Gary G said (6 months ago)

Hi Terri, This is a tough one. It maybe just as simple as you think: that cop acted like a jerk at that moment with you. Notice I didn't say he was a jerk. I don't think it would be fair for anyone to make a judgment based upon the 10-15 minutes you spend with that person under difficult circumstances at best. Temporarily acting like a jerk doesn't make you one permanently. Maybe he has a four year old who had the flu the night before and he hadn't slept or some such thing. I have nothing to do with law enforcement except very occasionally teaching them how to defend themselves. I do happen to think it is a very unrewarding job. It is one of the very few professions where the people who actually pay your salary do not want you to do your job to/with them personally. Last fall, I was just about at the end of an hour and a half drive home after a long weekend of hard work. I was tired and hungry. I was doing 60 in a 45 zone (or at least that is what the cop told me he clocked me at after he pulled me over). It was dark and he was shining his flashlight right in my eyes. He had to have known it. I didn't say a word. I shut off my radio. When he asked for my insurance card, I told him it was in my glove box and waited for him to tell me to get it. It actually turned out to be the wrong one and I apologized for making a mistake as I gave him the correct one. I turned off my car. He kept me there for maybe 30 minutes. I never said boo. At the end, when he was finally done, he came back to my car and said he was letting me off with a warning and next time it would be about a $250 fine. I was shocked. I actually bowed to him with my hands in Anjali Mudra (prayer position). He looked at me kinda strangely (I wonder if that made him reconsider). Another time in NYC, I had just parked down in Soho right under a sign that said no parking until 7pm. It was 7:05pm. A police car pulled up next to me and told me to move. I very politely asked why since it was after 7pm. The cop that spoke to me first looked a little confused. His partner literally jumped halfway across the car and yelled in a very good Hollywood SWAT type of voice: "Move that F'n car now or your goner have big trouble." I was absolutely 100% right. I also knew that no matter what, I would end up 100% wrong if I did anything except move that car just like he said. And I knew that cop knew I knew it. And I am sure that was just what he wanted. Perhaps he was even looking to make an arrest or impound a car. He was plain clothes. They never stop to direct traffic especially if the traffic is Right. So what was his game? I'll never know because I refused to play it. I do not like losing big is smart when I could chose to lose small. Do I think he was a jerk based upon those 30 seconds. I try really hard not to think about it (however, if I had to place a $5 bet on yea or nay....) I remember the good cop a lot more than I do the bad one. Is that because I believe the good one is the exception and the bad one the rule? No. It is just that IMHO it is more pleasant to think about good things than things that are not so good. Haven't you ever saw a police officer do something nice beyond what was required by his job? If so, try remembering that incident every time this one comes to mind. Peace.