PROFESSIONAL COURTESY begins with YOU!!! Not the Officer who stopped you!!

First off the photo is a picture of a friend of mine from Washington DC, D. Nutter, who I met while in DC for the Motorcycle ROADeo in August 2008.

Extending Professional Courtesy: AKA: LEO Ethics

Since the days of Wyatt Earp there has been an unwritten but
etched-in-stone doctrine which we call professional courtesy.

Under this doctrine law enforcement officers are suppose to take care
of each other. It’s not just about traffic tickets either. It is much
more than that.

Throughout this article, the words “cop” and “officer” are used
frequently. They refer to all law enforcement officers including
R.C.M.P., OPP, Newfoundland Constabulary, Municipal, State Troopers,
Sheriffs and Corrections officers, Federal officers, retired officers,
etc. Basically, THE THIN BLUE LINE!!

None of us on the job today created professional courtesy. We
inherited it from those who came before us, and we’ll hand it down to
those who come after us. Law enforcement is a culture and is no
different from other cultures. We have certain rules, certain
language, certain music, certain days and periods of remembrance and
celebration, and, for the most part, we enjoy being around each other.
Professional courtesy is just part of our culture.


The bottom line is that we go the extra mile for each other and extend
courtesies that we couldn’t normally do for the public. I may have
never met you, but you know if you need a favor, just ask.

I know the same.

This is not to say that we don’t go above and beyond for the public,
because we do. It’s just that most of us understand that as part of an
often alienated group, it is important that we stick by each other.

Taking care of other cops doesn’t stop at borders either. If you’re
not familiar with Montreal and you flag down a radio car for
directions, tell them who you are, and where you’re going. If it’s in
their sector and they're not busy, I’ll bet that 9 out of 10 times
they’ll throw you in the back seat and shuttle you to the front door.

Professional courtesy, however, is not diplomatic immunity. In the old
days there were no limits to what cops were suppose to do for each
other. Those guys though didn’t make the salaries we do today. There
aren’t many readily available jobs with the money, benefits, and
pensions we have, so risking your job to fix a traffic ticket is no
longer part of the equation.

If after returning to your car you find a parking ticket, pay the
friggin thing. Don’t risk your job and the job of the officer who gave
it to you.

All tickets are numbered and tracked, and if a summons is not turned
in, you’ll receive a letter from the court asking you to document it’s
disposition. Behind-the-scenes chicanery takes down peoples careers
and lives and, often, when you see some officer’s career self
destruct, it is for some stupid, minor violation. It’s just not worth
it.

Also, if you’re drunk and end up causing a three-car accident with
injuries, you can’t expect to be whisked out the back door of the
scene. Doing 75 MPH in a 25 MPH school zone is nothing less than
abuse. When a spouse signs a domestic criminal complaint, hands are
tied. An arrest has to be made.

There is a very important element of this doctrine too which is too
often overlooked.

Professional courtesy begins with the officer being stopped, not with
the officer making the stop.

Most road officers have a story of a fellow officer they stopped who
immediately caught an attitude. There is no reason for this.

By far, the majority of us subscribe to the "doctrine" of professional
courtesy, and most of us would agree that committing crimes or
severely abusing your privileges is out of bounds.It's important to
remember too that there are always two sides to every story.

If your relative or courtesy card gets written, give the issuer the
benefit of the doubt before declaring war. Sometimes people don’t
produce the card or identify who they are. Other times their conduct
was absolutely deserving of the citation, and they're only telling you
half of the story. Then, there are those situations that don’t fall
into either of these categories. These are the instances where the
issuer just doesn’t care. The really disturbing part is that these
same officers wouldn't hesitate to call you at your job asking for a
favor. That is complete hypocrisy. Fortunately, this group is by far
the minority.

Oh, one final note.

There is one last group whom should not go without mention. While they
may not fall under the doctrine of professional courtesy, they are
somewhat relevant to this topic in general. In twenty-three years as a
police officer, I have never, and absent extraordinary circumstances,
would never give a minor summons to a veteran. These older guys from
WWII, Korea, Viet Nam and even the more recent conflicts have been to
places geographically and mentally that most of us couldn’t even
imagine. In a way, they’re even above professional courtesy. Most of
us have never served a day in a military uniform, but that doesn’t
mean we can’t try and understand and appreciate these very special
people.

And please, "Professional courtesy begins with the officer being
stopped, not with the officer making the stop." So guys when you're
stopped be polite, courteous, and mention that you are LEO at the
appropriate time. I know I hate having ' tin' shoved in my face!!