I happened to be training a new officer. He was nearing the last phase of the training program, so at this point, he was responsible for initiating and handling his own calls, with me there to supervise if he needed help or guidance. This young officer was a bright, energetic, young man, whom we will call Hans. He was making good decisions and interacting with the community well and was even breaking some of his old bad habits that we were aware of, as he had been a student employee of the university police department, prior to getting hired as a police officer.
We responded to a call of a homeless person creating a disturbance at a student function. Unfortunately, the hazards of being a university in a downtown setting, includes interacting with the local community, including the unhoused. Some members of the university population are better prepared, psychologically, than others to interact with this particular segment of the population. And thus a call to the police department, because a homeless man was helping himself to food at a student group’s outdoor barbeque.
We arrived and Hans spoke to the president of the student organization who wanted the homeless man to leave their barbeque area.
“What is he doing?” Hans asked.
“He’s standing in line and getting food and talking to the students.”
“And your event is students only?”
“Oh, no. We’re open to the public. We want people to learn about our group.”
I could feel Hans trying to organize his thoughts as he paused. “But not him.”
The student also paused as he realized what he had said. “Uh…yeah.”
Hans asked the homeless man to step away from the event to have a talk with him.
I recognized the interloper as a black man, we will call Mr. Thompson, whom I had several contacts over the years and when he looked over at me, we nodded at each other in recognition. Hans explained to Mr. Thompson that the student group was asking that he be removed from their event. Hans also explained that, since Mr. Thompson was not causing any kind of disturbance, we had no authority to remove him from an event open to the public, especially since it was in an outdoor, park-like area of the campus. And then Hans asked Mr. Thompson if he would mind leaving the area, if Hans fixed him a plate of food from the barbeque. Mr. Thompson said that would be acceptable to him.
Hans then asked me if I could stand with Mr. Thompson while he went and put together a plate of food and after I agreed, off he went.
Mr. Thompson and I spoke cordially for several minutes, like co-workers who don’t get to interact very often. Finally, Mr. Thompson fixed me with a serious eye.
“That new kid,” he said. “Is he in training?”
“Yes, he is,” I agreed.
“Hmmmm,” Mr. Thompson thought aloud. “Do you want me to fuck with him?”
Having members of the community purposely antagonize a trainee police officer can also be problematic and create problems. There are always unpredictable things that can happen and get people into trouble inadvertently. So I should take the cautious route.
“Yes,” I said. “All you want.”
Hans returned presently with a large paper plate filled with barbequed meats, potato salad, chips, cookies, and some kind of cheese and cracker appetizer. “Okay, Mr. Thompson….”
And then Mr. Thompson went off, as though someone had just flipped a switch. At a high volume, Mr. Thompson accused Hans of racism, classism, discrimination against the homeless, just being mean, and having nothing better to do than to violate Mr. Thompson’s rights. Through it all, I watched as Hans’ face reddened and the hand holding the plate of food began to shake.
Finally, Hans asked loudly, “Do you want the food or not?”
Mr. Thompson flipped the switch back off and accepted the plate of food with a gracious smile and a “Yes, thank you.”
Then he turned to me and said, “Yeah, he’s going to do real well. He’s a good kid.”
Mr. Thompson left the area, eating his plate of food. Then I saw that Hans was staring at me as he realized that I had been in on it.
“What? It was training.”