PLAY IT COOL

Let's ride, man. Let's go for a ride. For the law enforcement officer, the question of attitudes, his and those he will deal with is of tremendous importance. Let us view this incident from two vantage points. No, man. We need a station wagon, man. Make us look big, man. We don't need no Cadillac. You'll see the best. From this point of view, it looks like this. A group of young men having a little innocent fun on a street corner. I know they coming over here. The law enforcement officer approaching the group. The nightstick, the uniform creates a hostile, menacing image. My car. It's really my mother. Your car. Unnecessary physical contact further escalates the sense of hostility. Where's your permit? Also to my mother pants, man. Where's your other pants at? In my closet. You don't look like you have get out the car. Get your hand off the car. Get out the car. GET OUT THE CAR. OFF the car. This arbitrary and threatening attitude is seen as further proof of hostility. Get out. What are you going to do with it? No more. Get off the GET OFF THE CAR. OFF THE CAR. Come on, man. GET OFF THE CAR, PUNK. When viewed through the eyes of the group, it is therefore no surprise that this interpretation may result in the situation getting out of hand. [Music] Now, let's turn it around and look at the same incident from the point of view of the law enforcement officer. Take that [ __ ] out, man. We ain't doing nothing. From this vantage point, the hostility, anger, and negative attitudes of the group perceived by the law enforcement officer influence his behavior. GET OFF THE CAR. I TOLD YOU, I don't care whose car is. Get off the car. Dynamics of the situation are indeed a question of attitudes. He is officer friendly. What's up, fellas? Not much. What do you plan on doing here? Carlo see your registration for the car. It's like [Music] attitudes. A very important element in shaping the behavior of people is what we want to take a look at today. Attitudes are tied in with feelings, beliefs, opinions. People have feelings, beliefs, opinions or views about all sorts of things. The way people feel about things determines to a great extent what they do about them. It is common knowledge that everyone develops attitudes and the important thing to bear in mind is that behavior is influenced by them. Attitudes are definitely an important factor in police performance. Your attitudes and those of the people you contact. There is a point which you as a police officer should always keep in mind. It is a very important point and one which has far-reaching significance for your success in dealing with people. The point is this. The way a person reacts to you depends to a considerable extent on what he thinks your attitude is. Notice that I did not say his reaction depends upon your attitude. What I said was it depends on what he believes your attitude is. The same is true of your reaction to persons you contact. What you say and do and what the other person sees may be quite different. But what you do is based upon your concept of reality. You cannot actually see an attitude. All that you can do is make inferences from the behavior that a person holds a certain attitude. Now the inferences you make about the attitudes of a person with whom you have contact help to determine the way you react to him. On the other side, John Q citizens reading of your attitude helps to determine his reaction to you. If it appears to you that you are facing a man who detests police or who regards you with contempt, your reaction to him will be quite different naturally than it would be if he seems to be reasonable and respectful. For his part, the citizen reacts to you also according to his judgments of your attitudes toward him. In this respect, there is nothing essentially different about police and citizen contacts. Attitudes play a similar role between people in all walks of life. The first situation we will examine is that of a simple onetoone relationship between officer and citizen. His very first contact with this citizen is overly aggressive and threatening. Let me see your permit, M. His approach serves to intimidate and anger the motorist. You from out of town? Yes, sir. Where are you living now? New York. Pardon? New York. New York. Yes, sir. About all you New Yorkers drive the same way. They don't make those lights back there any better than what you just come through. I'm very sorry about that. It is possible now to analyze the same incident and note the key differences that can bring about a far more productive result. [Music] The officer is professional in his approach and yet keeps personal attitudes outside of his contact with the motorist. He places his motorcycle behind the car and acts to reduce the anxiety already present in the situation. Good afternoon, sir. Hello, officer. Did I do something wrong? Yes, sir. We have a red light back here at the corner. By removing his sunglasses and unbuckling his helmet, he further reduces tension. His tone of voice is firm but not overly hostile or threatening. I see so you're from New York. Yes, I am off. It's quite heavy traffic up there, sir. I know, but I try not to drive too much in New York either. Well, we have Are you a tourist or are you just uh down here working for the government? No, I'm a tourist officer. I see. How long are you going to be in Washington? Oh, about four or five more days, I believe. The difference in the two approaches can readily be seen and the attitude of the citizen toward the police is strongly affected by which method the officer chooses to adopt in Washington. A little more pleasant, but you're going to have to be much more aware in traffic because passing a red light is one of the major causes of fatality accidents in this city. All right, sir. I'll be right back. Take your [ __ ] leave along. GIVE ME THE [ __ ] I DON'T HAVE YOUR DOLLAR. IF I TOOK YOUR DOLLAR, YOU THINK YOU WOULD WALK AROUND. Our second situation involves a brawl taking place in front of a bar. Again, the police officer can act either to escalate or reduce the violence already present in the situation. All right, knock it off. KNOCK IT OUT. KNOCK IT OUT. In this instance, a hasty and violent approach fails to reduce the levels of anger and hostility. Now, let's consider another approach. Get the [ __ ] OFF THE BAR. NO, IT'S A DOLLAR. IT WAS 50 CENTS WHEN I WAS IN THERE 5 MINUTES AGO. Get your hands off of there. Don't hit my hand when I'm What is that? Don't do that. In this instance, the police officers act to reduce the conflict and separate the participants, offering a reasonable and effective alternative. What do you WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? HE MAKES $7 AN HOUR. HE'S PITCHING ABOUT SEVEN FRIEND OF YOURS. HE USED TO BE a friend of my son. How long you been knowing the last seven years? Why? Seven years. Calm down. Calm down. That son OF MAN CALL ME A LIAR FROM ALL MY FRIENDS INSIDE THERE. NO, BUT Y'ALL had arguments before, haven't you? I'm sitting there. I go into John. I come out. There's a buck missing in front of my beard. Look down. Who got your dollar? This guy over here. How do you know he got your dollar? I was sitting there. I put the dollar had some change in front of my beer. Check your pocket. I check my pocket. Look again. How much you been drinking tonight? I only had a couple of beers. price in it. Couple of beers. I go to the john. I come back. This guy's going out. Charges. Huh? I don't want to press no charges. Want to get the dollar. No, we're not going to lock you up. We think that you're still going to be friends. All you need to do is talk to each other. If you talk to each other, I'm sure you'll sell the whole thing as long as you sell. It won't be no problem at all. Okay. Okay. You ready? Go over and talk to him. You're going to be friends now. Not Come on now. Shake hands. What? You know what we're using? I didn't I swear I didn't take it. The end result of this second approach reduces the incidence of violence, avoids adding another case to the already crowded court dockets, and tends to create a more positive attitude on the part of the public toward the law enforcement officer. In our third situation, the police have received a call from a local high school that a small group of students are blocking the entrance to the school and creating a disturbance in front of it. The school authorities have asked the police to remove the students from the front of the school. The approach of two of the officers, the way they walk, where they hold their hands, the expression on their faces telegraphs their basic attitudes. Okay. Okay. Let's break it up. BREAK IT UP. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS. Get your ass out. Without waiting for an explanation, the police officers give orders in a hostile tone. This simply magnifies an already difficult situation. Get your ass up. By venting their own hostility on the students, the situation not only gets out of hand quickly, but results in unnecessary violence to student and police alike. The end result is not only that the police officers engage in violent flare-ups with the students, but the general relationship between police and community has been damaged. Now, let's watch the same situation handled quite differently. The officers approach in a relaxed, non-threatening manner. Hold it down. What seems to be the problem? We not bothering y'all. So, why should y'all come balling us? I tell you, you're all standing here now. You're blocking the entrance of the school so that others cannot come in. Now, what seems to be the problem? Why don't everybody sit down and listen for me? Their tone of voice is authoritative, professional, but reasonable. In situations involving large groups of people where there is present a great deal of built-in hostility, it lies within the ability of the police officer to reduce that hostility or magnify it. Everything he says or does affects the outcome. The class teacher put you out the room and tell you get a pass. Get the pass. He tell you to go out the room anyway. Do a report on sex and sex. Well, I tell you what, this is not the way to take care of the problem. You don't stand out here because it's illegal to stand out here and block the entrance of a school. Always ain't going to go change every day. I ain't going nowhere. Okay. Okay. Wait. Just a minute. Just a minute. Just say what you got to realize. What is illegal? You're taking this out against who you taking this out on. What is this being illegal? On the teacher. On the teacher. Well, the teachers the teachers are inside. Well, we doing this for our school. We want education, too, you know. Well, okay. But what you're going to have to do is get your group together. Not them. We together. You together. Okay. Right now. So, you're together. What you got to be organized in such a way that when you go up there to talk to them, they'll listen to you. They don't listen to you, man. It's hard, man. You know what I mean? That's what I'm talking about. Every time you try to do something to help yourself, somebody got to come in and mess it up. No, but they they not interested in what you doing out here. It's our problem. Once you come out here, the police problem, you know, why don't you come back here tomorrow morning? Right here. Right here. and let someone come back. Why not? But I'm not. Are you going to talk to the principal? Are you accomplishing anything by just standing out here? Oh, man. Ain't got no business ON IT. YOU LEAVE THE SCHOOL, YOU get locked UP. YOU STAY AT SCHOOL, you get locked up. How you sound? Let him try to put me off the sidewalk. In each of these situations, we have clearly seen how the attitudes and approaches of the police officer have had a decisive and vital effect on the end result. Take your bag off. Take all this stuff. MEET ME ON YOUR LUNCH HOUR. In practical terms, the management of attitudes by police officers can be summed up in a few points. One, an officer's private attitudes should not be permitted to influence his official decisions. He must strive for a high degree of objectivity in his work. In short, he should not make judgments on the basis of his own ideas of right and wrong or his likes and dislikes. Two, an officer should not become personally involved when making an arrest. He must not look upon a violation as a personal affront. It is a wrong against the state, the people, and not against him personally. Three, nobody and nothing in the rules require an officer to like the people he deals with. Similarly, and more important, nobody and nothing in the rules says he must dislike them. However, bear in mind that if people either see or believe that you dislike them, your contact will always be more difficult and less effective. Remember the old proverb, it is easier to catch flies with sugar than with vinegar. Four, do not permit people to go you into showing anger. There is another old saying, he who angers you conquers you. Five, try to show an attitude of neutrality and objectivity. Let people see that there is nothing personal in what you are doing when your contact is of an adversary type. You are acting officially and according to the rules. An attitude of sympathy and human concern would of course be appropriate in a contact in which you are rendering a helpful service. By showing that there is nothing personal in your actions in an adversary contact, you will focus the hostility of the people on the system and not on you personally. This will also help you avoid charges of brutality, rudeness or lack of courtesy. [Music]