The mentality of "polite, professional" has worked well for me. It still amazes me how many in this industry will not adopt this style. They prefer and hold tight to the "Cowboy, Rambo, Wanted Dead or Alive" styles. Working as a polite professional, backed up by an Escalation of Force similar to that of the military (always one step above the SIQ/Enemy/ect) has kept me from having to use a firearm, Taser, or OC Spray; I have only had foot chases with 5; I have had physical altercations with less than that. This does not make me smarter or better than anyone. I just know that if someone came up to me and grabbed me....they would have a heck of a fight on thier hands. Kicking in my door and threatening my family would set me off. Explaining the situation and telling me my options is the best way to keep things on a mature level ("walk with me, loosely cuffed in front at the car, turn in, get it handled OR run, fight, cuffs on now and in the back (probably tight), take a trip to the hospital for evaluation, get charged for the visit, still get turned in, and have charges added).
I always dress the part of the area I am entering. If I can not do that, then I dress the part of a "worker" that would not stand out, in that area. The character that I portray and the way I dress has gotten me further with Lawyers, LE, Judges than many of the people I know in the same area. These are the same "Industry Professionals" that tell me I am too nice ( and will end up getting hurt or killed if I don't change) because I explain things and don't throw people to the ground. Like Scott, for a 40 year old guy, I am fairly quick. I think the young guys are angrier at the fact that I catch them than they are that they have to head back to jail....they always have an escuse (I have been sick; I just woke up; I twisted my ankle....YEAH. Well I am 40, have arthritis, smoked for 27 years, have had surgery on both shoulders, and need surgery on both knees....I think I still win
). That said, I would rather have to chase someone than to try to live with myself knowing that I acted any other way than I have explained.
My professionalism has only landed me in one negative situation with LE. Because I did not "posture" with a Gwinnett County officer, he assumed that I was not a legal professional. I ended up being thrown over (yes....OVER) the hood of a Police Cruiser with his weapon drawn on me. Once a senior officer was on scene, he had me pulled from the Cruiser. The first thing I explained to this Senior Officer was that if I was not who I said and doing what I claimed, I would have pulled and used my weapons. He asked "You had weapons? I wasn't told." I told him "That is because they were not taken....I was not frisked. I was thrown over the hood, cuffed, and put in the back of the car. I still have a taser, OC, gun, and knife." He told me that I did not act like the typical Bounty Hunter, "with all that posturing that they normally do" so the officer probably didn't believe my story. The Senior Officer let me go and "counseled" the original officer on the weapons situation.
