Despite the fact that some police officers in the United States have tarnished the image of the profession, as far as dealing with the public is concerned, other officers are trying to send a clear message that the attitude of disrespect to the civil rights of citizens by officers is not part of the profession.
A new video published by residents of Elgin, Illinois on Facebook, showed Sergeant Ken Erickson of the city’s Police Department demonstrating a real display of respect to some 40-50 young guys who had gathered at the Summit Street Taco Bell to talk about cars, possibly causing some noise.
The video was said to have been filmed by one resident named, Jose Espinosa and was first posted on the “What’s Happening in Elgin?” Facebook page, used for local residents to discuss issues affecting them.
The video then went viral and the Sergeant has become an instant hero. The video is said to have been viewed more than 10 million times. His action in the video has been described by many who have watched it as a role model for police-citizen interactions.
According to the Free Thought Project, the young guys were hanging out and talking about cars at a parking lot in Taco Bell, when someone apparently complained about speeding and possibly loitering. The area is said to be a private commercial property and the owners have the right to make non-paying customers move away.
Sergeant Erickson was called to investigate the situation. Obviously, some cops would have approached the scene with antagonism and brimming violence, demanding ID’s and making arrests… judging from recent actions of officers across the US.
But Sergeant Erickson had a different approach to the situation; he viewed the guys as his equals who deserve respect. Respectfully, he laid out the situation and asked them to comply. That was very simple.
He calmly explained to the guys in the video, “Please. They will call and they will complain. The chief will get on me again. Then I’ll get on my guys again and I’ll have to do stuff that I don’t want to do. For example, write everybody up for everything. I don’t want to be that guy. I didn’t [inaudible] when I was a kid, and I really don’t want to give [tickets] to you young kids that are just having fun. So we need to keep it safe in Elgin, cool in Elgin. We can’t loiter here unless we’re buying something. We can’t turn it into loitering. If the store people put up signs and tell us they want to enforce it. I’d rather come here and treat you like adults and say, guys, please don’t loiter. Is that cool? Does anyone have questions?”
After this impressive statement, Erickson also demanded from the guys his reciprocity. According to him, respect is reciprocal and must be first showed by one of the parties involved in an issue or situation to bring peace and tranquility:
“I’m addressing you like adults because you are. Now if you show me a little respect back I’d really appreciate it. If you grab your food and do your chat and kind of break off, that’d be great,” he added.
His strategy of dealing with the problem in that simple manner has earned him many praises on Facebook, where the video was first posted. Some activists against police brutalities have urged other police departments to watch the video and see what they can learn from it to bring back the trust and confidence of citizens in officers.
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This is how any normal Police Constable in the UK would act anyway. It’s common decency towards each other and mutual respect. You want to know the reason cops in America shoot first and ask questions later? They are trained too. They are trained with Military style training. HOW IS THAT MEANT TO BE RESPECTFUL???
Because non of them are black.. Now imagine if these were African Americans, do you think he would have still treated them with respect?
Yes i do