The job of Law Enforcement (CO / DFO / Police / Deputy Sheriff / Corrections etc....) seems to elicit a lot of opinions ranging from "Yaaaaay, they are here. Hi Guys. Glad to see you." to "Hey Pig. Quit hassling me. I haven't done anything wrong. This is harassment. I have nothing to say to you. Talk to my lawyer".
The general public tend to see the uniform, not the person in it. If a CO or DFO guys came by, and was very short and to the point, people would say, "Gee. Get a personality, you robo-cop". If he spends more time with people, he is either hassling them, wasting tax payers money, or lazy. It is not an easy job. BUT they have put their hand on the bible, taken an oath, been given the training, and gone forth and done their job. The traditional name of this profession are "Peace Officers", they are there to keep the Peace and enforce laws, protect life & property, protect the environment & resource, and apprehend offenders. The trend of Peace Officer missions these days are to go back to the roots of "policing", which is being a closer part of the community (Community Policing). This means walking, talking to people, walking more, and talking more. Basically, going back to "walking the beat".
If you feel "uncomfortable" being questioned, and appear nervous, this is something that is picked up by the officers. Mutual respect from the officers to the anglers and vice versa will help all situations immensely. Sure, some of the questions may appear a little weird, but they are questions that are asked as part of their enforcement job. Trust me, having a smart mouth and an antagonistic attitude will give them cause to ask more questions, and embark further into an investigation, rather than just polite inquiries.
All of us have had good and bad experiences with Peace Officers. If I feel very strongly about the bad attitude I get, I ask for a business card, or the name & badge number, I then advise the Peace Officer that I will be making a complaint to their supervisor about what went on. I don't go behind their back.
Again, Mutual Respect goes a long way.
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Topic: Idle chatter or just a dumb question (Read 5778 times)