Law Enforcement Encounters

By Samuel Davis Jr.

What do I do when I am stopped by the police? This is a very relevant question these days. Law Enforcement Encounters will educate the reader on this and many other questions related to police stops. The book breaks down the three major types of police contacts and gives the reader an understanding of how to respond to each. Also discussed is the mindset of the police officer and the citizen and what they both may be thinking during these encounters. This book is about educating the minds of people throughout the country regarding law enforcement stopping citizens and their interactions during the stop. If a person knows what to expect when they are pulled over by law enforcement, they will be less apt to do the wrong thing. This is a very sensitive situation that needs addressing at this time in our country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524695279

Samuel Davis Jr.

Samuel Davis Jr. has been a police officer in the Sacramento, California area for the past twenty-six years. He is also a credentialed high school instructor, working with inner city students, teaching the subjects of criminal justice, and digital media. Officer Davis has experienced a great deal in his career as a police officer on patrol prior to his current assignment with youth services. Law Enforcement Encounters was created in 2013 when Davis began teaching his students “how to respond when being stopped by the police.” Since that time, hundreds of students have heard his message. Officer Davis himself is from a very turbulent neighborhood in Vallejo, California. He has encountered law enforcement officers in his past. This book will educate people regarding law enforcement encounters. Many don’t know what to do when stopped by the police, Law Enforcement Encounters will educate them as to how to handle these situations.

Book preview

© 2017 Samuel Davis Jr. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/19/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9528-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-9527-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017908912

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

"This book is dedicated to the citizens and police officers in the country who have lost their lives to violence during

Law Enforcement Encounters.

I will eternally pray for you and your families."

"We must all be willing to work together to change this

current state of negativity, or we will all suffer greatly as a result of it."

Where I Stand

I have a very simple understanding in my life regarding being stopped by the police. It has a great deal to do with actively listening to my mother and father so many years ago when I was a young boy growing up in Vallejo, California. They told me on more than one occasion, "when you are stopped by the police, (and you will be) do as they ask, do what they say. Don’t give them any reason to consider you a threat because if they misread you or your intentions, you may be killed over that misunderstanding. Meaning you can be right; but DEAD and RIGHT……and what good will come from that? We (your family) will be heartbroken."

I had a choice to make back then, and in my young mind it circled around the thought of how I would receive this message, because I knew it was an important message. I could have made a lot more of it, complicate it or put a negative spin on it; but things were very simple in my mind. Something urged me to comprehend the message. The message was about keeping my own behavior under control when in situations like these. Don’t make the police think I am a threat to them, when I am not. That message from my parents was filed away in my mind and soul at a very early age. But again, that was my own personal journey in understanding how to respond when encountering the police. Everyone has their own. That was the message I took in, some forty years ago. It’s one of those messages that will remain with me for the remainder of my life, and then some actually, as I continue to pass that information on to my own children and thousands of others in which I’ve taught, coached and mentored. I pray they all have properly received it, will slowly digest it, and continue to pass it along to ANYONE who will listen. The message is of utmost importance, and remains very relevant to this day. Especially in the inner-cities where the police largely populate those areas because of crime. What’s most important here is; keeping my behavior under control. It has nothing to do with how I feel about the police, or how they are talking to me or treating me, but it has everything to do with how I react. My reaction is what I truly have control over during the encounter. I can and always will control how I act. If there are any issues between me and the officer, I know there will be a time I will contest those issues after I am released and sent on my way.

My parents were very wise to share such a significant message with me and my siblings at such a young age. This has allowed us to grab tightly and hold on to a very big life lesson. I believe it is one of the most important life lessons for all living in the country, especially those growing up in similar environments and neighborhoods as we did. In my neighborhood there was a high probability of encountering the police. My brothers, family, and friends walked the streets of that neighborhood constantly because we were familiar with that terrain. It was our home, our sanctuary, and a place where I began to see hints of reality in so many different ways. (I.E. drug dealing, gambling, fighting, shootings and prostitution were apparent on a daily basis) The police were constantly contacting others who relentlessly committed crime in my neighborhood, some didn’t even live in the neighborhood, they just showed up to make money and to hustle. In my group, the kids I hung out with didn’t cause any trouble, but some officers didn’t know who we were and didn’t realize that we were just there to hang out. We were the kids from that neighborhood just being kids, causing no harm. I worried about those officers. Mostly because they didn’t attempt to get to know us, so they were just strangers in police uniforms for the most part patrolling our streets. I’ve learned how to be an effective police officer in my career largely because I was exposed to and observed a lot as a child growing up in my neighborhood. Again, the message does not change.

Although I am sure race was considered by my parents as they spoke about this to us, what is most applicable in the message is the information about how to carry yourself. Don’t give them any reason to consider you a threat because if they misread you or your intentions, they may ultimately kill you over that misunderstanding. Meaning you can be right but DEAD and RIGHT……. So, quickly I learned a few things. Do not live a lifestyle with criminal intent. This means don’t be a criminal, or don’t do things which will make the police feel I am a criminal. Don’t make the police feel uncomfortable or threatened. Why would I? Why would I place unnecessary risk on myself like that? I am not trying to die. As time has passed some things have not changed. When I am off-duty, I am still an African-American man, driving on the streets in this country of ours. While driving in my private vehicle, police officers have no idea I do the same job they do. So the guidelines my parents gave me over forty years ago still apply.

Many say they are tired of the way law enforcement treats minorities in this country. Although we await systemic change to take place at some point, that type of change may take a great deal of time to occur and be put into place. We’re talking about changing laws and re-vamping systems which are hundreds of years old. This is going to take time to accomplish. So in the meantime, others in our country will continue to be stopped and contacted by the police, some without a clue of how to handle themselves, which brings loads of negativity to the table, far worse than we are dealing with presently. Fair treatment is what we all seek. We cannot be hypocritical about this topic. There are two sides to this coin, and there is also a responsibility to both sides. The citizens and residents in our communities own a side, and the other side is owned by the law enforcement departments in our cities and states. Fair treatment is what I hear everyone asking about, but both sides (law enforcement and some in the community) constantly injure the ultimate equation. That equation is TRUST. We have citizens as well as law enforcement officers thinking they bring no fault toward this current situation. Neither side feels they are doing anything wrong. In times like these, I gaze into the mirror. I look at myself to figure out just what actually I can do to assist in helping with the problem. It starts by stepping into another’s shoes. If we cannot respect each other, we will be destined to fail at something that is not too hard to accomplish. That accomplishment is to get along with each other for a period less than twenty minutes on average. I listen and keep close to my heart the words my parents invested in me years ago. I’ve passed that along to my kids. My brothers and sister have passed that on to their kids, and we are all confident in what we’ve relayed to them. I don’t take law enforcement encounters with the police as a personal insult, because I understand the police have to sift out crime and the criminals who perpetrate these acts. They are not going to know I am not a criminal until they have contacted me, and investigated. It is at that time; they will know what type of a person I am. I have nothing to hide. It is obvious to me sifting through crime and locating the suspects who perpetrate those crimes can be intrusive to many. My job is about dealing with people, and I am a believer in the golden rule.

Treat those the way you want to be treated. That method of behavior will always simplify things, again, for both sides, the community as well as the police. We all must believe in this thought process. It will make things better for all of us. Together, let’s make this all better. That’s my goal.

Contents

Where I Stand

those who really don’t know

Introduction

The 24/7 Advertisement

Disorder!

Stories:

What I’ve Seen Has Given Me Wisdom

Stopped by The Police

Vehicle Stops

Controlling the Stop

Thoughts to Ponder

Community Oriented Policing

Amendment Rights

The Resolution

those who really don’t know

Don’t judge me.

You haven’t walked in my shoes.

I will not judge you, for the very same reason.

I haven’t walked in your shoes.

One of the worst things to hear from someone is;

they are all alike.

Expressing the notion that because you belong

to a certain group you must all be the same.

Hypocritical is this notion.

Especially for a society who frowns on being personally judged.

I’ve spent a lifetime as an African-American man

ducking foolish stereotypes, and people thinking

things about me because of how I looked, or what they’ve been told,

or seen on television.

Now new stereotypes have emerged for me,

And I again hear that conventional phrase I dislike so much.

Only now I hear it as a police officer.

they are all alike.

A large number of these sentiments come from television shows and social media video clips from cell phone footage.

A totally unfair way of considering me, or welcoming me.

It appears difficult to avoid getting swept into a net of pre-judging.

judging me without knowing me.

there is so much to be learned about that statement.

It has been the catalyst of what has always held us down as a people.

However, I remain about positivity,

and truly other’s thoughts about me won’t change my intentions.

My intentions are genuine.

I will always be about helping people.

I’m aware that in some situations even a smile may do that.

You effect change by caring about people. By connecting with people.

I’m constantly helping others, and that won’t stop!

My Daily Mission In This Life Will Not Change

to positively impact people’s lives-All day, Every day.

Samuel Davis Jr.

Police Officer

Introduction

In 2013, I had been working as a law enforcement officer for some 23 years. My current assignment was working in the department’s Youth Services unit. My primary responsibility was to teach, coach and mentor at risk teenagers in a high school criminal