Yesterday, Maureen Dowd of The New York Times weighed in on the controversial arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and quoted former Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney in her column.
As we reflect on the arc of civil rights dramas from Jim Crow to Jim Crowley, my friend John Timoney, the police chief of Miami, observes: “There’s a fine line between disorderly conduct and freedom of speech. It can get tough out there, but I tell my officers, ‘Don’t make matters worse by throwing handcuffs on someone. Bite your tongue and just leave.’ ”
Timoney will share other lessons learned from his years of police work in New York City and Philadelphia in a forthcoming Penn Press book.
