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Crime

‘Pushup Gate’: Outrage After Cops Make Teen Vandals Do On-the-Spot Push-Ups as Punishment

Nov. 26, 2012 6:16pm Erica Ritz

A controversy is brewing in Rhode Island after four police officers seemingly made a group of young men do push-ups as immediate punishment for vandalizing mailboxes.

It began when a woman called 911 Friday to report that her mailbox had been damaged, and officers caught a car full of teenagers in the act (the details are a little hazy here, but the teens may have been vandalizing other mailboxes nearby when caught).

Mayor Charles Lombardi told WPRO-AM that the officers thought the best way to reprimand the teens was to make them do push-ups, and a neighbor videotaped it from his window.

Here is the video, first reported by WJAR-TV:

The task was hardly grueling– the neighbor estimates the young men had to do between 10-12 push-ups– but Mayor Charles Lombardi is calling the situation unacceptable.

“It’s not going to fall by the wayside,” he assured, calling the video “a little nauseating” to WPRO-AM.

“I don’t know if it is against policy, but it is against professionalism. Bring them in, call their parents and explain to them what was going on and what they were doing,” he added.

By Monday morning, the event being described as “Pushup Gate” in local news, and the mayor commented: “You can’t fix stupid. I think that’s the only explanation here.”

Ironically, one of the boys’ mothers has come out in support of the police.

“The cop did wrong, but I’m glad he tried to teach my son a lesson,” Corinne Marchione told WPRI Monday. “Personally, I don’t think he should be suspended.”

Marchione’s son was reportedly the one driving the car that got pulled over.

What do you think? Should the police be punished for taking the law into their own hands, or is everyone overreacting?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Comments (71)

TRILO
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:35pm
So this stupid mother would rather have her kid taken into the juvenile justice system. A few push-ups never hurt anyone. Many times the juvenile justice system will make a kid worse than they started out.

I work in the juvenile system and see it happen all the time.

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- KyleD
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 9:06pm
  I think they’re going overboard here but I do agree with people upset with the cop. It’s not the cop’s job to punish the vandals, he catches them and that’s it. If this were a very small town I can see this working because you’re bound to personally know every cop and the cop will probably know most of the disruptive kids but if there’s a population of anything larger than Mayberry it could go way overboard with the cops handing out all of the “justice” instead of bringing them in to actually put on trial.
  
  That said, it was just pushups…hardly cause to do anything to the cop other than a warning.
  
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- Favored93
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 11:13pm
  What would our communist in chief and his bride have to say about this??? I thought the new law of the land was to make kids exercise!?!?! lol
  
  I give my kids pushups and make them run stairs instead of spank for every little thing. Exercise is GREAT discipline! ;)
  
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- Back To Reality
  Posted on November 27, 2012 at 3:45am
  Your argument opens the door to where a cop could pull you over for an alleged traffic violation and make you do jumping jacks along the highway where everyone could see you…or force you to touch him in a naughty place instead of writing you a ticket.
  
  The point is that behavior like this among the cops bypasses due process, because maybe you didn’t commit a traffic violation. There’s a reason why we have a court system…as damaged as it is.
  
  Long past are the days when it was noble to be a cop in America. They now view the Constitution as an obstacle and technicality to be bent and skirted rather than a device of protection for American people to be upheld.
  
  Report this comment
- loriann12
  Posted on November 27, 2012 at 7:55am
  From what I saw of the pushups, someone needed to first show them HOW to do a push up. They obvioulsy didn’t know. I saw someone dipping a bit….I did far better pushups in the Navy. Back straight lower to the floor and back straight as you come back up. We did “girl pushups” meaning on our knees instead of toes, but I was capable of doing regular ones
  
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- G-WHIZ
  Posted on November 27, 2012 at 10:38am
  oHH! Those p-ups are sooooooooooooooo much worse than “years-in prison”!! The PARENT should be in jail for what her [UNDER-AGE] KID has done!! She is the ultimate responcibillity for HER child(children)!!
  
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deltaecho
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:25pm
Hey! I threw a **** out of my car window and I only had to do 5 squat-thrusts!

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The-Monk
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:24pm
Looks like a new kind of sobriety test to me….

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Apple Bite
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:23pm
I busted both of my wrists and can do more than 10-12 pushups. How worthless of a human being can you be?

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:22pm
Could have handcuffed them and put them in the back of the cruisers. Which is worse? Write them tickets to appear and send them on their way with their tired arms. Since when is exercise cruel? These kids probably do them for fun, and they are a far better use of their time than vandalizing things they will now have to pay for.. BFD BFD
The idiot troll who recorded and publicized it is the real menace to society. He needs to get jack slapped.

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just my opinion maybe not yours
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:22pm
Taking a baseball bat to a mail box is a FEDERAL CRIME, the parents should be thanking the officer for making them do 10 to 12 pushups instead of 10 to 12 years in the Federal Prison System! I for one would not have had a problem with how this officer handled it other than it should have been way more pushups!!!

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Elena2010
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:18pm
Shooting the pathetic vandals would be wrong, but making the do push-ups is just fine by me. They should have made them replace the damaged mailboxes after they were done w/the push-ups.

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banjarmon
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:12pm
Induct these misfit kids into the MARINES and make MEN out of them!!!!

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- M24
  Posted on November 27, 2012 at 6:34am
  Semper fi
  
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towerguy
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:09pm
Let’s see… I was caught vandalizing things, and the police gave me the chance to do push ups instead of prosecution? That’s a no-brainer for the punks. The only thing I see missing is that they pay for the damage they caused. Everyone rails at overreacting to this type of problem; I think they probably did the kids a big favor.

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BlasberryStrat
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:07pm
If these kids were ‘star’ football players, and upon catching them screwing around their coach made them do 50 pushups AND run 20 laps in 100 deg. weather, you ALL would be “It’s good for the kids…builds character”. But god forbid they’re a bunch of trash kids….because they have all the rights of the GODS!

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- rookorami
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:11pm
  I don’t care who the kid is, if these kids parents or any one besides a policing agency directed that punishment I would be fine with it. It is not an Officer’s job to punish. They are to apprehend offenders of the law and bring them in so they can have their day in court. Administering punishment is beyond the bounds of the Officer’s authority.
  
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- Mudd
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:23pm
  Yeah, it’s cool in a fictional, Andy Griffith Show sort of way but it does set a bad precedent. That’s not the cop’s job.
  
  Report this comment
- American Soldier (Separated)
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 9:26pm
  I understand the argument over setting a precedence, but man, if I could just do a few push ups and not have to get hauled to the police station, get bailed out by my parents, get grounded for life, go to court, possible to go juvenile hale, suspended from school (maybe?)….. I’d take that option in a heart beat.
  
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freeberty
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:58pm
Any reason to fire or discipline a government union parasite is a good reason to me. I guess the people of the blaze just can’t get enough of the police state in their lives.

Sheeple

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Beo123
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:46pm
Do i think it is a big deal? no not really….but i also dont want us to get to a point where police officers are also the judge/jury/and executioner.

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- oldguy49
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:57pm
  thought it was a federal offenc to mess with mail box………..it can get expensive paying late fees
  
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chasbronson
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:42pm
The problem is that there is NO discipline in our society today unless someone can make a bunch of $ on it.These kids need cuffed around and direct consequences for their actions you bunch of appeasing morons.

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chasbronson
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:39pm
How about lashings at the post?

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progressiveslayer
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:37pm
What’s the BFD? It isn’t like the cops beat and raped them they did a few pushups instead of wasting time charging them with vandalism.Yes yes I know the kiddies were as fragile as rice paper and could have died.

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- bertr
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:56pm
  what happened inst a BFD, seemingly appropriate even, the BFD is the precedent it sets and further desensitizing the public to being rid of the judicial process, you know as well as i do this kind of silliness is how they get people to let down their guard one principle at a time
  
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- rookorami
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:09pm
  Bert Exactly. It is not so much that the punishment was harsh or inappropriate. IT is the precedent that can be set from such scenarios that is dangerous.
  
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- progressiveslayer
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:14pm
  I see your point but I still see this as a trivial matter and one that was handled correctly. We used to have corporal punishment in schools now that’s history and there’s very little discipline in schools today which causes problems all down the line.
  
  Report this comment
- Elena2010
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:24pm
  We had a chief of police who caught a kid spray painting other people’s homes. Caught him w/the can of paint in his hand!
  
  So what does he do? He takes the kid to the kid’s car and verifies it’s the kid’s car. He then cheerfully deocated the car w/the paint. The kid screamed bloody murder but got the idea that vandalism is not so much fun when you are the recipient of it.
  
  The folks? They re-elected him over and over until he retired!
  
  Report this comment
- rookorami
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:24pm
  I am all in favor of bring corporal punishment back. Some kids need a swat or two…
  
  Report this comment
- Smokey_Bojangles
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:28pm
  Judge Dredd: “Death. Court’s adjourned.”
  
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- DadRocked
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 9:35pm
  bertr – “the BFD is the precedent it sets and further desensitizing the public”
  rookorami – “IT is the precedent that can be set from such scenarios that is dangerous.”
  
  To the both of you… WHO ARE YOU CRAPPIN’? Setting precedent?
  As a 16yr old kid, a local cop caught me speeding, 34/30 zone… He didn’t want paper to follow me.
  He gave me 4 days to write a 4 page (One page per mph over the limit) report on why a law is a law and the impact of following the traffic laws…
  
  Never forgot that, and it gave me a level of respect for ‘the man’. Two years later joined the USAF and was a cop… Four years later, I was a civilian cop for 13yrs… Total law enforcement… 17yrs.
  
  Setting precedent… “WHO ARE YOU CRAPPIN’?” guys…
  Precedent being set? Thank you Officer Stapleton for the inexpensive life lesson you gave me 40 years ago.
  
  Report this comment
Individualism
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:37pm
at-least it wasn’t the crucible.

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- Elena2010
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 7:20pm
  No, that’s a couple of days and nights in the bush w/only an MRE and canteen!
  
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- jeezpeeps
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 10:08pm
  Slayer and Dadrocked! I’m with you guys… society has become filled with “criminal records”. Kids doing dumb stuff is normal. The officers making the boys do push-ups is a way of helping the young men to learn something without being branded by the system as criminals. Just a swat on the hand… a good talking to… might possibly make these young fellas the men they needed to be. I am sure the cops told them they’ll remember their names… will be watching and the next time there will be #%$^ to pay. Three cheers for the boys in blue!
  
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- DadRocked
  Posted on November 26, 2012 at 11:05pm
  JeezPeeps – “I am sure the cops told them they’ll remember their names… will be watching and the next time there will be #%$^ to pay.”
  That would depend on the severity. But usually, it was handled locally and simply.
  Next time, deliver them to the parents… Usually, when I would take them home, the wrath of mom would be greater than any judge. With few exceptions, Mom’s do not let things slide… If a parent was lackadaisical, I would talk about time in court and fines… That always got their attention.
  Third time… Screw this… Time for the paper to fly… Seldom got to the third time though.
  Never tossed my weight of authority around… I enjoyed that career, and there were perks.
  
  Report this comment
ChiYankee
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:35pm
This is such a non story. I believe the mayor and police chief are overreacting. If the victim of the vandalism was happy with the police service then that is all that matters. The teens are just lucky that they didn’t get arrested, have to hire an attorney and go through the juvenile legal system. A few push ups and a funny story to tell people when they get older. And the guy that took the video should be ashamed of himself for trying to make an issue of this situation. I am certain that if it was a serious crime, the juveniles would have been arrested prosecuted appropriately.

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P8riot
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:33pm
love it! they only would have gotten community service anyway… i think this will stick in their memory better :)

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chips1
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:30pm
Let the dumb Mayor learn a lesson. Prosecute the boys with a Federal Offense. Put them in prison for 10 years. Where do people get these politicians? The police tried to correct kids on the wrong path and should be commended for thinking outside the box.

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BBEV
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:29pm
Dang how times have changed. Please stop the world I want to get off. Please someone tell me the harm here? I am with the cops the kids got off easy.

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jessieH
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:26pm
Whatever happened to arrest & prosecute? That’s what these punks need is a dose of reality. Spare the rod & spoil the child.

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Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:25pm
Beats Pepper spray,A Tazer, and a beating.

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blanco5
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:24pm
Hmmm….push up or a night in jail with a perv or two…..decisions, decisions.

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kindling
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:24pm
What did this harm? Their pride? Probably the first time they ever did something an adult male ever told them to do. It was a new experience for them I bet.

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Watchyer6
Posted on November 26, 2012 at 6:21pm
Drop down and give me twenty, you worthless punks!

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