American Fitness Professionals & Associates

 By Meghan Gardner

You’re cruising along the highway, the stereo is belting out your favorite driving tunes, road conditions are great, you’re in a little bit of a hurry and you don’t even notice the speedometer needle climbing. That is, until you notice the flashing lights in your rear view mirror.

You get that quick adrenaline dump as you fervently pray that the cop is after the guy in front of you. You ease out of the fast lane (trying to will your car to slow down without touching the brakes), and the police cruiser follows. You swear vehemently as you pull into the breakdown lane.

You turn off the radio and reach over to the glove compartment for your papers, cursing your rotten luck and blaming “police quotas” for your predicament. Stay with me here while I put you in the shoes of the police officer: You’re driving along the highway, having just finished responding to an accident involving four autos.

Three people had to be taken away in ambulances - one a four year old child. It could have been worse if they hadn’t been wearing their seatbelts. But even seatbelts have their limits when two cars meet, one going 58 mph, the other doing 78.

You try to put the image of the blood mixing with the gasoline out of your head. Just as you are about to exit, you notice a car zipping along in the fast lane. You decide that you’ve had enough of mangled metal and equally mangled bodies.
You pull up behind the speeding auto and flash your lights.

The car pulls into the middle lane and keeps cruising, waiting for you to pass. You almost laugh at their intentions. Don’t they have any clue how fast they were going? They finally give up and pull into the break down lane. You go through the call-in procedure to check the plates.

You get out of your cruiser and approach the car. As always, your heart races a little.
The back windows of the car are tinted and you can’t see much on the inside as you walk up. You have no idea how many people are in the car or what they are doing.

You remember the guy on the force a few years back who was killed by a man with a semi-automatic pistol in the back seat of a car that had been pulled over for a faulty tail light. As you get to the passenger window, you notice the driver shuffling in the glove compartment.

Are they trying to hide something? Are they reaching for a weapon? Or are they just looking for their registration…. Being a police officer isn’t as cut and dry as most people think. Along with firefighter, it is considered the most dangerous career available.

It takes a very special type of person to run towards gunfire instead of away. Few people can handle the stress of dealing with violent situations and witnessing the results of crimes and accidents that can make horror movies look like Hallmark commercials.

A cop has to be able to enter a scenario and establish control. They also have to take notice of any and all characteristics of that scenario that they might be asked to recall in the court of law.
They have to protect the innocent and apprehend suspects.

And they have to do all of this while keeping in mind due process and justifiable actions. There are a few things you can do to make your interaction with the police an easier experience for both of you: If you have tinted power-windows on your car and you are pulled over, put the windows down. This allows the officer to look into your vehicle as he approaches.

Keep your hands on the steering wheel as the officer walks up to your auto. Don’t start looking for papers until she asks for them. If you have a weapon in the vehicle, tell the officer.
This includes hunting rifles, knives, martial arts weapons, etc. Never try to hide a weapon. If you are being arrested, do not resist.

Even if you are found innocent of your charges, you can still be found guilty of resisting arrest. No amount of resistance is going to convince the officer that you are innocent and he should let you go. You may want to explain your circumstances, but don’t try to convince the officer of your innocence.

If you are being arrested, you should adhere to your right to legal council and say nothing until you have a lawyer present. Don’t be rude to the officer. If you feel his/her actions were unjustified then take it up in court. Swearing and being offensive isn’t going to make your experience easier.

If you are going to break the law, be prepared to pay for it. Even if you were “only going 11 miles over the speed limit”…. or there were others who were breaking the law as well, but you were the one caught. We all have laws with which we disagree.

The solution to this is to address the validity of the law in the courts - not take out our frustrations on those who are employed to enforce those laws. And remember, for the most part, the police are the good guys. We all curse and complain when we get a speeding ticket - but when trouble hits and our life is in danger, nothing is as beautiful as that blue uniform between us and the bad guy. Stay well; Stay Aware!

About the Author:

Meghan Gardner has been training in the martial arts for 18 years and is the Instructor Director for Guard Up, Inc. located in Waltham, MA. Guard Up is a full service health facility offering specialized courses in martial arts, boxing, self defense, fencing, and Japanese Swordsmanship. Meghan also travels around the country providing assault and theft prevention seminars and workshops for companies and organizations.

More information on: Meghan Gardner, Director Guard Up, Inc. www.GuardUp.com