While protests continue to swirl in a number of cities over the excessive force used by police, there is a common thread found in each of the situations.

In two of the most publicized cases Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City the failure of suspects to obey basic instructions by police fueled the confrontations.Regarding the death of Eric Garner, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said if Eric Garner did not resist the police, the outcome would have been very different and he would be alive today.The subsequent reaction of many protesters has also been misleading. From what we've seen in the news videos, the atmosphere in the street was almost festive, with people looking like they were at a Mardi Gras party rather than seriously exercising their First Amendment right to protest peacefully.Hopefully, all those who used the Ferguson decision as an excuse to burn and destroy property will be prosecuted.While these most recent grand jury cases involving police use of excessive force represent life-and-death issues, a number of cases around this state in recent days fall in the realm of ridiculous with their defense claims.In western Pennsylvania, three men posing as furniture deliverymen forced their way into the home of Frances Tekavec, a 91-year-old woman. After tying her up, they stole more than $900, gold jewelry, precious coins and other items from her safe.The elderly woman testified in a preliminary hearing that even though she didn't see his entire face, she recognized one of the suspects, 46-year-old Gregory Howard, because of his husky build.Howard took offense to the husky build reference, stating at the hearing, "There's billions of obese people in the world."The district judge thankfully ignored the attempt to deflect and ordered Howard to stand trial.Also in the Pittsburgh area, Juliann Maier, 46, and Thomas Frauens, 56, two Pittsburgh-area transit drivers, have been ordered to stand trial on the charges recklessly endangering other motorists. The two bus drivers acted more like a pair of teenagers in "Rebels Without a Cause" by allegedly driving side-by-side in their off-duty vehicles before one of them crashed over an interstate embankment.Joel Sansone, an attorney for Maier, claimed the bus was in disrepair and the transit agency has filed the charges to cover up a mechanical problem. Bruce Carsia, Frauens' attorney, says his client had nothing to do with the accident.Port Authority officials of Allegheny County, however, have some damning evidence in surveillance and tracking equipment showing the buses were driving up to 65 mph in a 55 mph zone. Paint scrapes on both buses also suggest they scraped or struck one another before the crash.The would-be criminals among us should realize that with the latest surveillance equipment and everyone carrying a camera phone these days, it's harder to escape the video evidence and get away with their actions.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com