Only other officer in black scholar’s house during arrest says cops followed protocol

2nd cop says they went by book in Gates arrest

BOSTON — The second Cambridge, Mass., police officer who was inside the home of renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. during his arrest says he and the arresting officer “followed protocols.”

Patrolman Carlos Figueroa says he and Sgt. James Crowley were investigating a report of a burglary at Gates’ home near Harvard University, and they needed to be sure everyone was in the house legally. He said that’s why Crowley asked Gates for his identification.

Figueroa said Gates shouted “No, I will not!” He also says Gates was shouting at Crowley, calling him a racist and saying, “This is what happens to black men in America!”

Figueroa told The Associated Press on Friday that he and Crowley did what they were supposed to do.

Gates’ supporters say he’s a victim of racial profiling.