Report: Mom thrown in jail for letting kids play outside

A Texas woman was arrested for child endangerment because she let her children ride scooters out front of her house. She watched from her front lawn. Her neighbor called the police to report her when she saw the children outside. She reportedly didn’t see the mother watching. (See the video above for the full story.)

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“ ‘Orange jump suit, in a cell, slammed the door, for 18 hours,’ Tammy Cooper told KPRC-TV.”

“Cooper was arrested for child endangerment and she is disputing the charges. According to Yahoo News:

“Cooper is suing the La Porte Police Department, the officer, and the neighbor who made the call. In a statement, the police department said it was “confident of the known actions of the officers on the scene that evening.” The neighbor had no comment.”

It is disturbing that the mom was arrested when she was actually watching her kids play out front. But what if she hadn’t been watching? Isn’t that a parents’ call whether the street is safe enough for her kids to play out front? Isn’t it their call if their kids are mature enough to be outside alone?

What are your thoughts on this story? Should the cop have used some common sense and not arrested the mom despite the neighbor’s call? Should the mom have been arrested even if she had NOT been watching? What should happen to the neighbor?