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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
July 24, 2005
Police career
thankless |
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The older I get,
the more convinced I am that I could never be a police officer.
Every so often an incident involving a police offer will
support my contention that a law enforcement officer's job is one of
the most dangerous and thankless careers in America. It may be
second only to being a teacher.
Take for instance the recent story about the Chicago cop who is
being investigated because he treated a politician and preacher just
as he would any other citizen during a traffic stop.
According to news reports, a ten-year veteran police officer
pulled over a car. A passenger in the car exited the vehicle and
identified himself as an Illinois politician. The officer drew his
weapon and ordered the passenger to get back into the car. It was
also reported that the officer used some non-Boy-Scout language.
As a result of his actions, the cop is now under investigation, and
some politicians are calling for a Chicago police policy change that
would require officers to keep their guns holstered during traffic
stops and for officers to refrain from using profanity.
It just so happens that the noncompliant passenger the officer
was dealing with was state senator James Meeks, who also heads the
largest black church in the state of Illinois. Now, Illinois
congressman Jessie Jackson, Jr., Senator Meeks, and a few others are
calling for traffic- stop procedures to be revamped.
What a silly notion. Keep the only thing that may save your
life holstered? Don't use profanity for effect as a first option
before pulling the trigger when you have a noncompliant citizen in
front of you?
Rep. Jackson went on to add that because Rev. Meeks is a well
known and highly respected religious leader, "the violation he
(Meeks) experienced is all the more appalling." So what? Rank has
no privilege when a cop's life may be in danger. There is a reason
titles are not put on a driver’s license. A religious or political
title does not carry any more importance than the life of a cop.
It is no secret that traffic stops are high-risk, stressful
situations for cops. Many cops are killed during traffic stops each
year. How many more cops may be killed if officers are not
permitted to draw their weapons?
Everyone who has the privilege to drive, especially elected
officials, should know how to respond when pulled over by a cop.
Before learning that a stop sign is always red and has eight equal
sides, all drivers must know to keep your hands in plain sight, keep
your mouth shut and keep your butt in your seat when you are pulled
over.
This political grandstanding isn't about making it safe for the
citizenry. It's all about someone who takes his titles too
seriously and a cop who took the safety of his own life more
seriously. Don’t change any police procedures that were put in
place to protect police officers. If any changes should occur as a
result of this incident, it should be in the Secretary of State
Rules of the Road booklet. Rule number one: Stay in your car
when pulled over by a cop. Rule number two: No cop cares about any
title you may hold, so don’t mention it. A real ironic twist
to this story is that the driver of the car Senator Meeks was riding
in knew to stay in the car. He was cited with four violations:
running a stop sign, making an illegal left turn, driving without a
seatbelt and improper insurance. There was no report that the
driver had any titles that would warrant special treatment -- or
that he wanted any. |
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