Fellow Officers, Officials Defend Cop Obama Claims Acted Stupidly

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Harvard professor who was confronted by Sergeant James Crowley and another officer when a neighbor called police to report someone possibly breaking into Gates' home. The intruder, of course, turned out to be Gates himself and the rest of the story has become the most covered "he said, he said" story in recent memory. Even President Obama jumped into the mud slinging by saying that the Cambridge Police acted "stupidly" during the arrest of Gates for disorderly conduct.

The details of the verbal exchange that occurred inside Gates' home is still in question, as neither side seems to have given a detailed account of what exactly transpired. But the other officer on the scene with Crowley, Patrolman Carlos Figueroa, claims that Crowley "followed protocols" during the arrest.

As the story has grown in scope, it's been revealed that not only is Crowley a widely respected officer, but he's also one of the instructors for the departments training courses on racial profiling, having been appointed to that position by a superior officer who is black.

Of course, Gates has a right to be frustrated when confronted in his own home, as would anyone, regardless of race. But it's understandable if Gates felt especially bothered, given that he is black and given the documented history of racial profiling by U.S. law enforcement. Ultimately, in this instance, no harm was done. Gates flew into a verbal tirade, making accusations about Crowley being a racist. Crowley, in turn, went the extra mile in arresting Gates in his own home for disorderly conduct. When all was said and done, the charges were dropped. In a different situation, these two men would probably get along quite well. But in a high-stress situation, no one is willing to back down.