Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for November 13, 2014

I do not believe the office followed protocol here, escalating a situation unnecessarily here. Looking back at the strips. Building up to this, I note that Baldo simply opened the door to find a gun pointing at him. There was no announcement of police presence nor was there any talk other than “Up against the wall.” That is not how you build trust between the police and community. I know the officer observed Baldo climb in through the window, but a little thought might have suggested to him that it was unlikely to be a robber since it was in broad daylight. The strip in which Baldo opens the door is unclear as to whether the cop knocked, or whether Baldo was simply going to the door for some other reason, perhaps to retrieve his backpack. But either way, the pulled gun and the “up against the wall” first approach increases – NOT decreases – the likelihood of a violent reaction.The cop’s response to Papi was completely out of line and worthy of official reprimand.