[Ads-l] "Despite the huge police response, the area was calm"

[Joel Berson]

>From an article in the Boston Globe on a "brawl" at Revere Beach (Mass.) that began about 6:15 p.m. on a warm Mothers' Day:

"Despite the huge police response, the area was calm by 7:30 p.m. ...".
This wording says something about the perception in the U.S. today of interactions between police and public.  (A huge police response exacerbates tensions.) 

Although a "huge police response" may merely suggest that there was a huge brawl, which would take time and manpower to clear up.  ("Between 100 and 200 people were present at the scene," and about a dozen were arrested.  The article doesn't say how many of the 100--200 were "involved in the fight.")

Or, of course, it may just be a poor choice of preposition.

Joel


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