Police Sgt. James Crowley Denies Racism in Gates Case, Refuses to Apologize

In the flap over whether the arrest of Harvard Law Professor Henry Louis Gates was racially motivated, the professor, President Obama and the arresting officer have different views.

"I am not a racist," Cambridge, Mass., Police Sgt. James Crowley, an 11-year veteran of the force, told the Boston Globe. He told the Boston Herald, "I just have nothing to apologize for."

Gates, 58, was returning from an overseas trip last week when he had trouble opening his front door, prompting a female passerby to report a possible break-in. Crowley, 42, confronted Gates and demanded the distinguished scholar prove he lived there.

Cambridge Police defend Crowley's actions, saying Gates initially refused to show identification, yelled at Crowley and repeatedly called the white officer a racist. Gates, however, denies yelling at Crowley, except to repeatedly ask his name and badge number, and says he promptly showed the officer his driver's license and Harvard ID.

Crowley then asked Gates to step onto his porch -- in public view -- and arrested him for causing a public disturbance. The charges of disorderly conduct were later dropped, but Gates has insisted that Crowley apologize for the arrest.

The officer told the Herald that he has no "ill feelings toward the professor," that he was just following normal procedures, and that the apology Gates wants "will never happen."

The Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association issued a statement Wednesday also asserting that Crowley had nothing to apologize for: "His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the Department, and with applicable legal standards."

Crowley has many other supporters who say the father of three is not racist.

In his nationally televised press conference Wednesday night, President Obama said that Cambridge police "acted stupidly" in arresting Gates, and that "there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

Gates continues to insist that Crowley apologize and says he might sue. The Globe reports that Cambridge's Police Review and Advisory Board -- which is independent of the police department -- will meet on July 29 to decide whether to launch a formal inquiry into the incident.