[gps-talkusers] FW: Re: They thought I was a terrorist

Hello all:
Please forgive the slightly off-topic post, but since Mike has already
gone there, I guess it's okay. 
 The whole issue of how does a police officer identify him or herself to
a blind citizen is very interesting. When I was doing some work under  a
grant with  DOJ (actually AFB was the grantee and I was the project
officer) during the early 90's, this issue came up. I remember that some
departments actually put braille and raised print on the back of an
officer's badge such as "MPDC #1254" for "Metropolitan Police of DC
badge #1254". This was coupled with some disability awareness training,
but I never actually got into the training part of it (although that
would have been fascinating). I wonder if this sort of thing is still
being done. 
In the times we live in, I think it is even more important for a
mechanism to be in place to help identify first responders to a blind
person. What do you think? I bet this idea has some PR and press value
as well.
If somebody decides to run with this, be sure my name is spelled right
in the footnote! <grin>

Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:gps-talkusers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael May
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 1:44 PM
To: gps-talkusers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gps-talkusers] Re: They thought I was a terrorist

Rick,

I have felt selfconscious a time or two wondering what people think of
the electronic rig. I don't think anyone ever called the cops on me, and
you are right about the officer not identifying himself.
Mike

 
At 07:22 AM 9/25/2007, you wrote:
>Hi folks,
>Sunday was a perfect late September day in New Jersey, where I live, so
I decided to take me and my guide dog on a 2-mile walk at around 8 am.
We have a wonderful route in a quiet residential neighborhood.
>I was carrying mhy BrailleNote QT 32, and my old Magellan receiver,
since I had left my newer one at work. I stopped to adjust some route
settings and proceeded.
>About 5 minutes later a car pulled up beside me, and the driver said,
"Excuse me, are you blind?" 
>I told him yes, though I thought it a strange question with my dog and
harness in full view.
>"What's that thing on your shoulder?" he inquired.
>I told him about the BrailleNote and the GPS, and some things it could
do, and then I heard the police radio. I found that one of the neighbors
was concerned and suspicious because I was typing into a little computer
in front of the house. For the life of me, I don't know what they
thought I might be doing in full view in broad daylight. 
>The thing that bothered me most about this amusing encounter was the
officer didn't immediately identify himself as a policeman before asking
me questions. A person believing a questioner to be a civilian might
ignore him or tell him to go to Hell or worse, which is not the kind of
talk a policeman likes to hear.
>   
> 
>Rick Fox
>VP, Field Operations
>De Witt & Associates
>700 Godwin Avenue
>Suite 110
>Midland Park, NJ 07432
>Voice: 201-447-6500 Ext. 213
>Fax: 201-447-1187
>Email: <mailto:rick@xxxxxxxxxxx>rick@xxxxxxxxxxx
>www.4dewitt.com
> 
>
>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.30/1030 - Release Date: 
>9/25/2007 8:02 AM

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