In Honor of National Coffee with a Cop Day Wednesday, 05 October 2022     In Honor of National Coffee with a Cop Day …   … Let’s Talk About How To Interact With Law Enforcement        Unfortunately, The division between the community and law enforcement has widened over the past 10 years. With tensions so high we would like to offer a possible solution to interacting with law enforcement. Guardian Protection Force has many within its ranks with prior military and law enforcement experience. None more so than our very own Lt. Davis Spaid. As a former police officer with South Lake Tahoe PD, a Peace Officer for Lovelock Correctional facility, and a domestic violence officer, Lt. Spaid has seen it all. So whom better to answer the question: how should one interact with law enforcement? So, we asked the questions, here’s what he said:    When getting pulled over or being approached by a police officer can fill a person with anxiety. What is the best thing for an individual to remember when talking to an officer? “The best thing to remember is that police officers are human as well. Humans that deal with potentially life-threatening dangerous situations on a daily basis. We go home and take care and love our mothers wives, husbands, brothers and sisters all the same as anyone. If they ask something specific the best option is to comply even if you *think* it’s wrong. You can always sue or fight charges in court later. It’s best to comply and move forward based on their direction and discretion. Hands on the steering wheel, asking politely if it’s okay to reach for wallet or registration etc., instead of making sudden movements.”   What is the best experience you’ve had when dealing with an individual or group of individuals?  “My favorite experience was in 2017. We got a call about kids playing football in the street *residential street with minimal vehicle traffic* Instead of going out there and telling them to stop playing we had a crew of PD guys “called for back SO back up” and played with the kids (ages 10-18) Police, deputies and kids playing a quick pick-up game. Many times those experiences mean more than arrests, fights, and car chases. If someone calls police for a lemonade stand operating without a business license typically, we would just go to make sure it’s not impeding traffic then buy lemonade from the kid and thank them for being young entrepreneurs.”   Would you say that humor and/or building a report with officers makes interactions go smoother? “Yes and no. With me it always did. I would tell people if they could freestyle rap or make me smile, they would get out of the ticket (never having the intention to actually give them a ticket) but just to lighten mine and their days. Some officers, especially new and old ones just want to do their job and move on. Best thing to do is be respectful and judge the contact based on what the officer is portraying.”   Any last thoughts for when people are talking to law enforcement? “Most important thing is to remember that LEOs are human and make human mistakes and have human feelings. If a cop makes a major mistake, then absolutely make it public, sue, do what needs to be done. Don’t argue about it in the moment. Cops are trained to win fights, arguments, etc. Initial arguments only make a person look worse.” “Saying thank you to an officer even after a ticket can make their day, month, or year. I know it made my day 9 times out of 10.” Last modified Wednesday, 05 October 2022 Previous item Next item