I had The Talk last night with the young men who were in my house last night when I first saw this post. Their ages ranged from 14 to 25. Its not the first time and Im sure it wont be the last. As with any other profession, you have police officers who do their job well and you have others who disgrace the uniform and oath they took to protect and serve. 1. We need to understand cops are human and are capable of making mistakes. They may be just as scared of you as you are of them. Ive talked a young cop down with his gun in my face and 6 other officers who because of an error the BMV made thought I was someone they were looking for. When I told him I was armed as required by law it got even more escalated. I quickly took control of the situation because he wasnt. He yelled 5 different commands in 6 seconds that conflicted each other. First I was in control of my emotions, behavior and movement. I know Im big and black and bald and can be perceived as intimidating. I lowered my tone as if I was speaking to my grandson in a teaching moment. He may have thought he was in control and in doing so he was thinking exactly how I wanted him to think. Me being in control of me was my best defense. I was on the ground and cuffed. They never touched me other than to put the cuffs on and help me to my feet. I wasnt yoked out and thrown down. More cars arrived. It may have been 10 officers by now. After realizing the mistake that was made I was released and they apologized for the mix up. I thanked them for doing their job in a professional manner. They never used profanity or was disrespectful to my wife and two of my sons. My wife didnt get cuffed because they used most of them on me (lol). 2. Most of the time if you are aggravated by the presence of the police, chances are you have a reason to be. Police dont make me nervous. They put their pants on just like I do. They want to go home at the end of their shift like you do. They have bills and responsibilities like you do. Most would rather not have any altercations at all. Who likes extra paper work???? If indeed you are in some sort of altercation its better to cooperate and live to tell about it. Everyone has a supervisor. Learn your rights and how to go up the chain of command including whatever level of court necessary to hear your complaint. This loss of life is sad and so unnecessary.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 20:44:01 +0000