Mass. Police Unions Want Apology From Obama

Massachusetts police unions today called on President Obama, Gov. Deval Patrick, and others to apologize for criticizing the cops who arrested Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, the Boston Globe reports. “The president should make an apology to all law-enforcement personnel throughout the entire country,” said one Cambridge policeman. “Cambridge police are not stupid.”

Union officials also said they opposed the motion to drop the disorderly conduct charge against Gates; Obama, asked about the incident Wednesday, said police had “acted stupidly,” though he admitted he was “a little biased” because of his friendship with Gates. John Crowley, the arresting officer, said yesterday that he found the comments “regrettable” but didn’t hold them against Obama. (More Barack Obama stories.)