What Rd
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Athens, IL
As an Assistant Attorney General, I found myself in a uniquely uncomfortable position relative to Illinois Troopers. When they get sued for excessive force or racial profiling, I'm the guy who defends them in court. Let me tell you, nothing builds a better rapport with line officers and their supervisors alike than fighting for them and demonstrating to them that you believe in them. At the same time, however, when Troopers cross the line and the Department pursues discipline that they disagree with, I'm the guy who represents the Department against the Trooper before the Merit Board. The first few times I did that were really tough for me.
The guys who were facing the Merit Board, and I mean to a man (including the one female Trooper I prosecuted), knew I was only doing my job. They made it easy on me. The best example of that was the day I was coming back from lunch break and as I was getting out of my Jeep (quite a sight you have to admit) the Trooper up on charges pulled in next to me. He was checking out my Jeep and after a brief awkward silence asked me if I had lifted it myself. I was pretty nervous about answering him. Yes, he was outside his district, but his jurisdiction is statewide. Yes, there's nothing illegal about having lifted it myself, but that leads to questions about how much it's lifted and how far the tires stick out, etc. I actually said "I'm not so sure I want to answer that" with a smile on my face, trying to lighten the moment. He obviously picked up on my nervousness and said, "Hey, I'm a gearhead too." So we had a brief but nice conversation about my Jeep before going back in to the hearing where I was arguing that he should be suspended from work for 30 days!
I suppose that's an awfully long winded way of saying that good cops are fine people - some of the finest among us. But these dedicated people working for the benefit of all of us do make mistakes at times (we're all human, right?). In my experience, many of these mistakes come when officers forget the effect their office, and the power and mystique that accompany it, can often have on the general public. A perfectly well intentioned attempt to strike up a conversation with a Jeeper can be interpreted much differently when the cop uses the trappings of his office to do it. I agree 100% with YellaHeep and really appreciate his comments. If I had been the one pulled over as described, I'd have waited until the end of the conversation but then reminded the officer that by using his lights and PA the way he had, he runs the risk of provoking a reaction that neither party needs nor wants. Just as cops sometimes see you're a good guy and cut you a break by giving you a friendly warning, it's appropriate to return the favor and give a cop who has abused his ability to pull people over a friendly reminder that a wave and shout at a stoplight is a much friendlier and safer way to start a conversation.
:thumbup:
The guys who were facing the Merit Board, and I mean to a man (including the one female Trooper I prosecuted), knew I was only doing my job. They made it easy on me. The best example of that was the day I was coming back from lunch break and as I was getting out of my Jeep (quite a sight you have to admit) the Trooper up on charges pulled in next to me. He was checking out my Jeep and after a brief awkward silence asked me if I had lifted it myself. I was pretty nervous about answering him. Yes, he was outside his district, but his jurisdiction is statewide. Yes, there's nothing illegal about having lifted it myself, but that leads to questions about how much it's lifted and how far the tires stick out, etc. I actually said "I'm not so sure I want to answer that" with a smile on my face, trying to lighten the moment. He obviously picked up on my nervousness and said, "Hey, I'm a gearhead too." So we had a brief but nice conversation about my Jeep before going back in to the hearing where I was arguing that he should be suspended from work for 30 days!
I suppose that's an awfully long winded way of saying that good cops are fine people - some of the finest among us. But these dedicated people working for the benefit of all of us do make mistakes at times (we're all human, right?). In my experience, many of these mistakes come when officers forget the effect their office, and the power and mystique that accompany it, can often have on the general public. A perfectly well intentioned attempt to strike up a conversation with a Jeeper can be interpreted much differently when the cop uses the trappings of his office to do it. I agree 100% with YellaHeep and really appreciate his comments. If I had been the one pulled over as described, I'd have waited until the end of the conversation but then reminded the officer that by using his lights and PA the way he had, he runs the risk of provoking a reaction that neither party needs nor wants. Just as cops sometimes see you're a good guy and cut you a break by giving you a friendly warning, it's appropriate to return the favor and give a cop who has abused his ability to pull people over a friendly reminder that a wave and shout at a stoplight is a much friendlier and safer way to start a conversation.
:thumbup:
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