by Rita Kimbro

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: August 04, 2009

Yes real police officers should be more understanding of a citizen's fear and precaution. If the citizen is not being provacative in any way, police officers should be more than willing to authenticate who they are. Females have to be extra careful of who they accept as an authority figure. I would never place myself in an unsafe situation, not even if the person was a police officer.

Many times emails will be circulated warning women to be cautious of even what may appear to be a police car pulling them over and to contact 911 and advise they are waiting for a safe place to pull over. Police officers who cannot understand a citizen's fear would possibly need additional training.

The reason a criminal would use this tactic is because of the average citizen's unquestioning trust of the police and the therory that if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.

It is unfortunate that it has come to a point where we cannot believe that we are safe to accept that police officer is geniune and submit without question to his or her authority. In many communities in our nation, we raise our children to never question the authority or legitamacy of the police and that gives the criminal a naive and willing victim.

President Regan was credited with a phrase when dealing with the Soviet Union "trust but verify". It would be very wise to use this same healthy suspicion if you question the situation. We should feel comfortable asking for identification or pulling to a safe area and the police officer should understand that.

Police officers have to be cautious also regarding any confrontational behavior because just as the honest citizen has reason to fear criminals posing as police, there are criminals who will pretend to be fearful to catch the police officer off guard. It is a delicate balancing act.

Public awareness campaigns should include instructions on how to insure your safety as a citizen without behaving in a way that will cause the officer to view you as a threat. Police officers should not regard every citizen as a potiential criminal and if they are going to be allowed to do their jobs effectively, we can't see them as a potiential threat either. Understanding and mutual respect in these situations will be needed so that both the police officer and the citizen can feel safe.

In conclusion, I believe that there definitely has to be more understanding of citizen fear and precaution, because there is a very real threat out there of danger that can't be ignored.

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