Aggieville is a melting pot for all kinds of people and when alcohol is involved, there’s always potential for volatile situations. The police officers of the Riley County Police Department in Aggieville are tasked with the job of dealing with these situations. Here are a couple of tips you can use to make your interactions with the police in Aggieville a lot easier.
Have an ICE
Officer Mat Droge, public information officer for the Riley County Police Department, more commonly known as #Twittercop, said when it comes to Aggieville, a significant amount of officer time is spent helping severely intoxicated people find their friends to come pick them up and ensuring their safety.
“We met a really drunk girl at 12th and Moro Street and we asked her where she lived and she gave us an address so we figured that was where she lived so we gave her a ride home,” Droge said. “We get to the house and they’ve never heard of this girl before. She does not live there and just randomly gave us that address. Obviously we did not let her in the house because it’s not her house, so we spent probably the next 20-30 minutes trying to figure out where she lived and all the while she had a full conversation (using) her car keys (as a phone).”
Droge said intoxication on such a level might not be illegal, but it is irresponsible and dangerous. It becomes the job of the police to ensure that the person is taken care of. In these situations, it was always useful to have an “ICE” or “In case of emergency” contact in your phone.
“In that contact you should have maybe your roommates’ phone numbers, your parents’ phone numbers and your address,” Droge said. “That way if we happen to find you and find your cellphone, we can at least find somebody to call to figure out where you should be.”
In emergencies, descriptions help
During emergencies, the two biggest things to remember are to stay calm and focus on the details and descriptions.
“Just think about being as descriptive as you can,” Tyler Siefkes, dispatch shift supervisor at the Riley County Police Department, said. “If there’s a crime that has occurred, details like description of people or vehicles that were involved and if you know directions, last direction of travel is a big thing too. Any kind of details are helpful to us so we can get it out to the officers quickly.”
Siefkes also said the first thing anyone calling is going to be asked is their location so having an address, intersection or any directions to the locations are important.
Police officers are human too
The most important thing police officers want students to remember is that much like students, they are human and the things that upset students are the same things that upset the police.
“Believe it or not, and this is something I can tell everybody, even though we wear a badge and gun, we’re people, man,” Officer Steve Fritzson of the RCPD, said. “Treat us like you would like your mom or dad to be treated. It’s pretty much the golden rule.”
Fritzson said students don’t realize that the police’s job is to enforce the law rather than make it. Droge said believing the police is out to get students and therefore behaving in an uncooperative manner does more harm to the situation than good because more often than not, the police are on the students’ side.
“Students at K-State more often tend to be the victim rather than the suspect,” Droge said. “Most of our interactions with students, we’re legitimately not trying to get them into trouble at all, we’re trying to help them.”
Dealing with police officers doesn’t have to be difficult or cumbersome, being mindful of some easy but vital tips can make your relations with police officers in Aggieville a lot easier.
