One thing I wish non-LEO people would understand is that, when we get a MWAG call from dispatch we HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT. I dont have a choice on contact/watch the guy or whatever.
My Options. Scenario MWAG Call put out.
1. Ignore it. Then the supervisor asks who is available to check it out. Crickets on the radio. Supervisor then assigns someone to check it out. After the mess the guy assigned to check it out has to write a memo for not responding, especially if he wasn't doing anything. He may have a chance if he was busy.
2. Respond to dispatch that you will check it out, then ignore it. Public is watching and never sees a LEO initiate contact, gets all pissy and calls station back. Supervisors look up to see who should have responded, and memos follow.
3. Respond to dispatch that you will show up. Show up, talk to guy. You try to ask a couple questions like Hows it going? Person starts in right away with am i being detained. red flags are raised with LEO and here comes 1000 new options.
Or guy says, not much just hanging out. LEO says Ok have a nice day. Maybe explains why he is here, for all the person knows the LEO is just being friendly. LEO calls dispatch and calls it Code 4 all clear.
Thanks for your service, as well as chiming in on this with your professional perspective.
Now,
First. As the author of, "WASH, RINSE, REPEAT', I strongly agree with jeremy05 that it's more often than not best to be polite. Unfortunately, I've lived long enough to have made the observation that sometimes it matters not how one acts, because there is always going to be someone who chooses to take offense, or find some suspicion. Sad, but that's life. However, there is no reason that "WASH, RINSE, REPEAT" cannot be done in a polite manner. My experience is that when people are not so, it is usually a credit to their own personal insecurities. Therefore, if you have difficulty in this area, then that is were you need to concentrate your efforts.
Second,
The above emboldened (about raising suspicions) is a good indication that more people need to be doing it. On a personal level, I believe it's important to hold our civil servants accountable to their professional standards, and while simply asking for RAS, nature of encounter, etc.. "WASH, RINSE, REPEAT", it helps foment a better relationship between LE, and the private citizenry. Look at it this way. It took generations for the LE community to get honest, law-abiding citizens to submit to some types of treatment that should not have been allowed. Fifty years ago, it was commonplace for the local officer to hold a friendly conversation with a neighborhood resident. Not so anymore, and there are plenty of videos, and reports to demonstrate exactly why gun owners (CC/OC, or any other for that matter)
should take steps to protect ones rights, and to make one's potential lawyer's job easier. But I digress. The matter is that, "The more the people ask such questions on the street, the more commonplace it will become. The more commonplace it becomes, the easier it is for the next guy to exercise his rights, and the easier it is for the beat officer to know the boundaries (making his job not only easier, but also safer in many ways)."
Here's the thing about jermey05's statement that, "Person starts in right away with am i being detained. red flags are raised with LEO and here comes 1000 new options." makes me wonder about. What are those supposed "1000 options?" because with me, there are only two at present. Those are, "Yes", or "No". What happens after that depends upon the answer. Don't answer that question (or the one asking if I'm under arrest), and
that is what is going to raise the red flag. In that case, don't be surprised to see my backside as I leave you to your own devices, because if I'm not under arrest/detained (and your being evasive in answering those questions), then I don't have to stay (and most likely won't), and walking does not raise the level of suspicion.
While I've learned to take steps to protect myself, I did so because I realized that (from experience) the evasiveness of the officer was a good indication that he wasn't just, "having a casual conversation". Beyond anything to do with motor vehicle violations, I've never been arrested or charged (although I can assure you some have most certainly tried).