Nice Cops

In a press report, Sarasota police Captain Stan Duncan quipped that his officers are, in relation to homeless citizens, nice guys. I think not. As is the case with most large groups, they are ordinary people. Some are mean, some are really nice, and most are just ordinary. In a case where officers were removing a group from Centennial Park after curfew, one of the sleepers asked the officer where he should go. The officer responded by naming States of the Union, not including Florida. That counts as mean. On the other hand, an officer who intervened when a man was soliciting money ended by giving him $5. to fuel the van in which he lived [during the time of $2./gal] after hearing his tale of error and bad luck. Certainly, a good deed.

What makes life hard for people in Captain Duncan's position is their inability to change the behavior of the meanies. But implausible denial suggests an otherwise reasonable person is merely cheerleading