Comply with order; ask questions later

When you enter the military, one of the first things you learn about is rank. If ordered by a superior to do something, you may not like or agree with what he's telling you to do, but you need to obey his order or face disciplinary action.

That's the way the military works. No matter what rank you are, if someone with a higher rank gives you an order, you have to follow the order.

In civilian life you also have your people of authority; one person is the police officer. If you're pulled over for a traffic violation, this police officer becomes the authority figure. Part of this police officer's job is to control this situation.

If the police officer ask you to do something, you should follow the request. It's also part of your job to help to control the situation during the stop. Otherwise, you can cause them to lose control of the situation and take a disciplinary action that neither one of you may not like.

It is better to follow the order than lose control of the situation and possibly be arrested and face more serious charges than a traffic violation.

It seems like today too many people like to challenge the police officer's authority and then when something happens, it's the officers' fault and everyone goes after them. I'm not saying that the police officer is always right, but to challenge him may not be a good thing, either.

It would be better to follow the request and ask questions later. An officer's job isn't always easy, and refusing their request only makes the situation worse. Treat the officer as you would like to be treated if you were stopping someone for a traffic violation.

Stanley F. Jurczewski Jr.

Roselle