By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Many Bowling Green residents may be disturbed by the video posted online of police officers arresting people downtown in the dark hours of Saturday morning. The video is troubling not because of the police conduct, but because of the spectators swarming the scene videotaping with their phones.
“This is pretty disturbing,” Bowling Green Police Chief Tony Hetrick said about the behavior on the video. “Anytime you have a crowd closing in on you, it’s a really dangerous situation.”
The video begins with one police officer arresting one man who is prone on the sidewalk along the first block of East Court Street. As a different officer tries to keep people back, he is shoved by another man.
Within seconds at least five officers are at the site, taking down two men who appeared to be interfering with the initial arrest.
None of the police officers appear to punch or kick the men being arrested. None pull their firearms or Tasers. As the incident nears an end, one officer uses his baton to wave people back and create an open area. No one is struck with the baton.
According to the police report available Monday morning, the incident began around 2:18 a.m. when an officer tried to stop a fight along East Court Street. The officer was reportedly assaulted by Zoie Moore, 18, of Monroe, Michigan, who was arrested for assault of a police officer and obstruction of official police business. Dakota Wcislak, 20, of Portage, was then arrested for resisting arrest and obstructing official business.
The two men who are shown in the video being arrested in the middle of the street – Justin Hammye, 23, of Bowling Green, and Jordan Hammye, 22, Carlton, Michigan – both face charges of assault of a police officer and obstruction of official police business.
None of the people facing charges are Bowling Green State University students.
Hetrick was very pleased with the conduct of his officers.
“I thought our officers did an excellent job of maintaining control in an extreme situation,” the chief said. One officer sustained minor injuries.
The chief said the video can be difficult to view even though it shows officers using just their hands to control people.
“It’s ugly even if it’s justified,” Hetrick said. “It’s very hard to watch. But they handled it just like we trained. I think it’s a testament to their professionalism.”
Bowling Green officers are trained to use just the force necessary to achieve their objectives. In this case that was to get control of the men being arrested, and keeping the crowd from advancing.
But while Hetrick was happy with the conduct of his officers, he was troubled by the behavior of the offenders and the spectators.
“It’s a volatile situation,” he said. “It’s hard to maintain a crowd of hundreds with 10 officers.”
The video shows many of the bystanders videotaping the officers struggling with the men in the middle of the street.
“That to me is disgusting,” Hetrick said. But it’s nothing new for the police, he said. Bowling Green officers have encountered injured people who are more worried about videotaping incidents.
“People don’t call the police with their phones, they want to be the first to post,” the chief said.
Bowling Green Police Division has a heavy presence in the area of the downtown bars on weekend nights – especially when Bowling Green State University is in session.
“We’ve had incidents like this before – they just aren’t taped,” Hetrick said.
“We usually put extra people on during the weekends till the end of October,” he said. And shifts overlap during the closing time of bars, so additional officers are available.
The perpetrators are not always college students, the chief said.
“We draw people from all over for night activities.”
The combination of youth and too much alcohol doesn’t always lead to good decision making. “You never know what sets people off,” Hetrick said.
Bowling Green police were abnormally busy this weekend, responding to other incidents like loud parties, cars parked in front yards, and a fight involving many people at a downtown gas station.
“It seems like we’ve gotten off to a real rocky start” to the school year, Hetrick said.
