Football Officials vs Police

[mstaylor]

This is an insane situation.

http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/prep-sports/blogs/two-football-officials-released-from-jail-after-arrests-at-mandeville-st-pauls-game.html

http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/prep-sports/blogs/two-football-officials-released-from-jail-after-arrests-at-mandeville-st-pauls-game.html

 

The first link is the original story, the second is a follow up. 

[maven]

Already opened a thread on this topic, Mike.

 

http://umpire-empire.com/index.php/topic/55169-busted/

[Texas Manny]

Who here referee's high school football? If I were the judge, I would ask one question: Do the officials have authority over everyone at the field. If by rule, yes, then I would dismiss all charges against said officials. I would then have the arresting officers arise, scold them, and sentence them to one full season as a chain team for that school, unpaid, volunteer (mandatory) service. I would then remind the arresting officer that his duty is to protect and serve; not protect and serve his son's friends.

[bam]

Who here referee's high school football? If I were the judge, I would ask one question: Do the officials have authority over everyone at the field. If by rule, yes, then I would dismiss all charges against said officials. I would then have the arresting officers arise, scold them, and sentence them to one full season as a chain team for that school, unpaid, volunteer (mandatory) service. I would then remind the arresting officer that his duty is to protect and serve; not protect and serve his son's friends.

You brought this nonsense up in the other thread and I ignored it, but if you think that there's any setting in which a civilian would have authority over a police detail, you're outside of your mind. 

[Texas Manny]

 

Who here referee's high school football? If I were the judge, I would ask one question: Do the officials have authority over everyone at the field. If by rule, yes, then I would dismiss all charges against said officials. I would then have the arresting officers arise, scold them, and sentence them to one full season as a chain team for that school, unpaid, volunteer (mandatory) service. I would then remind the arresting officer that his duty is to protect and serve; not protect and serve his son's friends.

You brought this nonsense up in the other thread and I ignored it, but if you think that there's any setting in which a civilian would have authority over a police detail, you're outside of your mind. 

 

Excuse me, but in baseball, everyone is under the authority of the umpires. If the umpires ask the police to deal with an issue, then the police are obliged to act. How the police deal with it is up to them, but if the initial request of the umpire is to remove an offender or to move back a small crowd who are interfering with the situation, then the police are obligated to do it, and the umpires are well within their authority to ask that.

 

9.01

(a) The league president shall appoint one or more umpires to officiate at each league championship game. The umpires shall be responsible for the conduct of the game in accordance with these official rules and for maintaining discipline and order on the playing field during the game.

(b) Each umpire is the representative of the league and of professional baseball, and is authorized and required to enforce all of these rules. Each umpire has authority to order a player, coach, manager or club officer or employee to do or refrain from doing anything which affects the administering of these rules, and to enforce the prescribed penalties.

© Each umpire has authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules.

(d) Each umpire has authority to disqualify any player, coach, manager or substitute for objecting to decisions or for unsportsmanlike conduct or language, and to eject such disqualified person from the playing field. If an umpire disqualifies a player while a play is in progress, the disqualification shall not take effect until no further action is possible in that play.

(e) Each umpire has authority at his discretion to eject from the playing field (1) any person whose duties permit his presence on the field, such as ground crew members, ushers, photographers, newsmen, broadcasting crew members, etc., and (2) any spectator or other person not authorized to be on the playing field.

 

 

I asked if there was a similar rule in high school football. I believe there is but don't know for sure. That's why I said "IF".

 

Where I would have dealt differently with the situation is not eject the police, as that just fueled the fire, instead of quelling it. There obviously were other means, such as penalities, etc., that could have been levied to get the situation corrected. If the police didn't resolve it, I'd continually throw penalty flags and charge 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, until the coach of the offending side got the hint and removed his fans.

[blue23ll]

Manny, the police are obligated to follow laws and procedures, not direction from sports officials. We can request, order, demand all we want, and they may refuse, because in their judgment there is no issue. Our only recourse at that point, if we feel in danger or threatened, is to suspend the game. Our authority lies within the confines of the playing field, and is over the game participants. To attempt to exert control over things we don't have authority over, is asking for problems.

[Texas Manny]

Manny, the police are obligated to follow laws and procedures, not direction from sports officials. We can request, order, demand all we want, and they may refuse, because in their judgment there is no issue. Our only recourse at that point, if we feel in danger or threatened, is to suspend the game. Our authority lies within the confines of the playing field, and is over the game participants. To attempt to exert control over things we don't have authority over, is asking for problems.

If a sporting official asks a police officer to deal with a problem, the officer, normally, is going to deal with it. That's why I said, if they didn't, then there were other methods, such as 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the offending team, consequatively, until it is resolved. The spectators in question were on the playing field because they were interfering with the chain team, hence, they were under the officials authority to deal with the situation. Did the officials exceed their authority to eject the police. Yeah, I would say so, since I deem the ejections were unnecesarily caused by improper handling of the situation. There was a better way to handle that. But the officials had every right to ask the police to deal with it, and it is clear to me, that the officer in question, had a bias and alterior motives.

[mstaylor]

I will try to combine the threads when I get home.I am back working a festival today.<br /><br />Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2<br /><br />

[KLAH316]

WOW!

 

I've been reading the comments on both threads and decided to wait before I posted my  on the situation.....

Now, I am a police officer and the School Resource Officer for a High School here in my area.  For those of you that don't know what it is, I am assigned to the school on a Full-Time basis and am responsible for all aspects of school safety, including but not limited to special events and sports.

 

I am always on the sidelines for my schools football games and work WITH the officials/school administration to maintain safety and order during the event.  I do whatever I can to assist the officials in keeping control of the sidelines so my school doesn't get penalized.  The referees here throw ALOT of sideline warning flags that can change the game.  I spend alot of time walking sides/ends of the field moving people back and ensuring that they even need to be on the sideline and not in the stands. 

 

Second guessing officers is not something that do.... What I am saying is that there needs to be a proceedure in place BEFORE the game to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.

[mstaylor]

WOW!

 

I've been reading the comments on both threads and decided to wait before I posted my  on the situation.....

Now, I am a police officer and the School Resource Officer for a High School here in my area.  For those of you that don't know what it is, I am assigned to the school on a Full-Time basis and am responsible for all aspects of school safety, including but not limited to special events and sports.

 

I am always on the sidelines for my schools football games and work WITH the officials/school administration to maintain safety and order during the event.  I do whatever I can to assist the officials in keeping control of the sidelines so my school doesn't get penalized.  The referees here throw ALOT of sideline warning flags that can change the game.  I spend alot of time walking sides/ends of the field moving people back and ensuring that they even need to be on the sideline and not in the stands. 

 

Second guessing officers is not something that do.... What I am saying is that there needs to be a proceedure in place BEFORE the game to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.

Agreed, the two need to coexist not bang heads. I have worked chain gang and had to fight for my position. There is only one place each guy can stand at any given point. Nobody is supposed to be within five yards of the sideline. I almost got in a fight one night. After the fourth or fifth time I had to ask the same asst to move,I simply stepped in front of him and moved him. You would have thought I killed his first born. White hat came in and set him straight.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

[Dannytheman]

I think I said this before!  Lot's of stupid going on here. More stupid on the cop, if his kid plays on the team and his friends were the ones the referee wanted moved.

[mjr_2013]

I think the referee is within his right to eject the officer if the officer is on a sideline. Whether that is the smartest choice in this, or any situation, I'm not sure on... If he refuses, you don't create a confrontation, you throw a flag. Fifteen yards is more persuasive to coaches than words.

 

It still bugs me that the game continued. If I were one of the other five refs, that game would be over as far as I'm involved.

[scrounge]

Maybe the referees were wrong - either by rule or by common sense - in demanding the cop move (if that's what happened), but no way that should rise to the level of a criminal offense. Sounds like a bully with a badge, strutting his inner Mussolini.

[mjr_2013]

NASO released a statement today...

NASO Supports New Orleans Football Officials

RACINE, Wis. — On Friday, October 11, two NASO members were treated in an outrageous and wholly inappropriate way by a Covington, La., police officer during a high school football playoff game in New Orleans. Both are also members of the Greater New Orleans Football Officials Association (GNOFOA). The GNOFOA itself is also a member of NASO-ON – NASO’s Organization Network.

NASO takes very strong issue with the behavior and subsequent actions of the police officer, Stephen Short. On the face of it, officer Short felt he had the authority more than the officials had the authority to manage the geography and the behavior of certain fans who were on the sidelines. Officer Short was wrong. Further, the fans who received the attention of the officiating crew were in a location that they should not have been in. The officials attempted to restore the sidelines properly and by rule, but officer Short decided it would be otherwise.

Following is a link to a comprehensive and articulate statement issued by the GNOFOA. NASO commends the organization for its professionalism and careful thought in this unfortunate matter. As is stated in their release and as reinforced by NASO’s own evaluation, the officials acted appropriately. The Louisiana High School Athletic Association and the Louisiana High School Officials Association concur in that finding. As for the two officials, NASO members, who were handcuffed and kept overnight in custody, we offer our support. The short-term sullying of their reputations will not have a lasting effect on their body of work. The decades of outstanding service as officials will stand up during this trying time.

 

Barry Mano, NASO President

 

To view the statement released by the GNOFOA, visit here.

To view the statement released by the LHSOA, visit here.

###

They sound pretty pissed, and it sounds like this could result in lawsuits against the arresting officer.

[scrounge]

Charges dropped, apologies issued...

 

**************************************************

 

Charges Dropped: Covington Police Chief & Mayor Apologize to Arrested Referees

 

    See bio, contact info, and more articles from Vanessa Bolano     

 

    13 hours ago

   by Vanessa Bolano

    Weekend Anchor & Reporter

 

There has been a new development in the arrest of two referees at a North Shore football game last week. Wednesday night we were the first to report charges would be refused and they have.

“On behalf of the city of Covington I offer my sincere apology to Mr. Radcliffe and Mr. Gambino,†says Covington Mayor Mike Cooper.

“We apologize from bottom of our hearts for the events that took place last Friday night. It should have been handled differently,†says Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz.

The Mayor of Covington and their newly appointed Police Chief are now apologizing nearly one week after two referees were escorted off the field, put into the back of a police cruiser and arrested.

It all happened in front of hundreds of fans attending the St. Paul’s home game versus rival Mandeville last Friday. Only WGNO cameras were rolling as the confrontation unfolded.

Jim Radcliffe and Christopher Gambino, two referees with 20-plus years of experience, we’re facing criminal charges. The two had been booked with public intimidation. Now, newly appointed Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz, who has only been on the job for days, is saying what his officer did was wrong.

“We spoke with District Attorney Reed and requested that the case and the charges against these two gentlemen be refused. He agreed with us that that’s the right thing to do,†says Chief Lentz.

President of the Greater New Orleans Football Officials Association Eddie Allemore is pleased, but says much of the damage has already been done.

“It’s quite an embarrassment, and their mug shots are still out there if you look at a lot of the articles they still have their mug shots up, and we hope it goes away,†says Allemore.

Allemore says it’s up to his men to pursue legal action against Covington Police. Chief Lentz says he’s still unsure whether disciplinary action will be taken against the arresting officer. At this point everyone is just trying to put last Friday night behind them.

“As an official you never want to see your name in the paper. I’ll be ready for that to get over with,†says Allemore.

“At the end of the day the Mayor and I, the police department, we truly believe this was the right thing to do,†says Chief Lentz.

Allmore originally wanted to keep Covington officers away from his referees. He says for Friday’s game at Covington High St. Tammany Deputies will still be proving on field security. St. Paul’s plays away so it is not an issue this week. In the future though he says eventually a plan will be hammered out. Allemore says it’ll take a bit of time for the two to once again create a trusting relationship.

Read more: http://wgno.com/2013/10/17/charges-dropped-covington-police-chief-mayor-apologize-to-arrested-referees/#ixzz2i5T4HoOX

[blue23ll]

Finally, some sanity in this insane situation.