When I was in my early 20’s I worked at a kind of rough bar that hired an off-duty cop for our weekly Wednesday night all the beer you can drink for $5. That additional security was a good investment. Anyway, the officer would stay and have drinks with us after closing time and I learned a lot of things from him that I have never forgotten, including motorcycle safety tips. But the main thing I remember is him telling us that, within the first 10 seconds, YOU determine how this interaction is going to go. He called it “passing the attitude test.” Are you a nice person or a jerk?
You are so right about the power dynamic. The cop wants to establish IMMEDIATELY that he/she is in charge. It’s time to roll over on your back. If you are unwilling to do that, there is going to be a problem, maybe only a small problem but an unnecessary problem. Val is astounded by how many times I have “talked my way out of tickets.” I don’t think it is that as much as just being polite, honest and “throwing myself on the mercy of the court.” I am a good driver and (mostly) obey the traffic laws (most of the time). And if there is a significant enough problem to warrant pulling me over it is almost certain to be a misunderstanding, usually I didn’t see the reduced speed sign, which I truly didn’t. I try to POLITELY explain why that infraction might have occurred. And they usually accept my explanation and APOLOGY and, after checking to ensure I don’t have any warrants, let me go with a warning.
That being said, I have also had a couple of bad encounters with police that were unwarranted and unnecessary abuses of their power. For example, a cop called me an asshole when I honked at him after he made a U turn across my lane, right in front of me without warning, without signaling. It was mostly a thoughtless reaction to a dangerous maneuver and I shouldn’t have done it. (Think power dynamic). But I am still indignant about that. He was in the wrong, he made a dangerous illegal turn and I simply brought that to his attention.
In my experience, there has gotten to be a lot of difference in enforcement depending on where you are. Austin police seem to have completely given up on traffic enforcement. And it shows. People (at least in central Austin) speed and run red lights with impunity. I mean, not entering the intersection on yellow, but entering a couple of seconds AFTER their light has turned red. I often say that every time a light turns red in Austin, someone runs it. And what’s REALLY dangerous about that is that when they do it, they do it at high speed because they are “punching it.” I suspect this relaxation of enforcement is a result of the pandemic, but it’s time to get over that. Austin cops have also gotten MUCH more aggressive since they were in the 70’s, when they were mostly polite and helpful public servants, at least around the campus area.
I saw an interesting PBS news story recently about a study of traffic stops. A study analyzing footage in 577 stops of Black drivers found the first 45 words spoken by the officer determined how that encounter ended. The study found that, if the police officer began the encounter by issuing a command or not giving a reason for the stop, it was three times more likely that the interaction would escalate, that the driver could be searched or handcuffed or arrested, versus if the police officer began with a greeting. In situations in which there was an escalation, it was 2.5 times more likely that the officer didn't explain the reason for the stop.
Thanks, Kelso; I appreciated that article. It quantifies the point that the person with the power (the police officer) has more responsibility for how the interaction plays out. I agree with the sentiment that we need to rethink and redesign all of the things we ask police officers to do.
As a teacher, I think about the power dynamic every day. I make it my top priority to give students the power they deserve and respect them above all. It makes for a soothing and positive environment that we all love. It took me 20+ years to learn how to deescalate a situation and make it a good outcome. It doesn't always work but I really try my best! April, you are so wise.
Yes, that power dynamic is also obvious in a teacher-student relationship, and as the adult and the teacher, you are in a position to teach kids by example how to respect others, including those with less power than they have. Kudos to you, Val, for navigating the public school system so thoughtfully. It is so much work and emotional labor.
When I was in my early 20’s I worked at a kind of rough bar that hired an off-duty cop for our weekly Wednesday night all the beer you can drink for $5. That additional security was a good investment. Anyway, the officer would stay and have drinks with us after closing time and I learned a lot of things from him that I have never forgotten, including motorcycle safety tips. But the main thing I remember is him telling us that, within the first 10 seconds, YOU determine how this interaction is going to go. He called it “passing the attitude test.” Are you a nice person or a jerk?
You are so right about the power dynamic. The cop wants to establish IMMEDIATELY that he/she is in charge. It’s time to roll over on your back. If you are unwilling to do that, there is going to be a problem, maybe only a small problem but an unnecessary problem. Val is astounded by how many times I have “talked my way out of tickets.” I don’t think it is that as much as just being polite, honest and “throwing myself on the mercy of the court.” I am a good driver and (mostly) obey the traffic laws (most of the time). And if there is a significant enough problem to warrant pulling me over it is almost certain to be a misunderstanding, usually I didn’t see the reduced speed sign, which I truly didn’t. I try to POLITELY explain why that infraction might have occurred. And they usually accept my explanation and APOLOGY and, after checking to ensure I don’t have any warrants, let me go with a warning.
That being said, I have also had a couple of bad encounters with police that were unwarranted and unnecessary abuses of their power. For example, a cop called me an asshole when I honked at him after he made a U turn across my lane, right in front of me without warning, without signaling. It was mostly a thoughtless reaction to a dangerous maneuver and I shouldn’t have done it. (Think power dynamic). But I am still indignant about that. He was in the wrong, he made a dangerous illegal turn and I simply brought that to his attention.
In my experience, there has gotten to be a lot of difference in enforcement depending on where you are. Austin police seem to have completely given up on traffic enforcement. And it shows. People (at least in central Austin) speed and run red lights with impunity. I mean, not entering the intersection on yellow, but entering a couple of seconds AFTER their light has turned red. I often say that every time a light turns red in Austin, someone runs it. And what’s REALLY dangerous about that is that when they do it, they do it at high speed because they are “punching it.” I suspect this relaxation of enforcement is a result of the pandemic, but it’s time to get over that. Austin cops have also gotten MUCH more aggressive since they were in the 70’s, when they were mostly polite and helpful public servants, at least around the campus area.
I saw an interesting PBS news story recently about a study of traffic stops. A study analyzing footage in 577 stops of Black drivers found the first 45 words spoken by the officer determined how that encounter ended. The study found that, if the police officer began the encounter by issuing a command or not giving a reason for the stop, it was three times more likely that the interaction would escalate, that the driver could be searched or handcuffed or arrested, versus if the police officer began with a greeting. In situations in which there was an escalation, it was 2.5 times more likely that the officer didn't explain the reason for the stop.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/study-shows-first-words-from-police-during-traffic-stops-affect-outcome-for-black-drivers
Thanks, Kelso; I appreciated that article. It quantifies the point that the person with the power (the police officer) has more responsibility for how the interaction plays out. I agree with the sentiment that we need to rethink and redesign all of the things we ask police officers to do.
(As Usual) I Enjoyed your "Piece", April !
And I concur 100% with Valerie's " You are Wise " ___ :)
Thanks, Doug!
As a teacher, I think about the power dynamic every day. I make it my top priority to give students the power they deserve and respect them above all. It makes for a soothing and positive environment that we all love. It took me 20+ years to learn how to deescalate a situation and make it a good outcome. It doesn't always work but I really try my best! April, you are so wise.
Yes, that power dynamic is also obvious in a teacher-student relationship, and as the adult and the teacher, you are in a position to teach kids by example how to respect others, including those with less power than they have. Kudos to you, Val, for navigating the public school system so thoughtfully. It is so much work and emotional labor.