NWA editorial: Between a Rock and a ...

Centerton’s chief tries to untangle bad arrest

It's a sad turn of events when a police officer has to be disciplined or fired.

In the case of the Centerton Police Department, it would have been worse if those things hadn't happened.

What’s the point?

Centerton’s police chief took necessary action in the wake of his agency’s wrongful arrest of a Fayetteville High School student.

Police Chief Cody Harper said last week he had fired one sergeant and disciplined another over the recent arrest of Fayetteville High School football star Terrance Rock. Harper previously had acknowledged Rock's arrest in connection with burglary of a Centerton home was a mistake.

The arrest forced Rock to spend a night in the Benton County jail, which is a pretty horrible place to be when you've done nothing illegal. For an 18-year-old who was scooped up by police at the high school and held on $10,000 bond, the night had to have been frightening.

Plain and simple, the arrest happened as a result of shoddy investigative work. Harper issued an apology, saying Rock's arrest was a case of mistaken identity. From the outside looking in, it looked like a case in which the police didn't concern themselves with solid evidence. It made big headlines because of Rock's football fame. Another football player acknowledged his involvement in the crime after Rock's arrest.

Mistakes happen. They happen more often when indifference is part of the mix. Rock's arrest, regardless of the arresting officer's intent, helps perpetuate fears about law enforcement, particularly and understandably among minorities. Rock is black.

Is a lawsuit next? Perhaps, and maybe that's part of why Harper took action. But it had the added benefit of being right.

Commentary on 12/08/2016

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