Law Enforcement Officer

Attention” to every word the officer speaks. It is very important the citizen listens! If the officer orders the citizen to put their hands in the air that is exactly what the citizen should do. Keep your pride to the side so to speak, make sure you don’t involve your pride or negative energy into the encounter. You don’t want to be speaking while the officer is giving instructions. You may not hear what the officer is saying. Speaking while the officer is speaking may also cause a citizen to have a slower response to the commands the officer is giving. The officer may see this as being uncooperative which means the citizen is not going along with the officer’s requests or orders. Take the officer’s comments very serious. The response from

Immediately the citizen will be chased and most likely arrested for this act. This is a form of resisting an officer during an investigation. Not to mention once you run you have brought on several more concerns to the mind of the officer. By running the citizens place themselves in a very negative situation. Many times during these circumstances the K-9 unit can be deployed and the citizen may be bitten. Other thoughts by the officer may be something similar to; “drug dealers run from law enforcement officers all the time, and as they run, they are looking for a place to “throw down” or get rid of the drugs they were selling. The situation is the same with any subject who runs from law enforcement who may be carrying concealed weapons like handguns. If a citizen takes off running, how is the officer to know this citizen is not attempting to conceal a handgun? Obviously a weapon may be used to injure or kill the officer. So whatever the reason, even if you are afraid, DO NOT RUN FROM THE

Acknowledge the officer is doing their job, and again do not take this encounter personal. Is it an inconvenience? Yes of course it is, but the encounter will not last forever. Help the encounter to end sooner by being pleasant or cordial. If the citizen decides to take the contact personal, their attitude will not be cordial or pleasant. Everyone does not like the police, so the citizen does not have to respect the officers, but if they are cordial to them, the contact will be less turbulent. Again, attitude is one of the first indicators police officers use to gauge what their own demeanor is to be while dealing with certain citizens during encounters. A positive attitude from a citizen will usually lead to a positive attitude from the officer, and a negative attitude from a citizen will make an officer a bit more protective and observant towards the citizen. I am not saying be a kiss-ass, but keep it professional; cordial and pleasant, and the citizens concerns will be