EN> I have wondered for thirty years why that law is on the books.  It has
 EN> been the same ever since I started in this business.  I have never had
 EN> a time when I didn't get as much, or more, assistance as I needed.
The same is true for me for 22 years, except for once. I was in a bar fight
and outnumbered. I gave one of the guys who was about to hit me a lawful
order to assist me.  You should have seen the confusion. Then they all
started laughing, and my backup arrived. I'm sure glad that something worked,
because I was on the losing end pretty badly at the time. Humor sometimes
gets you out of some pretty bad spots.
I think that I am also fortunate that I have always gotten more help than I
needed just for asking. However, I've never asked without an exceptional
reason, and I've asked instead of ordered. I think that this is the point
that some of the folks don't like here, that a police officer does have the
legal right to issue orders for assistance in most jurisdictions. I have a
lot more faith in human nature than most would believe. I think that most
folks will help when there is reasonable cause. In fact, most citizens figure
out what may be needed in many cases and offer help before you even ask. I
don't know how things are in other parts of the country, but that's the way
it is in Oklahoma. I'm sure that in some jurisdictions, the level of
cooperation and assistance may have something to do with the relations that
the police have with the citizens, good or bad. I feel very fortunate that
the Lawton Police Department enjoys excellent relations with our citizens. We
may have trouble getting new equipment or new taxes for additional manpower,
etc., but we do enjoy extremely high levels of assistance and cooperation
with our citizens. By the way, I understand the no new taxes problem. Take
care.
Tom
... Book... Kangaroo Illnesses by..Marcus Wallaby, M.D.
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