`new Pa.,' Same Leader? 
Ridge Announces Bid For Re-election

Airport Regains Use Of Its Weather System

Thursday, January 15, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





No place for insensitivity &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Soft-spoken Arthur Breese was not wearing a beret, toting a shotgun or
leading police on a reckless chase when Ashley police Sgt. David Cerski
stopped him about 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 3The African-American social worker was
heading home after responding to a "crisis call' on behalf of his employer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What happened next is a matter of opinion. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski says he stopped Breese because the car Breese was driving fit the
description of a car being sought by police. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So what if the license number didn't match? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Maybe he switched the plate," Cerski said Tuesday. "I've seen that happen
a hundred times, maybe more." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 OK, maybe so. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski said he pulled the vehicle over and stepped from his patrol car. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I yelled at him to turn his engine off," Cerski said, stressing that at no
time after that did he yell again, curse or use a racial epithet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Breese told his boss and his lawyer that Cerski used the f-word eight times
and asked what Breese was doing in "my town." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski acknowledged using that expression but said that it's simply a
matter of common form for a cop who's worked in the same place for 13 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although some people would disagree- and it takes a certain sophistication
to see it- such a comment carries a racial connotation. For a white cop to use
the term "my town" to a person of color who happens to be passing through
implies more than a hint of prejudice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Smart cops know better. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Cerski denies being a bigot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I have nothing against black people," he said. "Or Puerto Ricans or
whatever you want to call them. I have no problem working with any of them
people." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski also has no problem catching an attitude. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After asking if he'd take a lie detector test- a question he declined to
answer- I happened to casually say, "now, listen to me." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski's tone changed abruptly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No, you listen to me," snapped Cerski. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Uh-oh. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "You hate cops," Cerski barked. "You hate cops. You hate Peter Paul
Olszewski, too." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Thankfully, our encounter took place on the telephone and not after he had
stopped me for some alleged infraction in "his town." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cerski calmed down when I told him that I really like the district attorney
and that my father had been a cop. Although I try not to hate anybody, I did,
however, admit to a strong aversion to bad cops. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There are few things worse," I said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Last week, a woman appeared at an NAACP press conference and accused Cerski
of using the n-word in a conversation with her the same morning he stopped
Breese. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Not true, Cerski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "She's lying," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Have you ever used the n-word?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "No," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After a pause, Cerski added, "not out in the open." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Breese's lawyer already has notified Cerski of his intent to sue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Unless the borough's insurance carrier compensates Breese for the alleged
violation of his civil rights, the arguments probably will wind up in court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Instead of harsh legal recourse, it would be nice if sensitivity training
would be sufficient to keep racist, anti-Semitic, sexist and other bias
incidents to a minimum. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the most part, though, I doubt that a seminar here or there really
undoes in a day or even a week what it took years and even generations to
instill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Too many cops, teachers, firefighters and others paid to uphold the public
trust still behave inappropriately. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most people

No Place For Insensitivity 
Soft-spoken Arthur Breese Was Not Wearing A Beret, Toting A Shotgun Or Leading 
Police On A Reckless Chase When Ashley Police Sgt. David Cerski Stopped Him 
About 6:30 A.m. On Dec. 3.

No Place For Insensitivity Soft-spoken Arthur Breese Was Not Wearing A Beret, Toting A Shotgun Or Leading Police On A Reckless Chase When Ashley Police Sgt. David Cerski Stopped Him About 6:30 A.m. On Dec. 3.