George:
When I was a rookie Deputy I was blessed to have training officers who understood the authority that comes with the job. They always told me that I was to NEVER abuse that authority. That was drilled into me constantly. They also drilled into me that my mere presence would likely cause grief in some form or fashion to someone, whether it be the person I needed to contact or his/her family. What I learned was DISCRETION. That over the past 8 years has meant a lot of cases solved without a lot of hard feelings. It has also meant running into people I've arrested and not having a problem with them, since I handled their situation in a low-key manner.
Sadly, it doesn't always work out that way. I've had to be an a****** more than once. It comes with the territory. And sometimes overwhelming force must be used. Even then, once the situation is under control, simple politeness and courtesy, can pay huge dividends.
Maybe because of the way we handle the vast majority of our business, that even in the anti-police sections of my community, we can get people to talk to us. What is the old saying? You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar...
Luckily for me, there isn't a great deal of the "Us vs. Them" mentality in my department. It is that mindset with gets cops and their departments in more hot water with the public than anything else, I think. Too often officers forget that not everyone is a scumbag who needs to be bodyslammed. Even I have to remind myself of that-every day.
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Maintain eternal vigilance. It is the people who are prisoners of their own ignorance that pose the greatest threat to our 2nd Amendment Rights.
[This message has been edited by Matt19 (edited August 21, 1999).]
When I was a rookie Deputy I was blessed to have training officers who understood the authority that comes with the job. They always told me that I was to NEVER abuse that authority. That was drilled into me constantly. They also drilled into me that my mere presence would likely cause grief in some form or fashion to someone, whether it be the person I needed to contact or his/her family. What I learned was DISCRETION. That over the past 8 years has meant a lot of cases solved without a lot of hard feelings. It has also meant running into people I've arrested and not having a problem with them, since I handled their situation in a low-key manner.
Sadly, it doesn't always work out that way. I've had to be an a****** more than once. It comes with the territory. And sometimes overwhelming force must be used. Even then, once the situation is under control, simple politeness and courtesy, can pay huge dividends.
Maybe because of the way we handle the vast majority of our business, that even in the anti-police sections of my community, we can get people to talk to us. What is the old saying? You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar...
Luckily for me, there isn't a great deal of the "Us vs. Them" mentality in my department. It is that mindset with gets cops and their departments in more hot water with the public than anything else, I think. Too often officers forget that not everyone is a scumbag who needs to be bodyslammed. Even I have to remind myself of that-every day.
------------------
Maintain eternal vigilance. It is the people who are prisoners of their own ignorance that pose the greatest threat to our 2nd Amendment Rights.
[This message has been edited by Matt19 (edited August 21, 1999).]