Good Public Relations?

          Police have really been in the headlines recently.   A few have made some very bad decisions.  Others have been the victim of shootings and attacks by criminals.  Their job is a very dangerous job with many difficult, often life and death, decisions which must be made very quickly.  I admire and respect those who serve in these jobs to protect and help us.  It takes real dedication to put your life on the line each day.  And to them I say "thank you"!
          Now I don't know what type of training they actually receive but hopefully there are lessons in how to react properly with the public.   Maybe it would help if the public would have a chance to rate their contacts with the police, much like hospitals and doctors often do.  This feedback might help improve public relations. 
         I've only ever received one ticket for my driving. Many years ago I turned left at 5:55 pm at an intersection that I had used for many years.  There were no cars approaching in any direction at that time.  But what I missed was a very small sign which said no left turns allowed between 4 and 6 pm. Unfortunately I was 5 minutes too early. However, an officer didn't miss what I did and I was quickly pulled over.  The young officer reminded me of some of the obnoxious students that I had taught over the years.  He quickly told me that I had better learn how to read.  I admitted that I was wrong but he continued to read the riot act to me.  Thankfully he didn't cuff me but he did berate me and then gave me a ticket costing over $150.  I was wrong and was thoroughly humiliated by the way I was treated as a "first-time criminal". Could this stop have been handled betterm maybe even with a little respect?   I certainly think so.
          On Sunday our granddaughter said that she would meet us at Wendy's for lunch after church since her family was away.  We always appreciate having her join us and we looked forward to it.  She left church a few minutes before us since we stopped to talk to someone.
          As we traveled down Columbia Ave. we saw flashing lights and realized that some poor driver had been pulled over by a policeman.  I said to my wife that I certainly hoped that it wasn't our granddaughter.  But as we passed, my heart sank as I realized that it was her. I felt so bad for her. We pulled off the road several hundred yards down the road and waited for her.  I couldn't imagine what she could have done.  She is a safe driver and there really wasn't even a long enough stretch of road for her to have been speeding.  We sat there for a long time - maybe 15 minutes or more - until she was "released".  I couldn't understand why this took so long.
          We then followed her to Wendys and were so relieved to find out that she was stopped because her one brake light was out, not because she had done something wrong or broken a law.  Such things can happen to all of us and she calmly handled the situation very well.
          But as we talked I was very disappointed to learn how she was actually treated.  When the policeman checked her license he questioned if that was really her.  He wanted her to show additional ID.  She then showed him her Lebanon Valley College ID.  She reminded him that the picture on her license was three years old.  Her teeth had been fixed, her hair style changed, and she had lost considerable weight.   But the officer wasn't satisfied with her explanations and wanted to be sure it was really her.  He had to go back to his car and computer and check out her background. That's what took so long.  Finally, convinced that she wasn't a criminal or terrorist, he told her that he would let her go this time with only a warning.  I would have thought that a warning was normal procedure for a faulty brake light and not really a favor on his part.

           Now I guess that I understand that police must be thorough, especially in this day and age.  But I can't help but wonder what he really thought she was - maybe a Christian terrorist?  She was in a Subaru Outback - not your normal criminal car.   She had her Bible on the passenger seat - maybe that was a diversion.   And she was dressed in her Sunday best - much nicer than most troubled girls would be wearing at noon on a Sunday.  A profiler's delight.  Could this whole situation have been handled differently, maybe with a little respect?  I think so.
          Now once again I remind you, I support our police force and would never want their job.  But sometimes some common sense and respect in dealing with "we criminals" would go a long way.
          But we have both learned our lessons. We are both quick learners. I will never ever again turn left at that intersection between 4 and 6 pm.  And she has gotten her brake light fixed.  Cases closed.