Police officers praised for handling tough arrest with class

[oneh2obabe]

The video has been seen almost 200,000 times since it was posted yesterday.

Titled Honest Cops, the eight-minute-long video shows Hamilton Constables Mark Morelli and Chantelle Wilson subduing and arresting a screaming, non-compliant woman on Sunday morning.

At one point, the woman yells to the cops: "I hope everybody sees this!"

Well, we did — and the cops are the ones who look good.



The cameraman, who is the woman's coworker, keeps asking why they're using force, implying that the officers' actions were inappropriate:

"She's only a weak girl!"

Not only does Morelli keep calm throughout the arrest, he takes the time to explain his actions to the camera after the suspect is finally in the back of the police cruiser.

"Unfortunately, she decided to try to resist arrest…and while it may look and appear to be something much worse than it is, it is only because she is resisting so violently and flailing around on the ground," Morelli said after the 21-year-old woman was in the back of the police car. "I'm doing my best not to hurt that girl."

"Our mandate is to effect arrests doing the minimum amount of damage to people as possible. That's what I tried to do, no matter what it may appear," Morelli added. "I can assure you, I used soft hand techniques…I didn't punch her, I didn't throw her to the ground, I grabbed her and she began to struggle. I'm not going to get into a long wrestling match with a young girl, because the longer she fights, the more likely that one of the two of us going to get hurt."

Morelli even protected the suspect's privacy as he spoke to the camera.

"While it may appear to be very rough to you, I apologize for you having to see that, but I have the lawful ability to arrest her and I am obligated to arrest her," Morelli said. "I can't tell you why, and I'm really sorry about that, but she deserves some privacy too, as do the victims of her [alleged] crimes."

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After the video went viral, Hamilton Police received an outpouring of praise from people around the world.

"The girl being arrested is clearly resisting arrest, crying and screaming and carrying on, while the guy filming seems to be a jerk. It is somewhat amazing that the cop maintains his composure as well as he does," wrote Reddit user veluna.

"This officer didn't need to explain his actions, he was within the law and he still took his time to objectively explain the situation. This man deserves a raise, whatever he is making it's not enough." wrote TyrosineS.

"That video was an amazing sign of professionalism. Those officers are an amazing example to other law enforcement agencies," Keneth Hallum tweeted to the Hamilton Police.

Hamilton Police Chief Glenn De Caire praised the officers’ response to the difficult situation:

"We have received emails this morning from all over the world, [from] China, Australia, the U.K. We have received over a thousand pieces of correspondence so far, and we're having trouble keeping up with that, but that's a good thing," he told CHCH. "[We’re] very, very pleased with the performance of our officers and both officers Mark Morelli and Chantelle Wilson have an incredible level of professionalism."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-bu ... 32066.html

[the truth]

great job by the rcmp,but the guy filming this was a douchbag,just trying to start sh...t.

[Bsuds]

great job by the rcmp,but the guy filming this was a douchbag,just trying to start sh...t.

I don't believe they are RCMP but OPP. Ontario has it's own Police force.

[oneh2obabe]

Not RCMP or OPP ... Hamilton has it's own police force. Did chuckle at the comments ... bet the guy filming isn't thrilled with some of them.

[zoo]

What a great example. Idiots with in our society every where. The loser yapping in the background, asking questions of the Officer, fueling the situation with distractions, Playing coach, saying come on man, its just a female.
Then the loser girl, perfect example of whats out there and what the police have to deal with. She should be locked up as an obvious idiot with no ability to function in a controlled, safe manner within society.
Cop trying to do his job, everyone else playing "arm chair QB", dealing with just another idiot.
Absolutely unreal. Ya know why we are even seeing this, because another loser did something wrong, believes they are not to be held accountable, and another loser has to get involved, as he knows better than the cops.

[the truth]

10/10.well said,dead bang on

[Poindexter]

The reason we're seeing bystanders outraged and standing up for the girl, (who it appears is in the wrong) is because people now feel they need protection from those who are supposed to be protecting us. The trust has been broken so many times that bystanders now take police to task for what appears to excessive force. Whether justified in this case or not, police in all cites are being faced with attacks on thier credibility. Unfortunately it's a product of their own doing.

[Treblehook]

The reason we're seeing bystanders outraged and standing up for the girl, (who it appears is in the wrong) is because people now feel they need protection from those who are supposed to be protecting us. The trust has been broken so many times that bystanders now take police to task for what appears to excessive force. Whether justified in this case or not, police in all cites are being faced with attacks on thier credibility. Unfortunately it's a product of their own doing.

Me thinks the "bystander", who is apparently taking the officers to task in this case, lacks sufficient intelligence to do much more than bark and walk upright. Certainly had no capacity to view the situation and make an assessment that was even remotely accurate. Another idiot at large.

[grammafreddy]

The cameraman, who is the woman's coworker, keeps asking why they're using force, implying that the officers' actions were inappropriate

[CorkSoaker]

Another idiot at large.

Truly. Just another *bleep* who probably read something on the internet and thought he knew more about the law then those that work in law enforcement. Kudos to the arresting officer for dealing so professionally and managing to keep his cool throughout the entire ordeal and still having the desire and courtesy to speak with the hecklers.

[Atomoa]

The trust has been broken so many times that bystanders now take police to task for what appears to excessive force.

Agreed.

...and also taken into account the "attitudes" of some of our local RCMP posters.

Viewing human/civil rights as "annoyances" - bring on the trust!

Funny how the police respect laws and their application in the most obscene sence unless they pertain to our rights, then they suddenly become a hassle and they get grumpy.