View Single Post
Old September 2, 2011, 04:49 PM   #29
Glenn Dee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 9, 2009
Location: South Florida
Posts: 1,560
Zukiphile..

Nope... I never cared one way or another what a persons attitude was. Any and all interactions for business were just that. Having worked in NYC I think most attitudes were negative at the start of the interaction. Often positive when it was over. I learned the job from old timers who taught me... None of these people are your friends... some are you sworn enemy. Treat them all the same and it'll be easy to tell the difference.

I interact with people to do a job. Not to influence people and make friends when the job is over... our interaction is over. I always treated everyone with respect, and honesty. I know anything they feel has little or nothing to do with the person I am, but maybe with the weird hat I wear. And that comes off after my tour.

As I said before Police Officers have some discretion while performing their job. A persons general attitude and demeanor will usually have some effect there. I always allow for a person to react to be treated fairly, and honestly and maybe change gears and then effect my use of discretion.

A police Officer must maintain an open mind, and shelf any prejudices, and preconcieved notions while performing his duties. It's never personal.

I shall give two examples.
1) My partner and I answered a domestic. Payday night domestic. Alcohol involved domestic. Violence must arrest domestic signal 10-52. As it turns out the dusband was tipsy, and the wife intox... but he knotted her noggin and had to go. He was big, and mean, and nasty... but apologetic to us. As a pain in the a55 as he was... I offered to him that if he behaved I wouldnt cuff him in front of his children... but we could walk out like we were all friends going for beers. His attitude got him that bit of discretion.

2) Some years later working as a detective I caught a serious stabbing with the victim was likely to die. I went to the victims family for information, and someone to sign a complaint on his behalf. I found his younger sister. A woman with a terrible attitude. She made my entire investigation difficult with all those "street rules", and talking about her other brothers getting revenge, and how her family never got along with the perps family. The victim as it turns out didnt die, I made the arrest, and the sister eventually warmed up to me. 26 years later were still married and have three wonderful children.

So in sum and substance... Attitude is just that atitude... and is not all that important in the big picture. But an Officer must keep an open mind to see the big picture...

Glenn D.
Glenn Dee is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.02855 seconds with 8 queries