I ran into my police officer friend on Saturday as I was walking to Zia’s Gourmet Pizza with Rå around my neck. I am at Zia’s *religiously* as close to 5p as I can get every weekend day, starting with Friday. (So, if you want to see a tall, lanky guy with snakes, you know where to find one.) I do this because they have some great beers on tap and they’re the only place that lets me in with my serpents. So, I just like to sit in the center row near the doors and watch the early evening take over. (I’m making it *really* easy for you to find me now, as if the guy-with-the-snakes thing wasn’t specific enough.)
Anyway, I said, “Hey, officer!” in a friendly greeting kind of way, and I felt like a dolt because I forgot his name. He had his back turned to me, watching some sort of business transpire at a nearby apartment complex. I asked him how he was doing and he replied, “Kinda busy right now.” And I felt even a little dumber because obviously he was working. I wasn’t trying to have a chat, but regardless, I know it’s dangerous and irresponsible to try to get a police officer’s attention when he or she is focused elsewhere.
Especially something like, “Hey officer!” Yeah, real good thinking there.
I was totally sober is the scary thing. Usually, I’m smarter than this.
For some reason, I got the feeling the situation was a domestic disturbance, but I can’t exactly say why I had this impression. But that’s what I was thinking, so as soon as he said “kinda busy”, I wised up and said “sorry” and kept walking.
He did say, “Take it easy, Aaron” right after that, which was cool, but made me feel even worse about forgetting his name.
But man, yeah, if I was in his shoes, tense and stressed because I think something wrong’s going down, I wouldn’t want anyone saying anything that was not absolutely necessary. Those guys have an almost impossible job, having to make critical, split-second decisions which in some cases can mean life or death.
Hence, they don’t really need mister snake guy wishing them a happy day.
And I know I’m probably over—thinking this whole episode. Suffice to say, it felt good that he told me to “take it easy”, kind of like he didn’t want me to think he was dissing me.
Who knows if that was really why he said it, but regardless, I think the only time a lil’ duder like myself should feel it’s ok to chat up an officer is if that person is off-duty, in civilian clothes.
The less distractions those underpaid and overburdened folks have to deal with, the better.
-- ∆☩Y§ ☨♆∀☥✠