First off, let me preface what I’m about to say by making it crystal clear that I respect police officers, as well as all other law enforcement officers, immensely. Being a police officer has got to be one of the toughest, most dangerous, and thankless jobs in existence. Police officers are exposed to all kinds of misery and danger on a daily basis. They routinely put themselves in jeopardy and in harms way in order to make society as a whole a much safer and hospitable place. And I take my hat off them. There’s no way that I could be a police officer; I don’t have the stomach and I don’t have the nerve. Having said that, there is a type of police officer that I just can’t stand: the cocky, arrogant, “smile as they nail you” type of an officer!

And lo and behold, I had an encounter with one of these officers today as a matter of fact. What was the reason for this encounter? Did I rob a bank or rob someone at gunpoint? Not quite, but pretty close. I was driving without wearing my seatbelt! Yes, yes, major crime there, right? I had the audacity to think that I could drive about ¾ of a mile to my intended stop without reaching over and fastening myself, a grown man, into his safety belt harness. And I got slapped on the wrist for it! I was a naughty boy and the “Man” set me straight!

Now, before I delve into why I found my experience today with this cop so insulting, I must reiterate again my love of law enforcement. They have a tough job to do, and they never know when a seemingly innocuous situation may turn deadly. However, I have had my share of interactions with police officers in the past who were the model of professionalism: courteous, firm but fair, and never overstepping or “using” their status as a law enforcement officer to make things more difficult than they need be.

Heck, I even had a blow out on the freeway a few weeks ago that left me stranded on the small shoulder of the freeway right next to the fast lane. I friendly CHP officer was nice enough to stop traffic for me so that I could limp over to the far right side of the freeway. This same officer even returned about twenty minutes later – as AAA was changing my tire – to see if everything was ok and basically just to shoot the breeze. A nice guy!