Courtesy, Professionalism, and Respect
Growing up we often hear others say, “what is this world coming to?” This is a question I often ask myself. Yet I also have to ask myself, is the change in our society and generations, or is it the evolving speed of technology and the lack of time it takes for the media to focus on an event? One example of recent events that have had many asking themselves this question includes the rising tension between the police officers and communities. Is this due to the changing mindset of younger generations or the way the media portrays police officers? Are police officers able to do their jobs without having to worrying about the possibility of losing their career or having condescending statements made about them by the press? In the past few years, there have been several instances in which the press has questioned the integrity of many police officers such as Ferguson, Charlotte, and Milwaukee, where riots started after what they called “un-just” shootings. Could these incidents have been avoided or had different outcomes if the press had not been so involved? Has the way our society become played a role in all of these riotings and do the younger generations still value the morals that were instilled in the generations above such as respect, professionalism, and common courtesies?
The tension between the police officers and communities are rising to new heights, most likely due to the changing mindsets of younger generations as well as the media. These incidents could have been avoided if they would have respected the police officers doing their job by cooperating and not resisting arrest. This is why if everyone, not just the police officers, followed the policy of courtesy, professionalism, and respect set by the chief of police officers in Outcasts United, Tony Scipio, the tensions between police officers and civilians would drastically decrease, which would also lower the amount of altercations involving use of force.
One rule that was taught to us back as early as kindergarten is to, “Treat others how you want to be treated,” goes a long way in life. Yes, it even applies to when you encounter police officers. Studies show that your demeanor often affects how the police officers will handle the situation. So, if you treat the officer respectfully, the chances that the officer will treat you respectfully increases. Brunson and Weitzer state, “Police clearly expect citizens to respect their authority. People who show deference to police officers and treat them respectfully are more likely to receive similar treatment from police officers, whereas individuals who act disrespectfully or aggressively are much more likely to be treated harshly (e.g., arrested) than those who remain visibly calm, courteous, and deferential.” (Brunson and Weitzer.) They continue and explain what I said previously, and even explain what is likely to happen if one antagonizes the police officer.
Something to remember if you are having problems being courteous to police officers is that they aren’t just pulling you over and giving you tickets for the fun of it; it’s their job to enforce the law and to be able to maintain order, therefore; they cannot just let everything “slide by” because it was not a major violation. If they did let the smaller infringements go by unpunished, then what is to say that people would not try to push the limits and start engaging in more severe crime? The next time you get pulled over for going a few miles over the speed limit, or parking in a no park zone, don’t be angry at the police officers for doing their job. If you are going to be angry at anyone, be so at yourself.
Another thing that everyone needs to be aware of is that the job has many health-related problems as well as the physical danger they subject themselves to. The job itself is immensely stressful, and this increase in stress can result in health problems like sleep disorders, cancers and diseases, and an increased risk of committing suicide.
Perhaps the most troubling report comes from the National Center of Biotechnology Information which shows that between seven and 19 percent of active-duty officers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. To put that into perspective, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs shows the veterans of the two Iraq Wars had a PTSD rate of 13.8 percent.” (Turman.)
This quote further explains the health risks that can develop by working in the field as a cop, and shows that not only are they likely to get post traumatic stress disorder, but even more so than veterans of the Iraq Wars. Although it is hard to know unless personally being involved, this could possibly be because of the many disturbing crime scenes they view and perhaps even near death experiences they are subjected too.
A common argument that people might bring up is that it is the police officer’s job to treat you with respect. However, that is wrong. Their job is to ensure peace and public safety of citizens by enforcing laws set by the government. How they go about achieving that is ultimately up to them, but is heavily influenced by how you act. If you are respectful and cooperate with the police officer, they are more likely to treat you with courteous and respectful manners than if you were to insult and resist them. It may be your right to be rude and uncooperative with them, but that will most likely lead to altercations and generally will set the tone of that encounter and future ones as well. By being respectful of the police officers, it will make the scene a lot smoother, sometimes even resulting with them letting you off with a warning depending on what you were charged with.
This is not to say I think police officers should be able to get away with crimes if they violate policies, but I do think that it should be handled professionally at the time. Make sure to get the officer's name and what time the encounter happened and then go report it to the station afterwards. But while the altercation is happening, comply with the officer to ease the tension, so that they are less likely to result to negative measures. By doing this, the chance of the police officers using force or arresting you for aggressive behavior are likely to drop. “The norm of signaling respect to a police officer is often coupled with concrete advice regarding proper demeanor, namely, to act in a deferential, obedient, and compliant manner, even if provoked. Safety is the overriding goal—that is, to protect youth from getting involved in altercations, from being arrested, or from violence at the hands of officers.” (Brunson and Weitzer.) As the quote says, holding a respectful and professional demeanor to the officer is to help ensure your safety in an encounter. Even though the officer may be in the wrong, to be able to do anything about it in the long term, it would be of interest to be able to say you were compliant the entire time. Remember that in today’s society, police officers not only have to protect the lives of the citizen’s they have sworn to protect, but they also have to fear for their own life and safety. Therefore, due to their heightened risk, it is even more important to cooperate and show respect which will allow the police officers to do their job in a calm manner and ensure the best outcome for both parties.