Luciano misses the point on Stenson and video

Phil Luciano got a look at the video tape Peoria Police Chief John Stenson took from Army Spc. DeMarcus McNeil, a soldier on leave from serving in Iraq. By Luciano’s own account, at no point on this video tape is Stenson or any other police officer asking this guy to voluntarily hand over the tape McNeil filmed of a melee at a Peoria High School basketball game. And *at no time is Stenson heard identifying himself.*

In other words: The tape backs up McNeil’s side of the story, not
Stenson’s.

Stenson points out that the tape shows him walking around barking orders. This alone, Stenson argues, proves his point that he really didn’t need to specifically identify himself to McNeil, because McNeil should have been able to figure it out on his own.

Why is Stenson so intent on proving this point? After all, Stenson claims that he told McNeil he was a cop — a claim Stenson didn’t make at first when asked by the Journal Star reporter who broke the story.

And, why does the Journal Star editorialize today that everyone is at least partically to blame and that the whole matter should be dropped? If McNeil is guilty of disorderly conduct, he should be prosecuted. If Stenson overstepped his authority or violated McNeil’s rights, he should be punished by his own bosses.

Questions, questions.