What was the story of the arrest of two Wellfleet locals in front of the Wicked Oyster restaurant on the evening of May 3?
Actually, there are currently two very different stories. The story told in the police report mentions some serious-sounding crimes such as DUI, assaulting an officer, endangerment of the two kids in the car, intimidating a witness.
The other story, circulating as rumors around town, is one of police harassment and abuse. It is bolstered with other stories of mistreatment of citizens by the same officer. A citizen spoke at a selectmen’s meeting of “worrisome” incidents.
Awhirl in various versions of the story, what’s a citizen to believe? Some people I’ve talked to seemed inclined to take the police report as the final word, the other version “only rumors.” Others seem uninterested in the police version to the extent of not even bothering to read it. A retired police chief called the rumors in no uncertain terms “more of the usual Wellfleet BS.”
Three weeks into this the only thing clear is that nothing is clear.
This situation raises a fundamental issue: when there are citizen complaints about police behavior who gets to decide the truth of the matter?
Usually when we hire a professional to do a job, as the employer we decide finally if they are doing it to our satisfaction. With the hiring of police it’s tricky; there’s a Catch -22. What we say, in essence is: we want you to police us, your employers. Even though I pay your salary, it’s part of the job description for you to arrest me if I’m driving drunk or speeding. We don’t want citizens to be above the law and you’re the pros when it comes to law enforcement.
By that logic, when there is a disagreement, as in the recent arrest, all we have to do is consult the police report to know what happened. The police themselves naturally enough subscribe to that view. The usual police response to complaints about troubles with one of their own is to circle-the -wagons: Don’t worry, we’re handling it. We the pros are conducting an internal investigation. And since it’s the police just doing the policing we hire them to do, what’s the problem?
But sometimes, although it’s uncomfortable, because we want to rely on the police to do the policing we hire them to do, in disputes involving morality or values—what is sometimes referred to as “community standards”–the more usual relationship between employers and employees asserts itself and we remind ourselves and the police that the buck stops not with them but with us, the community that hired them. Some local examples from over the years: the purchase of tazers, the use of a surveillance camera to spy on teens downtown, an incident of alleged racial profiling.
Certainly cooperation is the most comfortable for all concerned, but finally police and community are not separate -but-equal entities. The police are the employees, we the employers, with all the responsibilities thereof.
In the case of alleged racial profiling here in our very progressive town, a townwide forum left a lasting impression of a clear criticism of that police action and of what behavior this town expects of its police employees.
Recently Provincetown’s community asserted, albeit reluctantly, its authority over a controversial police chief.
The current allegations of harassment on the part of one Wellfleet cop may or may not be an example of this level of concern. In any case, they should not be dismissed as “only rumors.” All stories other than the police report start as rumors.
At this point, who knows what percentage of citizens doubt the police report or have concerns about the officer in question? It would seem up to our elected reps, the selectmen, to make the determination of whether the unofficial story warrants looking into. I don’t envy them the job.
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UPDATE: A version of the above appeared as an op-ed column in the Cape Cod Times on May 24th. Since I wrote it on the 19th there have been developments. As of this posting, citizens have spoken up at a second selectmen’s meeting. There is now a petition seeking the firing of the cop the rumors have focussed on. The Town Administrator, has called for a public forum for mid-June on community policing.
It’s uncomfortable to live in this town with the two stories—the police report, and the rumors– unreconciled. The public forum may or may not improve that situation; although clearly a response to the current controversy, apparently it will not focus on the arrests at the Wicked Oyster. Police Chief Fisette says he plans no internal investigation and assumes the court case will provide resolution. But will it? Presumably it will not address the the larger question of overly aggressive behavior on the part of the officer in question.
One problem is that there have been, as far as I am aware, no published statements by witnesses of the Wicked Oyster arrest or of other actions of the controversial officer. Two selectmen, Morrissey and Pilcher, have made specific requests for citizens to come forward with detailed complaints.
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