Most everybody has been pulled over, or had to interact with law enforcement at some point in their lives. Everybody has different reactions to seeing the red and blue lights flip on behind them. However, almost every single one of them wonders if they will skate by without being cited with an expensive ticket.
Some people cry, and some people are more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Some perpetrators lash out for multiple reasons, they might be scared and not know how to process it. Others think it is alright to lash out because they think the officer is singling them out, and they did nothing wrong.
Every day, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line each time they pull somebody over, and they deal with all walks of life. The officer tries to balance between upholding the law, and treating the suspect with respect.
The respect is where the line tends to get blurry. On July 30, an officer in Cashion, Okla. just happened to encounter a citizen who thought they did nothing wrong. He pulled over an elderly woman who refused to comply to any of his requests. She refused the ticket, refused to open the door, and drove off when he attempted to arrest her.
This story begs the question: how much respect should we show our elders? Of course, there were many comments on the story. Some supported the lady, stating the officer should respect his elders while others sided with the cop.
Respect is defined as “due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others” and is already a tough line to toe. It is extremely easy to allow those lines to blur and say one was simply doing their job.
Kingston Assistant Police Chief Chris Watson said anybody can say they would have done things different, but they never really know until their faced with the situation. “You truly don’t know what you will do until you were in a scenario of this nature.”
“A simple citation would’ve been issued had she signed it and she could have disputed it with the judge of the court,” Watson added.
Watson said unfortunately, this scenario was a no-win situation. The lady ended up getting arrested for a slew of charges, possible felonies, and the officer felt remorse for having to use his taser on an elderly woman. “After the lady was placed into handcuffs you could clearly tell that the officer did not like having to do what he did. and you could hear remorse in his voice when he asked how come she did what she had done.”
The scenario might have played out differently if the arresting officer would have been able to get assistance from another unit. The backup could have helped detain the woman, so the officer could have refrained from using his taser.
The toughest part about this situation are the keyboard warriors who are condemning the officer for his actions. Watson said this type of situation is one most officers dread. “In all reality, this is a bad situation. No officer wants to have to be put in this situation and there is no winners when this happens. The lady is now looking at multiple charges and the officer will have to deal with scrutiny from a lot of people. In this situation, everybody loses.”
Watson said the officer was very clear with his intent for the entirety of the traffic stop, commended the arresting officer for keeping his cool as long as he did.
Marshall County Deputy Kasey Cox said each traffic stop is a delicate situation that has the potential to turn bad. “It doesn’t matter if they’re 25 or 65, we treat each one with the same respect.” However, even 60 year old women have the capacity for violence. “We don’t know if she has a gun, or if she’s been pulled over by the cops before and been combative.”
Watson said every citizen has the responsibility of upholding the law, and not expecting any special treatment, and officers have the responsibility of treating each person they come across with respect. “In my opinion, there is no line to be blurred when it comes to respect. Regardless of age, gender, or color, the law is the law and it is placed in order for a reason. Had this been a 20 something-year-old male it would not be getting the publicity that it is. Regardless of age. you will get the respect shown to you that is equivalent what you are showing to others”.