True, the plainclothes officers may not have identified themselves, Paquette explained. Moreover, Paquette implied, Babbott should have known that the strangers who intercepted him were cops. Since Babbott did not see a doctor after being released from police custody, Paquette said he doubts Babbott's wounds were very serious. Babbott himself reported that the bleeding had pretty much stopped by the time he was freed, and he decided to go home to rest. That's what night sticks are for.
Guns are for shooting.
Officers C and D are aggressive public servants who work in a tough town with a serious crime problem. Police are given broad latitude in exercising their power. The guy on call has to be judgmental. In any situation, he's got to do what he's got to do. But according to state and federal law, that does not include excessive beating or beating with gun butts.