Baby gibberish, cooing, squeals and blowing slobber bubbles evolves into trying to mimic words. Soon they start stringing together two or 3 words. That's followed by complete sentences and, before you know it, intelligent conversations through the pubesency period on into adulthood.
For most of society that's it; they've reached the pinnacle of speech, of communicating orally with another person, never understanding there's something beyond.
Cops know this...or at least most do. There's always a select few who believe they already know everything there is to know about communicating with those they are sworn to protect and serve. Sadly, there are those wearing a badge who believe their word is law, a law not reinforced by actual law; the 'because I said so' complex which, they believe, demands immediate obedience.
The most useful skill a copper can develop is that of communication, the conveyance of ideas and meaning, followed closely by the ability to listen and comprehend.
Knowledge of the law, physical fitness for the job and proficiency with a sidearm are important, too, but they're all superseded by verbal acumen when dealing with the public.
The realization of this, for me, occurred when I was still on coach/pupil (it's called 'field training' now) and paired up with probably the best police officer I ever saw with this skill, Sgt. Bob Poth. 'Pappy' or 'Slim', as he was also known, could talk to anyone, from bank president to skid-row wino. It was this skill that would produce scores of folks who trusted him, even those who spent their lives on the wrong side of the law.
I once watched Slim and Sgt Jack Butler confront a man who was a hardened criminal, who had at one time bitten off part of a police officer's ear; this thug was at the top of a staircase, armed with a butcher knife, drunk and enraged, as they stood at the bottom of the steps, pistols (we still had revolvers back then) pointed at him as the thug threatened to kill them.
Slim talked the man into putting the knife down and coming down the steps to be handcuffed. I was amazed. I was sure I would witness a line-of-duty shooting, only five weeks into the job.
That was an important lesson.
Years before that, while working at a smaller department, a seasoned officer allegedly told a drunk driver he'd arrested to follow through on the driver's threat to commit suicide once he got home due to the DWI arrest.
And the arrestee did just that.
Words matter. Their meaning also matters. I wish those select few coppers I mentioned earlier understood this because, eventually, they'll stain the profession.
And maybe even indirectly cause a death.
