Comments about ‘Man says Provo police beat him’

Mr. L says he wouldn't handle it any differently??? Perhaps he didn't get hit hard enough! Come on dude, climb on the learning curve! A simple "Thanks for checking on my dogs" would have sufficed. After all, the animal control officer was looking out for their well being. Next time Mr. L should ask to be tased - it doesn't leave the nasty bruises.

This problem was caused by wacko PETA-like people firvolously reporting animal abuse that didn't occur, and an animal control officer that sounds like a T.J. Hooker wannabe (You'll recall that "T.J. Hooker" was William Shatner's old TV series).

I take my dog with me in my car to the grocery store quite often--she loves to go along. It's 50 degrees outside, but it stays warm in the car for quite a while. I get back to my car in 15-30 minutes--no problem.

Next time, Chris, just do what you are told and you will be fine. The cops spend all day listening to people act like jerks and they react to it pretty quickly. Stop whining and just do as you are told. Then they finish what they are trying to do and leave you alone.

Police want members of the public to be submissive. When they aren't, police see it as a challenge to their authority, which they won't tolerate.

If you contradict the police, or insist the police are wrong, or try to correct them, the police see it as an opportunity to abuse their authority.

I allege stupidity. If you ask me Lauridsen brought it all upon himself. No brutality at all- just the police taking control of a situation like they are supposed to do.

If a police officer says to you "turn around" then you turn around. It's not "a right" to do otherwise even if you own a business in the city. And if you leap at him, then it shouldn't surprize you (or anyone) that he hits you with his stick.

When someone says he was authoritive not belligerent, you can pretty much be sure that he was belleigerent. And you can tell by Lauridsens own statements in the story that he was rude, condesending and belligerent. Sounds like he is a hot headed jerk, a punk that never grew up.

I sympathize with Mr. Lauridsen.

Like him, I am a conscientious dog owner, and if I leave my dog in my car for 10 minutes while I run into the bank, I won't be happy if a police officer accuses me of animal cruelty.

Utah is not hot in February, nor has it been so cold lately that a dog will be in danger if left in a car for a short time.

Most likely, the problem came about because Mr. Lauridsen would not agree with the police officer that he was cruel to his dog. Police don't like to be corrected or contradicted.

When you mouth off and resist, you might get hit, and when you "lunge" at an officer. I think you deserve a lot more than that. I say hit him again.

This dude needs to step back and look at his actions. his trying to be "assertive" is what caused the problem. He expects to be treated one way and then thinks he can act the opposite. I hope he's convicted. Our police don't need this type of behavior from Lauridsen.

"I did not try to be belligerent," Lauridsen said. "I tried to be authoritative."

You tried to be 'authoritative'? Did you think you were in charge when the police officer showed up? Here is a newsflash for you. When an on-duty police officer shows up he/she is in charge, not you. Unless you have a compelling reason to believe your life or well-being is in jeopardy from a (crooked) police officer, you do what he says, when he says it. If you think the police officer is out of line then afterwards you file a complaint with the police department, or open a lawsuit to sue him, or both.

Obviously I don't know the whole story here, but it seems complying quickly with the police officer's requests (such as giving her your drivers licence the first time she asked for it) would have avoided this entire mess. Giving the officer your drivers licence is hardly unreasonable or intrusive.

My experience with police officers has been that being polite to them will go a long way and save a lot of hassle.

I'm with Mr. Lauridsen, we live in the U.S.A.
not in any other country like the ones we go to war because of the way people are treated. Wake-up
cops need to become aware we do NOT live in a
policed state as of 02-2009

OK. Four officers versus a 56-year-old man and they still felt like the only way they could take him down is to do him Rodney-King style? I've worked with many police officers in my former profession. Most of them are high-quality individuals, but there's a segment of the population who sublimate their pent up rage. Sounds like Lauridsen ran afoul of four of 'em.

In my experience in observing animal control officers, they tend to act like jerks a lot of the time.

They are rude and condescending and usually have a very insulting tone when they deal with the public.

I'm not saying they are all like that. I have seen some very nice people doing that job.

From what I've observed, if someone spoke to me the way I've seen them do, I'd talk back too. Especially if was guilty of nothing.

So from the description of this incident, I can believe that the animal control officer escalated this and probably lied to dispatch about what was happening when she called for backup. I would love to hear the tapes of her call and know how she led the real police officers to believe when they responded.

"And you can tell by Lauridsens own statements in the story that he was rude, condesending and belligerent. "
Funny I would use those same attributes to describe a lot of the police officers that I know. I am a good citizen with a clean record and I have never been in trouble but I find police officers to be some of the rudest most power tripping individuals I have ever met.
To say they could beat him because he was rude and stupid would justify people beating police officers for the same things. In my experience that would lead to a lot of beaten officers.
I'm not saying he shouldn't have shut up and just turned around, but I am trying to make the point that police officers treat people far worse then he did and expect to get away without any consequence. Would it have killed the animal control officer to actually apologize and say "obviously your animals are fine sorry to bother you".
I feel that an awful lot of the time police officers could defuse a situation by treating other with a little respect and by losing their own attitudes.

If you ask me, Mr. Lauridsen is lucky he's not in the hospital or worse... What an absoute moron. When an officer is investigating a posible crime and tells you to do something, you don't respond with, "no." And, when you become beligerent to the point where back up is called, you definitely don't "lunge" at the officers. If it had been L.A. or Las Vegas, he'd still be in the hospital before his 30-90 days in jail.

Officers have enough to worry about than a loud mouth, beligerent "know it all." Lick your wounds and get over it. You got off lucky.

Welcome to Utah where animals have more rights than people! Thanks to PETA, and all of you who backed the animal cruelty law!

Some here need to wake up. Yes police have a job, but there is taking it to far. Lauridsen also went about it wrong as well. First the animal officer was responding to a call.

The officer asked for ID, you don't have to give it to them, but you can if you choose to do so. Then he tells her to leave, bad choice, better choice would have been to ask if he was free to go. Make the officer make a decision.

The officer who struck him had no right to do especially since no arrest occured on charges other than resisting arrest and assulting a police officer. Since the officer struck him for no reason other than he didn't follow his commands and no other criminal activity was alleged, the officer wasn't justified in the level of force.

I imagine there are a number of attorneys who'd love to have this case.

For all of you who say just follow the officer's instruction, you would have fit right with the Germans back in the 30s and 40s. Let the fascist control us.

It's hard to disagree with the "pro-police" comments above, but doesn't it seem the night-sticks came out a bit early and a bit often?

I don't see in the article any notion that the officers were threatened. When one said "turn around" and L doesn't comply, couldn't one of the other four take a few steps around L to see whether L is armed?

Withouth knowing all the facts, I think there's lots of blame to go around here. L should submit, of course, but why start beating him when an alternative was so easy?

Of course police don't like anything but submission, but that doesn't justify a good beating just to show whose boss.

I was stopped for suspected DUI once [never had a drop in my life] and the officer was beligerent with me while I passed every field sobriety test. He finally "let me go," without any citation, all the time acting like a jerk.

After a few phone calls, I wrote his superior a letter and got an apology over the phone from both of them.

Both sides could have acted more responsibly here.

If I am not mistaken this was a animal cruelty charge? He certainly looks like a hardened criminal giving the police every right to pummel him as much as they deemed fit. Animal cruelty? I hate to see what the police do when you actually commit a crime. Death by beating! Who protects us from the police?

Lauridsen is not a victim. He was an uncooperative jerk. Maybe next time he'll be a little more polite and less arrogant. Bravo to the Provo police.

Sounds to me like there are several idiots - pretty much everyone involved.

An overly assumptive animal control officer, a belligerent individual who was acting questionably to raise suspicion (just give 'em your freaking license) and back-up officers who were probably riled up due to the call for help from the first one.

Uncalled for situation all the way around. Clearly lots of stupidity on all sides...