Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Mixed feelings on this. . .

From the AP:

A pregnant woman in the DC suburb of Wheaton, Maryland said she was handcuffed by transit police and forced to lie on her stomach during an arrest that began with her talking too loudly on her cell phone. Police say she refused to stop cursing loudly during a cell phone conversation, and became abusive and uncooperative. She twice tried to break away, but the officer caught her arm, then placed her face down, handcuffed her, and charged her with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. A doctor later said that the five-month-old fetus was not harmed.

Con: She's pregnant -- you don't need to get so tough-guy on her. Is there that little crime that cell phones require this kind of response? You are near DC, you know.

Pro: I hate loud cell phone talkers, and really try not to be one myself. If this woman was as abusive as the police claim, preggo or not, she brought most of this (the cuffing still seems a bit much) of this on herself. Absent the cuffing, if this shuts up at least one of the jackasses I encounter every day yapping on about his golf game/prostate/favorite TV show, then this is something I can get behind.