Here’s audio of Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department, responding to Barack Obama’s statement that Cambridge police “acted stupidly” in the arrest of Professor Gates: Stg. James Crowley, Cambridge Police on WEEI.

Crowley seems very credible. The President may have made a serious political mistake when he couldn’t resist playing the race card, and smeared an entire police department without having the facts of the case.

More details here: Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley: Obama ‘Way Off Base’.

The white police sergeant who arrested black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. said Thursday President Barack Obama was “way off base” claiming Cambridge officers acted “stupidly” during the incident.

Sgt. James Crowley responded to Gates’ home near Harvard University last week to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded Gates show him identification. Police say Gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism.

Gates was charged with disorderly conduct. The charge was dropped Tuesday, and Gates has since demanded an apology from Crowley.

“I acted appropriately,” Crowley told WBZ Radio’s Carl Stevens Thursday.

“Mister Gates was given plenty of opportunities to stop what he was doing. He didn’t. He acted very irrational he controlled the outcome of that event.”

“There was a lot of yelling, there was references to my mother, something you wouldn’t expect from anybody that should be grateful that you were there investigating a report of a crime in progress, let alone a Harvard University professor.”

According to the police report, Crowley asked Gates to talk outside, to which he responded “Yeah, I’ll speak with your mama outside.”

UPDATE at 7/23/09 9:34:11 am:

Here’s video of Officer Crowley: