No replies to this topic

[stewart_germany]

When you come up behind us with lights and sirens on, give us time to look around and appraise the traffic situation (to see if it is safe to move over) before blasting us with even more noise to add to the confusion. This is especially unappreciated when it's not particularily safe to move over at the moment.

When we slow down below the speed limit while you're around or behind us, it is likely because previous, far too often unpleasant, encounters with the police have made us overly paranoid of your presense. In general, if you share the "tough guy out to get them" attitudes of most police officers today, life is just far more comfortable when you're are not around until truly needed.

Most people are law abiding citizens who don't appreciate being questioned about their actions, their movements, what's in their vehicles, drugs, illegal guns, and so on.

Most people, while standing on a sidewalk, or in a parking lot, or sitting in a car, don't appreciate being approached by an officer demanding an explination of what they're doing. Most would love to tell the cop it is none of his darn business, in perhaps not so polite terms.

Most people, in the same situations as above, consider it an intrusion when an officer circles the block, or the parking lot, or parks nearby, to watch their every move.

Some people who drive a "piece of crap" are simply poor, not criminals. Some are even poor enough not to have vehicle insurance, often resulting in suspended driver's licenses - which, of course, now makes them a criminal.

Human beings make mistakes. That means law abiding citizens occasionally speed, fail to wear seat belts, fail to use turn signals, run red lights, bump into things, and other such nonsense. Writing a ticket is not going to change human nature. Instead, it is just going to make some law abiding citizens angry for getting a ticket over a single, what they see as minor, mistake.

When you pull someone over for speeding, don't ask "do you know how fast you were going." There is no possible safe answer to that question.

Once you've written a ticket that is going to cost that person a lot of money (for the ticket, increased insurance rates, and so on), don't expect a response of "you're welcome" when you end the conversation with a usual flippant "thank you, sir" or "thank you, maam."

When you pull someone over, don't get angry when the person doesn't display the proper apologetic attitude or manner you expect. To avoid offending the officer's expectations, it is usually safer to simply greet the officer with, "what seems to be the problem, officer?"

Most people, especially those involved in a traffic stop, are very uncomfortable with officers thinking that every traffic stop could end in gunfire.

If you're wearing a uniform, badge, and gun, while on a break (coffee or otherwise), don't be surprised when people confuse you for a working police officer.

Most people are offended by what they see as the overly violent attitudes and opinions of some police officers.

People don't like it when officers treat other officers or family differently than the general public. If the law is important enough to enforce with others, it is important enough to apply to all. If you're understanding enough to give other officers or family members a break, then be much more willing to do so with the general public.

You are a public employee. The people you pull over to write tickets, question on the street, or whatever, are your employers. The salary you earn (and the taxes you pay from that salary) comes from those people. As such, they have a reasonable expectation for you to be polite, respectful, and even understanding, when dealing with them.