Two incidents over the weekend in Danbury -- one on Ives Street and one at the Danbury Fair mall -- make you wonder why anyone wants to be a police officer.

"I understand there was a lot of emotions, but that doesn't give someone a reason to fight with police officers," said Detective Lt. Edward Lopes , the senior officer at the scene of Saturday's incident at the mall's carnival. "In my 20 years on the force, this is the worst incident I've ever seen with people disregarding police orders."

The scene on Ives Street also was alarming. It started early Sunday when a pedestrian refused to allow a motorcycle to pass. The pedestrian then struck a police officer and fighting began.

At one point, more than a dozen people surrounded police as officers attempted to subdue the pedestrian. Two men were charged with trying to incite the crowd against police. Two officers were injured.

The incident at the mall's carnival began with a small dispute -- a fight between two teenagers around 10:30 p.m.

Police officers broke up the fight and arrested the two combatants. Then two bystanders became involved, yelling profanities at the officers.

Soon three officers were trying to subdue one of the bystanders. Another bystander jumped on an officer who had a Taser in his hand. The Taser was dropped and struck another officer, who initially thought he was shot.

Before the incident was over, five people had been arrested and eight officers injured.

There was trouble at the mall's carnival last year as well, with eight people arrested. Carnivals are a popular summer activity in this region but they rarely produce this kind of behavior. So it's necessary to ask what's different about the carnival at the mall.

Mayor Mark Boughton suggests the problem is the carnival's late-night hours. Others wonder if the problem is the size of the crowd or the alcohol brought in by some patrons.

Whatever the case, those in charge of the mall and the carnival need to get a better handle on the potential for trouble at the carnival.

That's the same message city officials have given Ives Street businesses about managing their events when large crowds are expected.

Not all incidents can be avoided, but better planning can't hurt. Being a police officer is difficult enough without the added burden of what happened this weekend.