Policing was once considered a necessary part of a civilized society. Unfortunately today, America is in a dark place concerning Law and Order.
On the one hand, there are those who back the blue and trust the system. This group understands that there are examples of Police overreach, but for the most part Police Officers are well intentioned people doing the best they can.
On the other hand, there are those who believe that the very institution of Policing is somehow racist and flawed to it's core. This group has been deeply misled and seek to burn the system to the ground in the name of progress.
This is how situations arise where bystanders are horrified when Police detain a kid. It doesn't matter that the kid stole something, or that the Officers intend to immediately involve the parents. All that matters is that Police Officers dare treat a child as a criminal.
Unfortunately, this mindset will only teach children to adopt a victim mindset. Instead of learning a valuable albeit frightening lesson not to steal things, they will be taught that they are somehow the victim.
This was on clear display in Syracuse, New York last week when Police Officers were confronted by a bystander while detaining an 8-year-old thief.
The Officers did not handcuff the boy or rough him up, they merely marched him to their patrol vehicle and buckled him in.
But the bystander, Kenneth Jackson, saw things differently: “He stole a bag of chips so y’all treat him like a cold-blooded killer.”
The Officers involved engaged with Jackson, telling him that he did not know what he was talking about and that he should keep moving along.
The boy's father was immediately notified and returned home to take custody of his son. He said the officers were friendly, didn’t press charges, or make him pay for the stolen chips.
After speaking to the press, the boy's father saw the body cam footage released by the department and sung a different tune: “Why would the police treat that child like that? Over a $3 bag of chips?” Unfortunately, it appears that the father was influenced by anti-Police activism and outrage on social media when the body cam footage was released.
Since the incident has gained notoriety online, the kid has allegedly been involved in criminal activity before and the Officers knew him.
Take a look at the footage for yourself, though be warned it contains fowl language:
What do you think, were the Officers excessive in their decision to detain the child and take him home? Was the bystander overly aggressive in his assumption that the Police were wrong? Would you be angry if your child stole something and was treated this way?
Let us know in the comments below.
Good for the police.
I remember when one of my children stole a pack of gum from the drug store. I didn't discover it until we got home. I immediately drove back and had her return the gum to the owner and apologize. I don't think that she ever did a thing like that again"
In my opinion the children that act out are children that are asking " How bad do I have to get before someone stops me?"
Those that are brought up with good rules become good adults!
Nancy;
My youngest son did the same thing. The first time he got caught and the store got their candy back and my son got a good whipping. The second time I caught him and I made him take it back in and give it back. I paid for it and told the clerk to throw it away well my son got a good lesson them because the guy ate it. My son got a good whipping then. And I made sure my son knew that it was wrong for the clerk to do that and I made sure to talk to the manager about what he did. Its bad enough when we have to discipline our children for something bad when adults do the same thing
not just 'stops' me but pays attention to my cry for help???
I DO NOT THINK THE POLICE WAS WRONG YOU HAVE TO TEACH CHILDREN FROM RIGHT ANG WRONG
If I were this child's parents, I would praise these Officers and make this child apologize to the Officers for his conduct and also apologize to the store owner. Also he would have some type of punishment, like be grounded at home or something of that nature. We need to teach our children right from wrong at a very young age.
So he should have to do; how else will he learn his choices have consequences: good consequences for good choices, unpleasant ones for bad choices?
Right on, Donna!!
I AGREE
Frankly the big mouth complaining is lucky he wasn’t cuffed and stuffed for interfering in the situation. The kid was resisting the Officer, not being treated badly at all. The big mouth is the problem, the father is a problem. If that happened to me as a youth, My parents would have released more fury than any court.
Yes Its always the big mouth in the crowd that escalates things. He wanted to be arrested for interfering, because thats what they do best When i was growing up, my brother was always being brought home by an officer for doing something wrong. My parents did not lash out at the officer like the big mouth did, but believe me he got a whooping every time. The police did the right thing, and big mouth should mind his own business..
I’m a retired police officer. Pisses me off when people start running off their mouths without having a clue of what is going on!! Unless an officer is abusing someone they need to MIND THEIR BUSINESS and allow law enforcement to do their jobs!! I’ve had to arrest / detail underage children before myself. When parents FAIL to raise their children to RESPECT others they go to school and give teachers problems, steal from stores or others, have NO respect for anyone, etc.
My Bible says “spare the rod, spoil the child” but this DOESNT mean you beat or abuse a child. It means you NEED to discipline your children and raise them in the proper manner. Also states in Proverbs 22 “raise a child in the way they should go so when they are old, they will not depart from
It!”
Let officers DO their jobs and IF you see one being “abusive” look at the one they are arresting and take TIME TO SEE if there is a reason for it!! We don’t get trained or paid to babysit anyone. I used to train officers “treat people the same way you want to be treated UNTIL…” if they give you reason, do WHATEVER you have to do to go home safely and in one piece to your family!!!
WELL SAID!! Thank you for your dedicated service to the public. Unfortunately there are officers who think they are above the law and don't use good judgment in situations like this. The onlooking intruder should have been arrested for disturbing the peace, his language and whatever else one could think of. Sadly people like him get involved w/o knowing the facts, making it more difficult for "law enforcement" to do their job safely.
Exactly right! As an EMS 1st responder, 1 of the calls that most scared me was an "officer down" call I got. As it turned out, it was actually kind of a funny incident, but my imagination had conjured up every kind of horrible event that might have occurred at the designated location, before I got there, trying to prepare myself for what I might find, & need to handle. Always aim to go home safe!
The cops are correct, this kid need's to learn right from wrong, his parents aren't teaching him!!!!
When I was a kid you were tellin the cops you would do anything if they just wouldn’t tell your parents!
This kid needs his A$$ "flamed" ("stroked gently (or not so gently)" with a paddle) and explained the Reasons people should NOT steal; and the Father needs to have a serios Father-Son- discussion(s) on teaching his kid why NOT to steal, and the Father NOT Berate Police Officers on how to do their job (unless he's walked in their shoes) PERIOD!!!!!!
what does he steal next , a bicycle , then maybe a car . wake up people , if never corrected where does he wind up , probably in prison . you can teach a kid not to steal .
VERY TRUE!! The punishment at home was enough so you didn't want to try that, or anything similar, again!
Dad would have taken me out behind the wood shed and gave me an attitude adjustment!
Police were right. The police new the kid from other times he stole things. How else is he going to learn that stilling is wrong. Someone else paying for what he took will not teach him anything. The police were not mean to him. If it were my kid I would be glad the police took him in and would have a long talk with him
The big mouth should have been arrested for inferring with police business. The child was being disrespectful, the police did nothing wrong. If that had been my son when he got home his butt would have been spanked. First of all my 8 year old WOULD NOT have been at the store alone!
Police nationally should get their people in order. How can police expect any support, backing or allegiance when they continue to disrespect, harass and treat citizens like criminals while they allow criminals to fester? They want us to back them? Why? They are moronic power crazed Nazis.
You're an idiot! Some day you'll need the assistance of the police. Maybe you've done something stupid and got in hot water with the police before. Is that why you don't like or respect them?
Good for the police perhaps he wont steal again
The cops were really patient with that big-mouth. He should've been arrested for interference.
The cops were nice to take the little brat home.
The officers were right. This child will now think he can do anything wrong, dishonest and then yell the "race card", You can see the officer is NOT abusing the kid but holding him still because the kid was dragging himself and being nasty. Parents should be grateful for an chance to turn the kid around from a life of crime that may have led to him catching a bullet some day.
My son pulled that with bubble gum about 45 years ago when he was 4 or 5 years old and I marched him back in the store and made him give it back and still have to pay the nickel for it out of his piggy bank. The clerks were all so nice and said how proud that were of him "deciding to be honest" because they really, really liked nice honest kids. He came out of that store smiling and proud like he though honesty was his idea in the first place. This was a chance for daddy to make his kid honest but he didn't take it.
Thou shalt not steal. What does anyone not understand what it says?????
I believe this was a step in the right direction to help this child know that stealing is a crime and what the outcome might be if he continues.
I commend the police for their actions.
Now, the child is seeing that he doesn’t have to worry if he becomes a thief, no body wants to discipline a child….
A good lesson was lost because of those who butted in where they shouldn’t have. Is it possible those who stepped in against the police are thieves themselves?
I would appreciate the officers for doing what they fid , I would hope that would teach my child it is wrong to steal !! Great job officers 💙🙏🏻🖤
If that were me, when the officers brought me Home. Momma would have made me wish I had never been born and invited the police for Coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Presonnaly I would have my kids Locked up in jail for few days at that age for stealing several times.
My son got caught stealing a 19.00 set of head phones when 17. he told the police to take him to jail, but do not call dad. he said my punishment would be worst than jail time..He had friends doing things like that, so he thought it was ok for him..he is now in his 30's and has been good.. Thanks for the police that called me
We all can thank former President Obama for all the cop hating issues that are going on in our country today. The DNC, leftist liberals and the main stream media are guilty as well.
Let's not forget the brain dead moron that occupies the Oval office and his cackling crony vice-president who both cow-tow to their behind the scene handlers.😉😉
If it were my kid, I would punish him when the police brought him home!
It is the parents that need to be punished. They surely knew their kid was stealing things. It is their job to teach their children right from wrong. My parents would punish me if I ever did something like that.
Remember the mom that saw her son on TV at a protest & came down & marched him home? We need more moms like her.
Hopefully the kid will learn from his experience.
"Do the crime, you do the time."
The police were right. He needs to be stopped at this age or it will go further in the future. Would these men rather he was killed when he is older for robbery.
Robbery. . .or worse.
What did it matter if it was $1.00 or a million $. This kid was wrong.
Excellent comment. The "it was only a $3 bag of chips" excuse represents the core of a problem. And this problem is disrespect for our laws. A person who steals a "bag of chips" is showing the same disrespect for our laws, and for other people, as the person who steals a wallet, a cell phone, or three million dollars. And the person heard making this excuse for this child is showing total disrespect for our system of laws. As the adult in this situation, he is even more guilty than the child, and he is leading this child in a very wrong direction.
I think they did the right thing.
It is plain to see why crime numbers are high & climbing. The guy who is screaming, cursing & interfering, is not showing a good example to the child. The child's mind is still forming & doesn't need this "adults" input! He is trying to make things appear nefarious; the police are performing their job with great patience. Thank GOD for body cam & one day the child will be a productive member of society.
If people in neighborhoods like this don't want cops there for crimes, don't send 'em. Parents shouldn't have to worry about their kids getting caught & disciplined when they steal. They're just in training for bigger & better crimes.
I think the grown men there were just making matters worse? If you don’t teach the right from wrong now then he’s going to be in and out of jail when he gets older( they said he had stolen before this) the police did their job and didn’t harm the child. What they did hopefully scared him straight, and he won’t do this again. I heard one of the men said he’d pay for the chips. (Wow, what will that teach the 8 year old kid, he’s old enough to know better ) I’m on the police side, teach him now before it’s to late for him, next time take him to jail and let the parents pick him up there. Good job police officers, this may keep another one out of jail,
The father should be grateful that the police try to involve the parent.
A little discipline on the part of the
parent will save a ĺittle heartache on
down the line.
The bystander should have stayed out of it.
Only morons want to defend the police. There are some bad apples
but for the most part they work to
keep us safe.
A little respect from the parent would go a long way.
Drive him home now...or drive him
to prison someday..EASY CHOICE.
If people don't want cops showing up for a crime going on in their neighborhood, don't call them. Parents shouldn't have to worry about their kid(s) being caught & disciplined for theft or any crime. After all, they are in training for bigger things in their bright future!!!
The police did their job with integrity!! There was no abuse or anything mishandling of the situation. They should have arrested that ignorant butt-in-ski for making such a public scene of trying to get in the way. The boys father should be thankful they brought him home instead of juvenile jail.
MORE who think crimes should just be allowed to happen (right up 'til it happens to them, of course), & there should be no lesson, no penalty, etc. The officer explained but the "cameraman" persisted & should've been charged with interference, by rights; the cops followed procedure, did not "rough the kid up" more than was necessary to get him into the vehicle, where he was seatbelted, per extant law, for his safety (not physical restraint as implied), & they took the kid home to his father, also according to procedure. Such behavior is disruptive & disgusting (NOT the cops', the bystanders'!)
It does not matter if the child is 9 or 12 if they are not told what they did is wrong by the parents or society they will not learn . They can not be treated like what they did is ok . the child should have had to pay for what he took . This is why we have so many getting away with things they do that are illegal
My little neighborhood friends were "treated" this way, through the 1970s and as far as I know, no one in our town protested, called in the media guys, or stood on the street screaming at cops. The difference is that our police officers transported juvenile shoplifters and vandals to the police station, where parents were called and told to transport themselves to the police station. This was accepted practice. And in my opinion, our police officers were absolutely correct, with this approach to juvenile shoplifting and vandalism. How people of our country and culture have reached the point of screaming at cops and contacting newspaper reporters in reaction to normal police procedures, is a question to be answered.
Obviously the young man is not receiving lessons at home that he would consider stealing a bag of chips as no big deal. There is, and has been for several decades a lack of proper parenting, and it is reflected in the number of children in juvenile detention centers and the numbers of young adults in jails and prisons. Spare the rod and spoil the child - and we're seeing the results of it in the criminal justice system.
The police were in the wrong - they should have taken the kid to the station, let him stew for a while, then called his parents and made them come and get him. The officers were being way too nice.
I am a retired Law Enforcement Officer and 7 of my 25 years were spent working Juvenile Investigations. I have seen cases similar to this one. If these kids aren’t stopped for stealing a bag of chips this next time it could be a handgun or a vehicle. I can’t understand why parents in today’s society do not discipline their kids. My dad would wore my butt out if an officer would have brought me home especially for stealing!! These people that were raising hell probably didn’t not have kids or if they do they are the ones that thinks they are owed something. It makes my blood boil to read these reports of how people interfere with the duties of Law Enforcement Officers. If you look at the crime rate in major cities across the country a large percentage is committed by kids under the age of 18. I live east of Jackson, MS and they had a shooting the other night. The suspect was a 15 year old, the shooting occurred at 2:45AM in the morning. What was a 15 year old doing on the streets at 2:45 in the morning during the week? Where were his parents? It appears parents wants Law Enforcement to raise their kids but they want to tell them how to do it. I think these parents needs to start being charged with neglect when they allow theirs to go out and commit crimes.
my brother stole some candy and brought it home. Dad knew he didn't have any money so he took him to the store and made him give it back. Then he whipped his butt also. Never heard of him stealing again.
🤔 Fowl language? I hate it when poultry gets all uppity. 😂
On a serious note, actions have consequences. To just allow this boy to continue on his path, will only bring more consequences. He's already got a history. Chips will become burglery, robbery, drugs or worse. Placing him in the car and handing him over to his father is not abusive. They didn't cuff him or charge him, yet "activists" expect and demand zero consequences. But then they will cry "foul" when that boy grows up and gets held accountable for things that may have possibly been prevented. Expecting kids to not reach for better goals in life is where the abuse is.
I think the police were correct in bringing the child home. I remember when one of my children stole a comic book from a candy store. The police officer brought him home. I thanked him and immediately took my son back to the store with the comic and had him apologize to the owner and pay for the book from his allowance. and return the book. He never stole anything again.
I think proofreaders should maybe know the difference between fowl an foul. Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. simple? mama don't let your babies grow up to be 'stealers'? lol come on people if you give up the law you are subject to being attacked by the 'lawless' who grew up not being taken to task for minor lawbreaking till it's a MAJOR lawbreaking. behave.
It takes a village to raise a child! Parents can not always be present 24/7. What the police did was exactly the right thing to do - they took him home to his parent. Hopefully, through their actions and whatever they had to say to the kid was enough to scare him and maybe cause him to reconsider any thought of stealing in the future. The father should have taken his son immediately to the site of the theft, make him apologize and pay for what he stole. Since Dad probably provided the money, he then should have the son perform extra chores to earn back the money his Dad paid for him.
As for the loud-mouth on the sidewalk, he should have just been ignored.
He is dang lucky that all he got was the cops just taking him home
If my child would steal anything I myself will turn him/her in. What are we trying to teach our kids? It’s ok to steal because you are young? Kids need to learn from very young age that they are consequences for their actions.
Kids lucky! If it had been me I would have been a lot happier to stay with the police than to be taken home to either of my parents.
That loud mouthed bystander should have minded his own business. The child was being taught a lesson, that stealing is wrong. This would have been an opportunity for him to change what was becoming a dangerous habit. When we get away with small things, we tend to try for bigger things. Consequences then become bigger as well. Shame on that nasty mouthed man.
Too bad the police didn't arrest the loudmouth idiot.
The kid is a thief, and the kid alone is responsible for committing the crime of theft. The policemen all did the right thing.
The bystander should have minded his own business! This was none of his concern. If my child was caught stealing by the cops, I would expect them to do their job, as I have taught my child not to steal.
When I was in Kindergarten, our class teacher took us to the local county jail to teach us . The County sheriff allowed us to go inside one of the jail cells, and after we had done so, he closed the jail cell,gate and locked us within. HE then said to us," This is what we do to criminals when they commit a crime." After we had been locked within the cell for a little while, he opened it up so we could come back out. THIS WAS A VERY GOOD LESSON FOR US TO LEARN AT THE TENDER AGE OF FIVE YEARS OLD.
I once was that child. when with my Dad for weekend visitation, I stole a comb from the drug store. my Dad didn't know it. when I got home my mother asked me where I got the comb. I lied and told her Dad bought it, she could probably could tell I was not telling the truth, so she called Dad. when he told her he didn't get it for me, she made him come and pick me up and take it back to the store and apologize to the manager. It taught me a lesson. I never did it again. I am sure everyone, when a child thinks it is some what OK (all my children has tried it and got caught) and I did the same thing to them. if you catch them young and show them what can happen if they do it, they will think before doing it again.
I think the people that are not his parents should keep their big mouths shut, and stay out of other peoples business. I hope the kids that steal from people are the ones that go to the people who are complaining houses and steal from them, then let me know how you would handle it.
The police did him a good turn, they could of hauled his butt to juvenile detention till his parents came to get him.
I think the police did the right thing. It was a good lesson for the kid to learn that he could not get away with stealing. And the bystander was way out of line. When my son was about 2 years old, he stole candy from a bottom shelf at checkout & I didn't know until I was driving home. I took him back and made him return it. I don't believe he ever stole anything again.
Good for the police! One more thing: it's 'foul language' not 'fowl language'.