I found myself in the Court House last week with an hour to kill. I was waiting for the results of some extensive record searching. To pass the time I dropped into the traffic court to watch the proceedings. It was quite an experience. Without exception, each offender brought before the judge did his or her best to wriggle out from under the charge. Most of the “explanations" were transparent lies. There were certainly no kind words spoken on behalf of the arresting officers. When we Canadians get flagged down for a traffic offense, what do we do? We rage, alibi, lie, deny charges, try to use influence and act as if the arresting officer were a complete fool. If you've ever wondered why a policeman acts cold and sarcastic when he pulls you over, just remember from morning until night, every day he works, he hears nothing but rage and abuse. It is well to remember that it is the way that the public treats police that make them the way they are. Yet where would we be without them? No woman would be safe from attack. No home safe from prowlers, no man safe from mugging and on the highway it would be survival of the fittest. If, as generally law abiding citizens, each of us reacted to policeman with the same simple decency we extend to our other fellow men, then no doubt the policeman's attitude towards us would change too. I ask you this. How would you react if almost everyone you had to speak to every day snarled at you — or worse? Snarled at you when your very job involved being ready to give your life for the snarler. Think about this the next time you hear that siren.
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