Some make police contact harder than it need be
The last sentence of our national anthem is, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Some people seem to think it means, “O’er the land of the free to do anything I desire.”
Imagine parents seeing their 6-yearold child carrying a cigarette. Reasonable and prudent parents might wonder if the child found it and was bringing it to them. They might also wonder if the child was planning to smoke it, or if an adult asked the child to fetch it. To get the answer, parents would mimic a police officer by approaching and inquiring. Imagine the child trying to walk away, run away, cursing or screaming brutality? This scenario is what police officers face daily.
A few people purposely get arrested for diplomatic or depraved reasons. Most people, however, don’t want to be arrested and most don’t want their freedom compromised. Police officers approach suspects possessing reasonable suspicion or probable cause to believe that a crime has been or is being committed. An arrest doesn’t mean a person is guilty. It’s simply a step in the procedures outlined in our great criminal justice system.
My wife, a retired schoolteacher, and I were discussing our society, and we both acknowledged noticing a recent decline in the acceptable behavior of people. Years ago, more people had a feeling of profound appreciation for police officers and teachers because of their authority and their difficult job. Today, many people act as though rules only apply to others, and they modify facts to use to best suit themselves.
Because of recent changes in our society, more kids and adults are uncouth, bad-mannered and self-centered. Computers and other technology can be wonderful tools, but they also hinder social contact, compassion and thinking.
This may be tongue and cheek, but Urban Dictionary defines a good kid as a teen who is adept and innovative at avoiding getting caught when getting into trouble. John Rosemond of the Gaston Gazette says that after telling stimulating and sociopathic things, a parent will say, “But he’s a really good kid.” A really good kid isn’t one who is aggressively disobedient, vilifies the parent with defamatory comments, or neglects responsibility at home. A really good kid doesn’t refuse to be responsible or create frequent chaos at home.
I often hear on television, “He was a good kid, why didn’t the officer shoot him in the leg?” Shooting to wound is a wonderful concept because no police officer wants to take a life. Shooting to wound is also a very impractical concept, because that would be as easy as launching one dart at 12 balloons hoping to burst them all. Even the
Because of recent changes in our society, more kids and adults are uncouth, bad-mannered and self-centered. Computers and other technology can be wonderful tools, but they also hinder social contact, compassion and thinking.
best marksmen are lucky to hit anywhere on their target under stressful circumstances, let alone hit the bullseye. Because of recent criticism, more police officers are hesitating before drawing their weapon. Consequently, more police officers are going home to their family in a coffin.
The word “cooperate” is straightforward to me. It means to comply with the police officer’s request. Some people get riled just at the sight of a police officer. They don’t recognize that the police officer is simply trying to keep the peace. The time to argue a case is in court, not on the street, and violence is never the answer.
We live in a society which is a collection of people living together. A society is supposed to be somewhat orderly. To be orderly, there must be discipline. Discipline means training people to obey rules using punishment to correct violations. Some people don’t want to be disciplined, so they incorrectly scream the word abuse.
Many parents refuse to accept the fact that discipline starts at home. It is not the responsibility of teachers or police officers to teach other people’s children discipline, or scare them into behaving. Discipline must be administered by a parent who is clearly committed to the genuineness of their authority over their child. With the right approach and the right delivery, almost any consequence will work.
Rules apply to everyone, not just to a chosen few. If we don’t like the rules, we can vote to change the rules. The United States Constitution says voting rights cannot be abridged because of race, color, previous condition of servitude, sex or age for those above 18. We can’t be a peaceful society unless everyone understands that our society isn’t like a hamburger restaurant, you can’t always “Have it your way,” but you can vote. Your vote speaks louder than you can.
Charlie Sewell is the retired Powder Springs police chief. His book, ‘I’d Rather You Call Me Charlie: Reminiscences Filled With Twists Of Devilment, Devotion And A Little Danger Here And There’ is available on Amazon. Email him
at retiredchiefsewell@gmail.com.