( CNN ) -- When police arrested Eric Frein , accused in the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper , they symbolically used the equipment of their fallen brother , Cpl . Bryon Dickson , to take Frein into custody . They drove the suspect in Dickson 's police vehicle , put him in Dickson 's handcuffs , took him to the barracks where the shooting occurred , and held Frein there until he was moved to the correctional facility in Pike County . This drew some immediate attention . Some have questioned if these customs constitute the law enforcement equivalent of taunting , possibly prejudicing the arrest and evidence . Others might criticize the expenditure of government resources for purely symbolic gesturesâ€ ” like transporting an ordinary pair of handcuffs great distances , when a pair of local zip-ties could do the job . So , should we discourage these law enforcement traditions ? The legal verdict ? Nah . Let the police do this . And that 's coming from a criminal defense attorney . Using a fallen comrade 's equipment to bring in a suspect is hardly new . It 's been going on for years , though I could find little information about the origin of this department ritual . Is using a slain officer 's cuffs tantamount to a public statement about the guilt or innocence of a suspect ? Sure , but then again , so is an arrest and indictment . The origin of the cuffs is the least of an arrestee 's legal worries . Should we be spending government resources transporting a specific set of handcuffs or a police vehicle for its symbolic relevance ? One might argue that if bringing those handcuffs costs even one dollar more than just using local handcuffs , a merely symbolic gesture may not be warranted . The reality is that our government spends money on symbolism all the time . Does our government `` need '' to pay the head coach at the Naval Academy $ 1.5 million ? Is the United States required to send athletes to the Olympics ? Do we really even need the White House Rose Garden ? None of these are technically necessary to the operation of our government , but there is value to demonstrating the majesty of democracy , both at home and abroad . When viewed against some of the other things our government spends money on , requisitioning a pair of special handcuffs for a special arrest hardly seems excessive . Government symbolism has real value ; and value sometimes costs real dollars . Should the police be engaged in any symbolic taunting of suspects ? In the vast majority of cases , no . Not just because suspects are presumed innocent , but also because taunting suspects would undermine community confidence in police , and possibly undermine the arrest itself . As it is , an arrest is a public event , and already humiliating enough on its own . But cop killings are different . Law enforcement is highly protective of its own ; a slaying of a fellow officer breaks down all barriers between different departments and agencies . In this case , it is no longer business , it 's very personal . After all , it could have been any of them ambushed that day . Police deal with constant scrutinyâ€ ” by the community , defense lawyers and even their own prosecutors . Oh , and they can get killed doing their job . It 's no surprise they develop an us-against-the-world mentality , which makes the bond among them even stronger . While departments must closely referee to guard against excessive celebration with suspects , we can probably look the other way when it comes to some strategic use of otherwise standard equipment to honor a comrade .
John Cevallos : Some have questioned whether cops pulled Eric Frein out of line . They used the slain officer 's handcuffs , his squad car , and held him at his barracks . He says there 's long tradition of such behavior . It 's no more of a crime than an arrest is . Cevallos , a defense attorney , says not likely it would be seen as an arrest , evidence .