Release the video

For any readers currently herding sheep in Outer Mongolia and thus have missed the news, Congresscritter Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has done gone and gotten herself into an altercation with the cops.

The Capitol Police, actually.

Seems that Ms. McKinney bypassed a security check whilst entering the Capitol building. Ms. McKinney has admittd to not wearing the security ID pin that all Congresscritters are supposed to wear to enable them to bypass security.

Things get a little murky from there.

Apparently, a Capitol Police Officer then attempted to detain the un-ID'd Ms. McKinney, at which point she dotted him one.

The Capitol Police state that the officer asked Ms. McKinney to stop not once, nor twice, but three times. When she ignored this, he moved one step up the Use Of Force Ladder and grabbed her arm.

She states that he "inappropriately touched" her.

Oh, wait, new day, he actually "body-checked" her.

Check fire, new statement, he "assaulted" her, and she was defending herself.

Sweetie, make up your addled litle mind, okay?

Of course, Ms. McKinney, being an honorable type of person, the thought of playing the Race Card ExcuseTM was the furthest thing from her mind.

*snort*

I'd like to add two things from my law enforcement experience:

1) Capitol Police must be some laid-back, diplomatic type officers. Last time someone attempted to punch me when I was trying to get them to stop, said individual got arm-barred into the gravel, handcuffed, and bodily tossed into Holding.

Kudos to that officer for keeping his wits about him.

2) Every permanent security checkpoint I've ever manned had a least one security camera overlooking it.

I seriously doubt if the Capitol Building is any different.

So.

Let us see the camera footage.

Camera footage of officer actions is released to the Press every day. This shouldn't be any different.

Let the public take a look -- like we did with Rodney King, like we did with Robert Davis, and like we have done with countless other officer Use Of Force videos for the past several years.

I'm sure that Ms. McKinney, having been "inappropriately touched", err, "body-checked", err "assaulted", would have no problem with the video evidence of this perfidious action by Capitol Police being broadcast to the Public.

Right?

LawDog