Let’s talk about the blue line of silence.
After Bentley was arrested by a racist cop on East New York Season 1 Episode 4, Sandeford disapproved of him filing a formal complaint because of the “cop code.”
Sandeford found another way for Bentley to settle the score, but was that the right solution?
The cop was clearly in the wrong.
He argued that Bentley caused himself these problems by getting out of his car and confronting the guy. While it’s true that Bentley should have stayed in his vehicle, would the cop have reacted the same way if he was dealing with a white cop who had forgotten his ID?
There was no question as to the cops’ motives. Not only did both Bentley and Sandeford point out that he couldn’t possibly know that Bentley was a cop who didn’t have his required ID before he pulled him over, but he began the conversation by accusing Bentley of stealing the car he was driving.
Bentley: I’m on duty. I’m running a little bit late and I forgot my badge and ID.
Cop: This car is worth at least 100 grand. Whose is it, cause I know it’s not yours. You steal it?
As Sandeford pointed out, this cop escalated the situation. And again, how hard would it have been to verify that Bentley was who he said he was? He could have called the 4 to find out if Bentley was really a cop and could have contacted Bentley’s parents to confirm he had permission to drive his father’s car.
Instead, the cop was determined to find a reason to arrest him, and when Bentley lost his temper, the cop got what he wanted.
He wouldn’t relent even when Sandeford came to collect his rookie, instead doubling down on his claim that Bentley was in the wrong.
This kind of crap stops only if good cops stand up for themselves and fellow officers when bad cops misuse their power. That’s why Bentley wanted to file a formal complaint.
Sandeford was wrong to state that cops should never rat each other out.
Sandeford: If you don’t apologize, you’ll be fired for cause.
Bentley: If I get fired over this, I’m not meant to be a cop.
Sandeford: If you let him, punch your clock, he’ll own every part of you. Just eat this.
Bentley: Not happening. I’m filing a formal complaint.
Sandeford: Cops don’t rat on cops.
That kind of loyalty doesn’t help anything. It allows unfair and inappropriate behavior to go on unchecked.
However, things probably will be harder for Bentley if he goes ahead with his complaint. There will be lots of people who see him as a rat and intense pressure to shut up. There might even be more violence directed his way.
This doesn’t mean Bentley should back down; he needs to know what might happen and decide what he wants to do.
It might be a moot point. Sandeford introduced Bentley to a network of Black cops who allowed him to arrest the guy who messed with him for drunk driving.
That cop’s wife is either ignorant of what happened earlier or stupid since she complained that cops should give one another more courtesy than this.
Bentley might feel he got his revenge, and that’s enough. That was likely the point of taking him to this scene; it was a way to settle things without lodging a formal complaint.
Meanwhile, Regina was able to use her history to get through to a distraught hostage-taker.
The conflict between different police departments over who runs the scene was a familiar one; this happens on almost all cop shows sooner or later.
But this was no petty conflict this time. Regina knew she could get through to that perp, and she wasn’t going to let some idiot ESU guy kill him before she had a chance to try.
She reminded me of Law & Order: SVU’s Olivia Benson when she talked the perp into moving for his own safety and then surrendering for his kids’ sake.
The chances were she would be victorious in the end, but it was still an intense situation.
No wonder she got a compliment from the ordinarily cynical Killian!
The conflict with the priest in the church allowed Suarez to get a backstory, too.
I’d never have guessed the priest was Suarez’s brother. Well played!
Regina: We have a situation here, Father.
Priest: I understand, but this community lives in fear of you and your cops because of situations you have.
The priest explained exactly why there is a conflict between cops and the community. Sandeford’s decision to chase a suspect who was praying didn’t help things any.
That guy was not who the cops were here to catch, and trying to arrest him in the church only intensified the priest’s distrust of the police department. Sandeford could have left that alone; enough was going on without making unrelated arrests.
Afterward, Regina had the opportunity to be honest with her father. She is wary of reconnecting with and forgiving him now, despite the feelings the situation she’d just been through had stirred up.
Although we don’t yet know the whole story, we know enough to understand her reluctance. Her father walked out on her, and he has a secret about why he stopped working for the same precinct that Regina currently commands.
It can’t be easy to forgive, especially when Regina is still in the dark about too many things regarding him. Until she understands why he left in the first place, she has no real reason to want him in her life again.
Your turn, East New York fanatics. Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button and let us know your thoughts. If you’ve missed anything, watch East New York online to catch up!
East New York airs on CBS on Sundays at 9 PM EST / PST.
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Jack Ori is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. His debut young adult novel, Reinventing Hannah, is available on Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
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