he response — through e-mails, letters, phone calls and personal visits — was overwhelming regarding my article in the last issue of The PBA Magazine, “Why Professional Courtesy is the Right Thing To Do.” The vast majority of readers agreed with the premise of the article, which was reprinted in other law enforcement publications.

As I said then and believe now, as police officers we take risks in defending and protecting society that others don’t. We have earned the right to treat our fellow police officers courteously if it causes no harm to anyone else. We also have the right to use discretion, which means that we do not write over PBA cards!

That said, courtesy and respect has to be a two-way street. While most police officers want to extend professional courtesy to other law enforcement officers, family members and friends, sometimes violators make it very difficult to treat them with respect and courtesy when they don’t show any themselves. The bottom line here is that the on-duty uniformed officer is in charge. And courtesy cuts both ways. How can you expect a courtesy if you are being nasty or rude to the officer who stopped you? You can’t get respect if you don’t show respect. Let’s not forget that the officer who made the stop has more at stake than the person stopped because he or she is a public figure of authority when making the stop.

We must take the time to remind our family and friends that having a card doesn’t give them the right to commit a violation, especially in the presence of a police officer. We must also explain that car stops are among the most dangerous circumstances of police work and that, therefore, the police officer who is stopping you must be in charge. He or she is doing an important and dangerous job as a public and visible authority that we must treat with respect — particularly in front of civilians.

Remember, all we have out there to count on is each other. We must stick together.