https://www.activeresponsetraining.n...ement-officers
A good read.
I miss Barney fife.
The best police officers in this country don’t act like mindless automatons. Cops who robotically enforce every law on the books seldom accomplish anything useful besides generating measurable statistics to please a supervisor. “Law Enforcement” shouldn’t be the goal of a good police officer. In fact most officers would be far better off if “enforcing the law” became a much lower priority in their day-to-day patrol activities. What? Read on. I will try to explain what I have learned from some of the best officers on the planet and in my own experience being a cop for 23 years.
In many states, cops aren’t statutorily designated as “law enforcement officers.” They are more properly classified as “Peace Officers.” We are charged with keeping the peace in the community and protecting our residents from both hazards and criminals. We use the law as a tool to help us accomplish the goal of keeping the peace. Cops who mindlessly “enforce the law” may or may not accomplish the goal of “keeping the peace.” It’s a crap shoot.
If a community has an issue with armed robberies, cops writing lots of speeding tickets aren’t likely solving the problem. Sure, occasionally these cops will pull over and arrest an armed robber for a traffic violation, but it is a hit or miss opportunity. In most cases, trying to enforce all the laws on the books causes an officer to waste his time targeting people who aren’t really causing true problems in the community. It keeps him from doing the meaningful work of keeping his jurisdiction a peaceful place.