How many times do we call the police or have a need for their service? I would submit that our dealings with the police are relatively infrequent and most of the time when we call them it is because we need their protection or a crime has been committed against ourselves, our families, neighbor or property. No matter what the situation there is usually a need to call for the men and women of our local police department. The same goes for the fire fighters and so on and so forth.
This morning at approximately 2:30 am my son and I stopped at the Shell station at Maybank Highway and Main road to stop and use the restroom and get a drink before we headed out to my office so I could take care of some backup tasks. On the weekends we have stopped at this Shell gas station on several occasions and it is usually in the late night hours or early morning hours. Since this is one of the few establishments open on Johns Island at this time of night there is usually a patrol car there from the Charleston Police Dept. Personally I like the police presence because I feel their being there deters some wanna be knuckle heads from being stupid or causing problems. I spent 10 years in law enforcement back in Texas and I know for a fact that the business owners and store employees appreciate the "men and women of law enforcement" to hang around when they can.
When we entered the store so my son could use the restroom I noticed the officer was leaning up against the counter reading a newspaper and keeping a watchful eye on the patrons which was cool by me. For whatever reasons I did not engage the officer and maybe it was because I was tired and just wanted to get my stuff and get out of there so we could hit the road. When we left the store and got into the vehicle my son looked at me and said , " that guy was a jerk". I looked at my son and said " why do you say that son". My son said, when I walked up to the front counter to ask about using the restroom I looked at the officer and said hello. My son said his response was to ignore his effort at being courteous and to continue reading his paper. My son said that the officer also made a point to watch his every move which made him feel a little bit creeped out. My son thought that the officer just did not like teenagers and was overtly suspicious of him period. I took the time to explain to my son that the officer might be having a bad day and that typically he is probably not used to citizens being overtly nice to him.
My only concern is that the experience my son had was negative and now he may be a little bit leary of being nice to a law enforcement officer the next time. I can not tell you how many times I have been in uniform in public and have had a parent admonish their child in front of me and tell them that if they do not behave they will " tell the big bad police man standing over there " come get you. When I would see this happen I would make it a point to try and defuse the situation by saying something nice to the parent and to assure the child that people in uniform are their friends. We should want our children and young adults to seek out the services of law enforcement or any other public servant when they are in trouble. We do not want them to be running away from them or to be afraid to say them because we have instilled in them some preconceived notion that people in uniform are there to do bad things to us.
I am thinking that the officer in question would have just said howdy and acknowledged my sons attempt at being courteus and friendly that it would have gone a long way with his experience with law enforcement. Now my son thinks the guy was a jerk and he may lump everyone into the same category when he should not. As a parent who has been on both sides of the badge I will do my part to mold and shape that view point but hopefully the men and women in uniform will realize that even the smallest things they say and do can and will affect those that they serve and protect.
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