The Right to Insult a Cop
A local judge rules that insulting a police officer in private does not constitute a breach of the peace.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A man can curse a policeman as much as he likes so long as no one but the officer hears him, was the successful contention of Attorney and ex-Policeman Frank Sims in the police court yesterday. Officer L. A. Barber had on Monday night arrested C. L. Anderson for 'sassin' him and using profane language calculated to disturb the peace of the city. But as no one but the officer and Anderson was present, it was held that the peace of the community was in no danger. While Barber was on his beat Anderson came up to him to ask him some questions, and the officer, not liking the odor of his Jackson street breath, told him to go off and go to bed. To be ordered to go to bed by a copper aroused the ire of the liberty-loving American citizen thus contemptuously treated, and he replied that he was a taxpayer and that he would go to bed when he pleased, and that no damned policeman could make him go to bed sooner. He also made a few uncomplimentary remarks about the reform administration, and continued his abusive talk so long that the officer's patience was exhausted and he was run in.
“A man can curse a policeman as much as he likes so long as no one but the officer hears him.”
This case highlights the enduring, often tense relationship between Seattle residents and law enforcement, centered on public order ordinances. It serves as a historical reminder of the legal battles fought over First Amendment rights in public spaces.
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