Recently, there have been a lot of stories and recounts of terrible police officers on the job...exposure of brutality, racial profiling and abuse of power...Even I have come forward and shared some of my own experiences...But for a change, Id like to share an experience my mother and I had with an officer this past weekend. Lets start with some backstory...This particular officer, who works for BPS, also works with the Police Studies program at ACC. A couple of years ago, my Computer Systems Technology class was having a computer repair class for a couple months, as they do every year. This officer brought in his laptop to have it cleaned and fixed up. I was the lucky repairman to handle the job. I did the job required of me, and upon returning it to him, I took time to explain what was wrong, what was done, and what he should avoid in the future. Over the next couple of years, he had come back to me with numerous questions about computer care, about his new tablet, about windows 8 & 8.1, about connecting to WiFi, about his phone and upgrading to a new phone. Wed see each other in the halls of ACC and greet each other with a smile, a handshake and occasional conversation. I wouldnt say wed become friends, but professional acquaintances at the very least. Back to my story...this past Friday, my mother and I had taken a trip to Brandon to drop off my sister and pick up my niece for Pow Wow. As we drove north on 26th street coming up on Victoria Ave. we spotted a police officer in the middle of the road waving us onto a side street...it was a check stop. We were buckled, sober and just about to pick up my niece and head home to Sioux Valley. We pulled over to the side street and were waved ahead to another officer waiting to check my license and registration. I rolled down my driver side window and had my licence ready...the officer walked to the window, pointed his flashlight at me and said I know you Elton. No need to see those. I know your a good guy, a good driver and youve always got your seatbelt on. You have a Good Evening. Sorry to bother you tonight....and we were on our way...shortest check stop in my life!!! Simple story, simple moment...the point is...Not all natives are drunk driving with no license or registration...Not all police officers are assholes, abusing power and quick to pull the trigger...Every moment, no matter how small, whether taking a moment to help and explain a tech problem or a casual handshake and how are you, can affect a persons perception of you as well as your perception of them. We can all get along and work together if we just take a moment...
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:25:19 +0000
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