GREENSBORO, N.C. -- A former Greensboro police officer who is now a private investigator watched the controversial video of a Texas police officer and said, "He was too rough, I mean, that's probably going to be police brutality and there's going to be some repercussions."
Ed Cobbler spent 15 years working for GPD and currently works as a private investigator. When he watched the video of Cpl. Eric Casebolt, he said Casebolt did not follow protocol.
"In my opinion, he used more authority and he used more force with that female than he needed to," Cobbler said about when the video shows Casebolt throwing a 15-year-old girl on the ground.
Cobbler said the officer was also out of line when he drew his gun.
"It's not normal, nor is it protocol, for an officer just to pull his gun out just to intimidate the crowd, just to point it," Cobbler said. "You're taught to pull your gun out normally and when you point it at someone, you're ready to use it."
Cobbler added though that the teenagers should not have run away from the officers. He said parents should teach their children to respect people in uniform.
"If you get confronted by a person in uniform, a law enforcement person, you should comply with their instructions. If you didn't do anything wrong, then there won't be any harm that will come to you," he said.
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Cobbler also said the teenagers deserved more of an explanation of why they ended up in handcuffs.
"An officer should tell a person immediately, you're under arrest for disorderly conduct, you're under arrest for disturbing the peace. I did not hear him say that especially with the female," Cobbler said.
Casebolt is currently on administration leave and under investigation. There are two sides to every story. One man who witnessed the fight says the 7 minute clip doesn't tell the whole story. He says he stands behind the officer's actions.
Police say it all started when witnesses called 911 reporting a fight at a community pool.
