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Show MOTOR MAIDS J A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One By Jeanne Smith, Dodge Safety Consultant TIIIS LINE from the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "Pirates of Penzance" is perhaps appropriate in our highways today: "A policeman's lot is not a happy one." As proof, a r recent running gun battle I through the . -states of Mich . igan and Indi- ' ana and the j resultant slay- ing of two I highway pa- trolmen illus- thing.. And, some of them added, women frequently are . among the offenders. "I've had women cry when 1 gave them a ticket," a Boston policeman po-liceman said. "A lot of them try to talk me out of it by saying their husbands will be furious. Occasionally one will become ' furious at jne, too, insisting that, she has done nothing wrong. "I think every driver should realize that we're just doing a job a job that the - taxpayers themselves pay us to do," he continued. con-tinued. "Respect and courtesy on both sides can go a long way toward to-ward making things easier for everyone." A Seattle policeman told me he felt that this same courtesy could promote highway safety. "Many drivers get nervous or angry when stopped by an officer," of-ficer," he said, "and that can keep them from driving safely until they settle down again. If both sides are courteous that can be prevented." It took a Lincoln Park, Mich., patrolman to show me that it isn't always serious business. The patrolman, Kenneth Rensi, pulled alongside a car and could see no driver. Turning on his siren, the car pulled mysteriously to the curb where Rensi discovered discov-ered at the wheel ... a small 10-year-old boy! trates the ex- , tremes of dan- Misj Smith ger and tragedy which are a part of the daily life of every police officer. The two gunmen responsible for these slayings were first apprehended ap-prehended only as speeders! Reflecting on this, I asked policemen, sheriff's deputies and state troopers in many sections sec-tions of the country about their experiences in stopping traffic violators and never knowing what to expect. "Jijst people don't realize it," one Texas Ranger told me, "but we're ready for anything whenever when-ever we stop a speeder. "And the funny thing is, a lot i of drivers wa pull over give us ' reason to think we might have trouble. They think nothing of insulting us, even though we're always polite but firm with them." Other officers throughout the country said much the same |
