These days, with all the stories about police brutality, police overreacting, police shootings, police coverups, it’s easy to get the impression that police are really up to no good, that they can’t be trusted.
Then, when you get a chance to see for yourself police on the job, doing what they’re trained to do, dealing with a challenging situation, you come away with renewed respect.
I did.
It was Sunday afternoon when I was walking home and saw a police officer, two medics and a man walking away from them near Oxford Street. It appeared they must have been speaking to each other. The police officer got back into his cruiser, drove to the corner, stopped and got out. He again approached the man walking away. He was smiling as he said something like, “Let’s try this again. I really need you to stop walking and talk to me.”
The man ignored him.
The officer, to his credit, maintained a calm, friendly demeanor and walked alongside the man, talking to him in a respectful, courteous tone. At one point, he placed his hand lightly on the man’s shoulder as he spoke. The man slapped the officer’s hand away, whirled to face him, and aggressively yelled at him for several seconds. Then, he turned and continued walking.
The officer didn’t react, other than to keep pace and continue the conversation. Shortly, the man stopped again, faced the officer, seemed to stepped closer to him, and again spoke loudly, angrily, making it clear he would not stop and did not want the officer to bother him.
By now, they were at the corner of Kuhio Highway and Oxford, and the two continued walking side by side. In the distance, a siren screamed and drew closer. Backup was coming.
The officer and the man, with one medic near the officer and another keeping his distance, had covered about three blocks.
But I got the impression the walking was about to end.
A second officer pulled up, stepped out of his cruiser and stepped in front of the man, who promptly went at him, kind of swinging and pushing and grappling.
It didn’t last more than a few seconds.
Both officers quickly took the man face down. The officer who had been walking with him held him at the neck, while a medic secured his feet. The second officer returned to his cruiser. Interestingly, a woman stopped her SUV and spoke to the man, as if trying to calm him.
At my request, the county provided this information on the incident:
“At approximately 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Kauai police were dispatched to the vicinity of Oxford Street and Kuhio Highway in Lihue to conduct a welfare check of a 52-year-old man walking along the road. When officers arrived on scene, they saw the man walking along Oxford Street and being followed by medics. Officers approached the man and walked with him for several minutes, attempting to talk to him. During his encounter with police, the man became agitated and threatening towards the officers. The officers then attempted to detain the man when he resisted and became increasingly aggressive. Police eventually detained him by use of a Taser. He was transported to Wilcox Hospital for medical evaluation then transferred by police to Mahelona Hospital for further treatment.”
What I would point out here is, the first officer displayed patience and respect. He did not become angry, demand the man listen to him or act aggressively. He did what he could to keep things peaceful. And when they finally had to take the man down, they did so quickly and effectively and did not abuse him, rough him up or threaten him. He was taken to a place where he could receive help.
Under the circumstances, the officer handled the situation very well. He continued walking with the man, talking to him, trying to get him to stop, to remain calm. He endured the man twice stepping aggressively close, yelling in his face. Simply put, the officer deserves credit for a job well done and diffusing a situation that could have ended much differently.
Kauai should be proud.
