The Black Lives Matters thread.

[Camgirl]

It gives me a warm fuzzy that you think LEOs would risk responding on this site.

Possibly there are some here with significant others or friends that are LEOs who could post on their behalf....

 

[Mila_]

Possibly there are some here with significant others or friends that are LEOs who could post on their behalf....

I think what @Bocefish meant is given the animosity towards cops most people on this thread have expressed nobody who is a LEO would want to post here.

As for SOs and families of LEOs, I think @LuckySmiles stated she comes from an LEO family.

 

[Camgirl]

I think what @Bocefish meant is given the animosity towards cops most people on this thread have expressed nobody who is a LEO would want to post here.

As for SOs and families of LEOs, I think @LuckySmiles stated she comes from an LEO family.

Yes, I got Boces sentiment.

I also have close ties to LEOs as well. I definetly did not discuss the entire thread with them but do know their motivations for entering the law enforcement field. After I confirm they wouldn't mind me sharing their thoughts on why they decided to pursue a career in law enforcement, I can post.

 

[Gen]

I've spoken on ACF before about being the daughter of a cop. My cop parent got into it to help people, isn't really a power tripper (from my perspective of being raised by them), just kind of a wide-eyed kid who wanted to make the world better and then become sort of the typical jaded older cop. Definitely is the type to rally around other cops though and I think that aspect of policing is getting stoked a lot right now with the rhetoric of "the war on cops" and the belief that everyone's out to get them, causing them to double down on an "us vs them" mentality.

But idk we are in Canada so on average it's less likely that the person you're pulling over has a gun in their glove compartment so maybe that makes them less nervous? I don't recall any dramatic "come home safe" send offs on an average day (obv we wanted them to be safe but we didn't act as if every day they went to work they were diving into a shark tank). Certainly a few scary situations when big things happened in the city or some smaller serious incidents with like, gang violence and stuff. But I don't think my parent or the rest of the family felt like they were in grave danger constantly and that's probably a good thing in terms of how they process things.

I don't think they ever got burnt out because they got to do a lot of different things through promotions and transfers but I do know that they were outwardly open about supporting other cops who had dealt with mental trauma. As in any job though I think you can rarely afford to take the time off to heal, and in policing you're likely to see traumatizing stuff quite often, so you kind of have to buck up and get over it which is a terrible state to leave people in, let alone someone who is constantly in high stress situations and has to make split second decisions.

I love my cop parent and I appreciate their hard work and of course I think they tried their best and did things for the right reasons, haha. We have different opinions on some things but I know theirs come from a very different place as they spent decades working on the street. And they are generally supportive of BLM but again it's different in Canada for many reasons. It seems the Canadian BLM chapters are working with their

My other parent had a more run-of-the-mill job that isn't risky so it wasn't like a cop/nurse match. The cop was much cooler on show-and-tell days at school because they'd bring the car and let us turn the sirens on haha.

 

[LuckySmiles]

Yes I have been connected to several in various types of relationships. I even considered it myself in the past, enough to take initial exams.

The ones I know well are exceptionally good, but mentally strong people who work/worked in the some of the most violent places in the country. Very friendly and fun personalities as well.

I think career cops maybe last longer in small towns and low crime areas. The people I've been associated with are less into the club aspect of it, and did/do it to help people, but are among the do your time and get out crew. Even with the promotions etc. I have only known people who work in the large departments/major urban areas, of which they came from. Don't know any small town ones.

 

[Camgirl]

So, my significant other has been a LEO for 21 years. We started dating the year before he went into the academy. Back then, most of our circle of friends were also either entering the academy or were already starting their career in law enforcement. For him, I think it was a combination of following his friends and the fact that it was a "career" that paid well, was stable, long-term, and had a pension. For him, it wasn't necessarily a position he took to be a hero, but one he knew he would be able to retire at a fairly young age with a pretty good nest egg. Even back then he was a planner. Many of our close friends who have varying times in at an agency pretty much went into it for similar reasons. Either a family of LEOs or the appeal of stability and a pension.

That is why he got into it, but of course, being a LEO changes you. He is very good at his job. He is by the book and has zero problem discipling those that do not do their job as they should. He doesn't tolerate bullshit and takes his oath very seriously. He has also become desensitized over the years, but that is to be expected.

At 19 years old when he went into it, he wasn't really thinking about politics or the long term effects working in this type of position can create. Flash forward 21 years, and he is counting down the years he has left before he can retire. He has moved up high in the ranks and he says he may go in the drop, but with the current climate of law enforcement, I doubt he will. He HATES the politics of it, and the higher the rank, the worse the politics are. There are lots of other reasons he is anxious to retire, but that is probably number one on his list.

Number two is the climate change over the years for law enforcement. He used to be welcomed with open arms in our community (we live in a fairly large city). He used to be proud to share what he did for a living. Now he keeps a MUCH lower profile. When asked what he does for a living he is much more vague until he really gets to know someone. Now when he is in uniform he gets snares, people whisper, and all eyes are on him. We met for dinner recently and there were two tables that were clearly offended by his presence and were not even trying to hide it. I mean, we were just eating dinner. It was really uncomfortable.He has to be more tense and on guard these days....

Anyway, that was more than what was asked, but I have a buzz.

 

[n_i_c_u]

I always wanted to become a police officer. I worked at a doughnut shop thru high school and even though the police officers there didn't like me much and always found time to comment on my 'skater' haircut (back in the 90s--though they loved my friend I worked with that ended up in prison for mulit-million dollar real estate fraud). I kind of ruined the possibility by becoming a veggie-pacifist in college and smoking weed. I honestly don't know much about BLM (aside from their support of Michael Brown which I read on their website, since it devastated a portion of my community while the shop owner he assaulted is wondering why he has security cameras because it didn't do anything but cause him problems), but I have had to deal with "good cop/bad cop" and their "command presence." It's a jarring reality to have someone in uniform yelling at you to search your parked vehicle outside of your apartment; or to be trailed for five miles on the road because my truck is ugly while others are passing me by or trying to engage me in a race while the popo is two car lengths behind me. It makes me want to watch youtube videos of guys that challenge the officers with their knowledge of the Constitution (not a bad document for the Police to memorize). As a white guy that doesn't fit in in society, I go to Henry Rollins in those times to feel less alone:





I honestly still wish I could have been a Police officer and wished I could have done society some good.

 

[LenaSexton]

I haven't read every single post on this thread, but so far everyone has been very respectful regardless of their position and maintained a great level of integrity.
As an African-American that has had this conversation with other races before sometimes others can be very insensitive to racism, but for the most part I haven't seen any of that here. Thanks.

 

[Bocefish]

Never been much of an Apple fan aside from the ones that can help keep doctors away with daily doses, but it's apparently newsworthy they have recently replaced their so-called realistic silver .357 gun emoji with a plastic green squirt gun emoji.

That is all.

 

[LioraVox]

Never been much of an Apple fan aside from the ones that can help keep doctors away with daily doses, but it's apparently newsworthy they have recently replaced their so-called realistic silver .357 gun emoji with a plastic green squirt gun emoji.

That is all.

Did you mean to post this in this thread? I don't understand the relevance between an emoji & BLM.

 

[justjoinedtopost]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-lives-matter-releases-policy-agenda-n620966

Interesting.

https://policy.m4bl.org/platform/

 

[LuckySmiles]

Interesting.

https://policy.m4bl.org/platform/

holy shit. if there was ever any doubt on a Communistic agenda... The entire platform... even without touching the Reparations button. (Because... duh.)

What the what what?...

1. A reallocation of funds at the federal, state and local level from policing and incarceration (JAG, COPS, VOCA) to long-term safety strategies such as education, local restorative justice services, and employment programs.

Let's defund underpaid police forces so that you can ensure less officers of less quality. Great idea! Surely that won't effect crime rates.

Federal Action:

• We should develop and pass a $2 to $4 trillion policy that would both create government jobs for Black workers, and subsidize businesses to hire Black workers. The main targets of this effort would be the Congress, President, and Chairman of the Federal Reserve. This would have to be both a legislative campaign to move members of Congress, and direct public pressure campaign to get the President and Federal Chairman to act.

For serious??

I could go through all the questionable things in every category but there's so much wrong with it and I only have one life to live. This has never been about the young men that died in police custody. Now there's proof in bullet pointed form of their deaths being exploited.


Oh and incidentally... our old friend popped up again... in the fine print under political power...
Federal Action:

• Congressional hearings on COINTELPRO designed to remedy and repair its impact.
• Immediate release of all political prisoners in federal custody.
• Removal of Assata Shakur from international terrorist lists.
• Rescind the bounty on the head of Assata Shakur.

Great. Positive important goal. Have a blast guys. Nope Nopity Nopes.

 

[LioraVox]

I have to give time to really settle in and read everything, and form my opinions on it. But at first glance, I don't like the language they're using, it's too strong & "fix everything you ever did wrong to black people". But at the same time, I agree with how I'm interpreting things so far. Since this was mentioned:

1. A reallocation of funds at the federal, state and local level from policing and incarceration (JAG, COPS, VOCA) to long-term safety strategies such as education, local restorative justice services, and employment programs. "

To me, they are demanding that the price tag of black people comes off, which would no longer make things like profiling minorities profitable and invest in things such as a better education board where its not just minimum - you barely learn how to form proper sentences curriculums. Instead of monetizing "black communites" the money is given back to the community to upbuild it.

But that's just me, and my viewpoint. If a person views the language one way I'm not going to change that. And also, once I read everything enough to understand it I may not agree with it. But I still support #BLM, because to me it does and there's other avenues I can support under this huge umbrella of a movement.

 

[Osmia]

Really interesting article in the New Yorker. Ostensibly, it's a review of several books on the history and sociology of "white trash" (poor, lower class whites), and how the tensions caused by the demographic decline of whites in the last 50 years has found an outlet in the politics of resentment. Here are a few excerpts:.

There was, in Obama’s manner of carrying himself, something that upended traditional status relations. An early sign of this came while Obama was on the campaign trail. At a meeting with wealthy Democratic donors, he described the plight of the white working class in Midwestern small towns, where “the jobs have been gone now for twenty-five years and nothing’s replaced them,” and remarked, “It’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” This certainly wasn’t the first time an authority figure had spoken patronizingly of the white working class. But now the authority figure was black, and had spoken with the confidence that the future belonged to people like him.

Obama, in essence, had given poor and working-class white people the language to think of themselves as outsiders. After all, they weren’t the kind of people who would have been in the room with him that day. Within the more responsive spheres of media and entertainment, of course, Obama’s rise has helped us imagine how America will see itself once “white” and mainstream are no longer synonymous.

. . . .

There is certainly a kind of everyday snobbery toward what Isenberg calls “white trash” which has become routine and reflexive, a condescension that, for example, makes poor-white subcultures on reality television seem so exotic and fascinating. But does the fact that whiteness is no longer an unequivocal badge of privilege have any consequences for the systemic persistence of black disadvantage?

. . . .

Already, we’ve seen that, in the absence of a political system run by people “no different from the rest of us,” many working-class whites feel abandoned, realizing that the system has always thrived on inequality. One result was the Tea Party, which emerged in 2009. Another has been the rise of Donald Trump, who, though opposed by many Tea Party activists, has drawn on the same loose energies that sustained that movement. He has shown that “white rage” and the nostalgia that underwrites feelings of racial resentment are renewable resources, and a cross-applicable rationale for xenophobia. As whiteness becomes a badge of dispossession, earned or not, it’s likely that future elections will only grow more hostile, each one a referendum on our constantly shifting triangulations of identity and power.

 

[Osmia]

....Flash forward 21 years, and he is counting down the years he has left before he can retire. He has moved up high in the ranks and he says he may go in the drop, but with the current climate of law enforcement, I doubt he will. He HATES the politics of it, and the higher the rank, the worse the politics are. There are lots of other reasons he is anxious to retire, but that is probably number one on his list.

What does "politics" mean in this context?

....He used to be proud to share what he did for a living. Now he keeps a MUCH lower profile. When asked what he does for a living he is much more vague until he really gets to know someone. Now when he is in uniform he gets snares, people whisper, and all eyes are on him....

Does he (or you) have any idea why this is? I generally agree, and I know that my own attitude toward the police is somewhat less favorable than it was, say, 25 years ago. I can't put my finger on why that is, though.

The only personal experience I've had with the police, aside from occasional speeding tickets, was when I was held up at gunpoint by a black man while working the graveyard shift while I was in college (this was in Austin, TX in the mid-1980s). The robber took some of the business's money, but left me alone. I called the police, and they arrived almost immediately and alerted other cops in the vicinity to watch out for the robber. A few minutes later, they brought by some random black dude who didn't look at all like the description I gave, and they let him go. A couple of months later, they did arrest the right guy (he had robbed a series of similar businesses). I and a few other witnesses testified against him at a pretrial hearing, and he pleaded guilty or n.c., and went to prison without a trial.

There were a couple of awkward or uncomfortable incidents during the investigation and prosecution: (1) The police called me down to the station to identify someone they believed was the right guy. Instead of showing me a "six pack" of photos or putting me behind one-way glass like they do on TV, the detectives brought me to their office space (cubicles) and just walked they guy past me about 30 feet away. I saw him and he saw me identifying him. I told them that this made me uncomfortable, but they basically blew off my concern. (2) A couple of months later, I was working at another job, and in full view of my boss and co-workers, a uniformed sheriff's deputy served me with a summons to appear at the pre-trial hearing. Again, that was awkward, but easily explained, and given the types of people who worked there, I didn't mind if they thought I was "wanted by the law." ;-)

Overall, though, I thought the police and prosecutors did a good job. They caught and convicted the right guy over a pretty short timeframe.

Currently, I live in a conservative, fairly traditional area, and I've never seen the type of reaction to wearing the uniform that you describe (I'm not disputing your experience, though.).

 

[Osmia]

Here's one thing I thought of that helps explain why my attitude toward the police is somewhat more negative than it was a couple of decades ago....My perception is that they don't do enough to pursue property crimes such as automobile break-ins.

I know they have to prioritize how they spend their time and effort, though I doubt I would agree with some of their priorities. My city experimented with red light cameras a few years ago, but eventually removed them in response to citizen complaints and the cost of the program (i.e., it didn't make them as much money as they had hoped). I don't really have a problem with red light or speeding cameras, since they affect everyone equally, not just the unlucky person a cop decides to pull over. If these technologies were used more, the police would (in theory) have more time to investigate property crimes and other non-violent but serious crimes.

 

[Mikey_P]

We have too much policing in the US, too many laws that send non-violent people to jail. Reducing these two things would make everyone safer and happier. Many cops are too stupid to realize this but many actually get it. One of my degrees is in criminology and at one time I was going to become a cop but #@$#$ rules and dealing with low IQ non-thinkers all day-- although again I know and have friends who are smart cops. Also screw idiots who think that the war on drugs and over policing work. Lets decriminalize most drugs, keep the police doing real police work and not BS, keep them out of our way, which will create less hate towards them. People need to feel like the police are their to help, ppl in highly policed areas do not see that police as on their team because the cops are busy doing Terry stops based on race and other non-probable cause BS. Eventually, the technology is going to be here where police don't even need to waste our time or risk their safety doing stops for speeding-- I'm actually working on a project that makes this a reality.

Why does a country with the highest GDP and biggest economy have the highest incarceration rates? We have turned prison and policing into too much of a business.

 

[Camgirl]

What does "politics" mean in this context?

Good ol boys who move up in rank or get treated differently based on who they know or whose asses they kiss.

Does he (or you) have any idea why this is? I generally agree, and I know that my own attitude toward the police is somewhat less favorable than it was, say, 25 years ago. I can't put my finger on why that is, though.

Are you asking me why he does not advertise is profession, or why there is such a negative opinion of police?

 

[Camgirl]

Currently, I live in a conservative, fairly traditional area, and I've never seen the type of reaction to wearing the uniform that you describe (I'm not disputing your experience, though.).

We live in Florida.

I think you would have to be a law enforcement officer, during the last several months in particular, to really see/experience it. Cops don't exactly have a great rep right now, as demonstrated somewhat in this thread.

 

[Nikola Tesla]

So basically we should respect their job and by respecting the job we should just naturally respect them?

Well yeah. Why would you not?

 

[Osmia]

Are you asking me why he does not advertise is profession, or why there is such a negative opinion of police?

The latter. I'd like to better understand where this negative opinion comes from. What has changed? I can think of a few possible explanations, but I'm not sure how real they are.

Upthread, I listed a few possible reasons.

There needs to be (if not already done) some scientific opinion studies to quantify this.

 

[Camgirl]

I really couldn't say for sure. There are a lot of reasons people dislike law enforcement. Some just have been raised that way, some have had bad experiences, some are criminals, some dislike authority, some cops are dicks......the list goes on....

But lately, I'd say its the obvious...the recent events in the news involving law enforcement..

 

[Camgirl]

Well yeah. Why would you not?

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but this is actually how I feel.

I respect law enforcement and authority. If I get pulled over, it is yes sir yes ma'am, thank you sir, thank you ma'am. Like it or not, they are in the power position. It is literally their job to have the position of power when you are stopped.

I certainly can't ascertain in seconds or even minutes whether the cop that is stopping me is someone who "deserves" respect as a human being. I can only ascertain that they, by the definition of their job, are in a position of authority, and in that moment, I will 100 % respect their authority. I don't know them. What I do know in that moment is that there is a reason I am being stopped. Likely, of my own doing.

I can roll my eyes and complain about what an asshole they are for pulling me over.... when I was definitely speeding..... later.

Speaking for myself here,and obviously no one else's experience.

 

[Nikola Tesla]

when secretay clinton is first woman to be nominated,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...presidential_and_vice-presidential_candidates
Even Roseanne Barr in 2012

 

[LioraVox]

Well yeah. Why would you not?

Idk if you've read previous pages of this thread or not but on page 9 there's plenty of posts that explains why a person wouldn't respect an officer just because they are an officer. This post, describes it best, imo :

Here's where i draw the line of respect for police. I can be thankful that there's enough police presence preventing crime from spiraling out of control in my town, but being thankful isn't the same as respect in my book, and that's where respect for my town's (and neighboring areas') police force stops short. There were local articles regarding accountability, including personal accounts of former officers stating how plenty of fellow officers take the job as just a paycheck rather than serving the law with any real passion. I can be thankful of a patrol car circling the block once in a while to keep burglars out of my home, but that's about it.

I can appreciate a cop's duties as inherently and potentially dangerous. It's simply respect for the job itself. What the job naturally is, and what actual police have often been documented as; are conflicting of one another. And that's where respect for the actual police isn't always there.

{other quote}
Given that not every police action serves with the best judgment or moral/ethical standards, then yea... i'd find it perfectly acceptable to question the methods of law enforcement (short of resisting arrest)(whenever the situation warrants questioning) as it is our given right to challenge authority when we notice something might be unjust (don't get this mixed up with threatening or harming cops though). Among a certain percentage of the public, there is a trust issue with police that speaks to how the law is served, whether there's racial bias or what have you. Just accepting all law enforcement actions as justified or believing every officer is all about upholding the law with the greatest sense of morality is too naive imho. My thankfulness for law enforcement only goes so far.

I guess it really boils down to how you define & value the word respect.

 

[Osmia]

Idk if you've read previous pages of this thread or not but on page 9 there's plenty of posts that explains why a person wouldn't respect an officer just because they are an officer. This post, describes it best, imo :

I guess it really boils down to how you define & value the word respect.

Regardless of how one feels in general about the police, I think it makes sense to show them respect (or whatever one wants to call it) when you're actually having to deal with them, such as when you're pulled over. They have the power to make your life miserable and turn your world upside down, or worse, depending on the circumstances and their interpretation of your actions. Whenever I get pulled over, my goal is to not make things any worse than they already are, and to get out of that situation ASAP.

 

[LioraVox]

Regardless of how one feels in general about the police, I think it makes sense to show them respect (or whatever one wants to call it) when you're actually having to deal with them, such as when you're pulled over. They have the power to make your life miserable and turn your world upside down, or worse, depending on the circumstances and their interpretation of your actions. Whenever I get pulled over, my goal is to not make things any worse than they already are, and to get out of that situation ASAP.

Not escalating a situation has nothing to do with how much I respect someone. Those don't go hand in hand. There's common decency which is just a general natural respect for people that comes with acknowledging that a person is a person and they have their own ups & downs and whatever. If a person addresses me in a "i see you as a person, i'm going to calmly talk to you & to handle this situation" there's no issues. We are both calm & the issue is handled properly.

But if a person approaches me in a way that disregards that I am a person, or if an officer comes accusing me and screaming at me that I did something, or starts to demand me to do things without explanation. I have no respect for that. I am an adult, you can address me as an adult. Not pull, or push me around, not call me out of my name or start cursing, especially in an authoritative position. Because it shows that you are a) abusing your power or b) using this position to take out frustrations that have nothing to do with me.

And this is where I disagree with people who say "Respect the police." Often times they mean, respect them regardless of how they are approaching you/ acting towards you. Meaning, if a cop is threatening you, you need to just "take it" so you can just get out of there safely. But why should the public be expected to act this way? If John Smith, came up to me like that, I would fight him but because John is in uniform, I should just accept everything that he could possibly do to harm me, because he's a cop & that's within his power? Like yes, currently that how you have to handle dealing with a cop, but it shouldn't be that way. It shouldn't be that a person in a uniform can mistreat people however they want while also demanding to be given the highest level of respect.

 

[Ms_Diane]

The DOJ released an interesting report on the Baltimore police dept. yesterday. Seems like that should give some insight into why some people do what they need to, to make interactions with the police as short as possible, including feigning respect.

Here's a couple of links that review the report, or some of it anyway -

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/us/baltimore-justice-department-report/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ore-police-department/?utm_term=.c045a0e073ea

 

[LioraVox]

The DOJ released an interesting report on the Baltimore police dept. yesterday. Seems like that should give some insight into why some people do what they need to, to make interactions with the police as short as possible, including feigning respect.

Here's a couple of links that review the report, or some of it anyway -

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/us/baltimore-justice-department-report/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ore-police-department/?utm_term=.c045a0e073ea

Dude.. Holy Shit. Like.. Holy. Shit. This is exciting because people in power, the people who have the power to make changes in how things are done just acknowledged systemic racism. Like... this is (for me) what BLM is for. W/o BLM supporters using their voices & the internet to ask questions about cases like Freddie Gray the DOJ wouldn't have looked into their methods. This, is what BLM is about for most people. Calling attention at the disproportioned treatment that poc, specifically black people, go through.

I can't even put my excitement into words.. this is just HUGE.

 

[Osmia]

Not escalating a situation has nothing to do with how much I respect someone. Those don't go hand in hand. There's common decency which is just a general natural respect for people that comes with acknowledging that a person is a person and they have their own ups & downs and whatever. If a person addresses me in a "i see you as a person, i'm going to calmly talk to you & to handle this situation" there's no issues. We are both calm & the issue is handled properly.

But if a person approaches me in a way that disregards that I am a person, or if an officer comes accusing me and screaming at me that I did something, or starts to demand me to do things without explanation. I have no respect for that. I am an adult, you can address me as an adult. Not pull, or push me around, not call me out of my name or start cursing, especially in an authoritative position. Because it shows that you are a) abusing your power or b) using this position to take out frustrations that have nothing to do with me.

And this is where I disagree with people who say "Respect the police." Often times they mean, respect them regardless of how they are approaching you/ acting towards you. Meaning, if a cop is threatening you, you need to just "take it" so you can just get out of there safely. But why should the public be expected to act this way? If John Smith, came up to me like that, I would fight him but because John is in uniform, I should just accept everything that he could possibly do to harm me, because he's a cop & that's within his power? Like yes, currently that how you have to handle dealing with a cop, but it shouldn't be that way. It shouldn't be that a person in a uniform can mistreat people however they want while also demanding to be given the highest level of respect.

I don't disagree with you. I was trying to take a step back and look at what "respect" for the police means to me at its most basic level, when you strip away such issues as racism, profiling, corruption and brutality. It doesn't mean saying "yes, sir / no sir" or accepting abuse because it's coming from a cop.

When I'm pulled over for speeding, the LEO normally isn't threatening or abusive or treating me unfairly. It's just a routine, if aggravating, speeding ticket. Plus, I'm white and middle class. Still, there's always the possibility for things to go wrong, or for the LEO to cite me for other violations that he might normally let slide. Given the stakes, I make the practical decision to behave as predictably, unthreateningly and normally as possible. Whatever I feel about the police, good and bad, doesn't matter at those times. I'm not trying to make a political statement; I'm dealing with an individual police officer who is a human being, in a situation where I've broken the law. I just want to take my ticket and leave without incident.

This approach has become all the more necessary in recent years, because I think that the police feel threatened by ordinary citizens much more than in the past, probably due to the prevalence of guns, and the use of behavior-altering drugs.