Recently I have been trying to remember if I ever formally sat down with my two sons and told them what to do if a police officer told them to stop and put their hands behind their head. Our laws are very clear. Do it immediately and be nice to police officers.

If you decide to sit down with your children and talk to them about being nice to police officers, you might want to emphasize that if they are ever carrying a gun, knife or anything that might look like a weapon and a police officer directs them to drop it now, they should do it without hesitation or expect to be shot to death if they don’t. That last part might be a bit much for young children and you don’t want them to be afraid to approach a police officer if they need help.

We give police officers huge authority to protect themselves and the community. They have a big stick, a big gun and a communication system to get more just like them to help them do their job. Be respectful and teach your children to do the same if you haven’t done it already.

Jerry Hopkins

Spokane