cites you for spitting on the sidewalk or any other mundane, technical violation of the law.

A little common sense in these situations would go a long way.