Actually, I don't see how anyone can accuse the COPS of having done the wrong thing. We don't have all the facts, and I doubt that anyone thought that Osama himself put the boxes out there.
Put yourself in the COPS who responded to the calls shoes,
You are on hour 4 of your 8 hour tour, and you get the call for a suspicious package. What do you do? Walk up to the box and shake it and open it? What if it is a bomb? When your testicles, legs, intestines, and body is sent hurtling through the air by the 5 pounds of explosives you might think you may a bad decision.
The fact is that anyone could have left the boxes, and they might want to harm anyone. Anyone remember the guy who left the bombs in the shape of a smiley face across the heartland of America? How about the Uni-bomber? McVeigh? ALF? ELF? Militia's? Eric Rudolph? etc, etc. These people all commited crazy acts of terrorism, and none of them were related to A-Queda in any way.
COPS 1
Stupid Kids 0
Oh yeah, they should throw the book at them. Jail time is a great behavior modificator!