A post by Larry Horton

Last night at the Grafton Rotary meeting, there was a question and answer section following our presentation. One of the members asked me about the differences I've noticed so far between police work in Arizona and the US and here in Australia. I thought that would be a great thing for folks back home to hear as well.

Let me preface this first by saying our team did an amazing job presenting last night. We have been presenting well since we arrived but last night we had the freedom of time and it made all the difference. Tempe Rio Salado that sponsored me here is a breakfast club and there is also the Grafton Midday club here and both try to keep their meetings to an hour or so. Tonight was the first real supper club that we have attended and the meeting was around two to two and a half hours. We were given the luxury of having plenty of time to present which resulted in us engaging our audience better than I have seen in previous presentations. Many people approached me after the meeting and told me how impressed and entertained they were by what we had to say. And in the question and answer section at the end I could help but be filled with a little pride when Kristen was thrown a curve ball about volcanic geography around Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon area by someone who was a geographer and she handled it with the poise and professionalism of a seasoned presenting veteran. And on top of that, I learned a little about the San Francisco Peaks myself. It was one of those moments where you knew you had selected the right person for the job.

But on to police work. Guns. They don't have them here. It's obvious to me now how much guns dictate every move we make as police in Arizona and how guns -- or the lack there of -- dictate a totally different philosophy here in Australia. This was never more evident than when I was riding along with Michael Froggert of the Queensland Police last Saturday night. You'll see a photo I posted of him and his crew previously. As we were in Michael's police car we began to conduct a vehicle stop. This was another major difference. Here in Australia, a police officer does not have to have probable cause to pull a car over. They can without any reason deiced to pull a car over. It could be totally random or it could be because of a minor suspicion. That changes the whole game. On top of that, Michael had a portable breath tester to determine breath alcohol content which would contribute to a DUI investigation. It was a small device that fit in his hand. Here, police can administer that breath test without any cause or reason. There is no need to see signs of intoxication. And, if there is an alcohol reading (.05 or higher) then the portable test at the stop counts against the driver in the investigation which is something not admissible in Arizona courts.

The major difference though is the way police here deal with people under the supposition they are not armed. In Phoenix, I was trained very specifically that anytime I'm approaching a car or contacting someone, they could be carrying a concealed gun. So I should approach vehicles tactically and where needed conduct what is called a Terry pat down of people who I think could possibly have guns to hurt me. Not here in Australia. Michael was as tactical as the next officer with 11 years on. That was not at issue. He just didn't have to worry about people having guns so he could approach a car "straight away" and go to work. It was a type of freedom I was a bit envious of. Michael clarified that with motorcycle gangs and certain other types, he always acts as if they are armed but for the general public it's just not the same issue. Immediately the thoughts flew through my mind about how our Arizona laws are pertaining to guns and obtaining guns and how they starkly contrast to here in Australia and the end result.

And for those of you interested in the lingo there were differences there as well. The trunk of a car is called a boot. I go on radio calls as a police officer, they go on jobs. What we call a prison, they call a jail and what we call a jail, they call a watch house. Our police officers are called constables here in Australia. I work the streets they go "on the beat". I could go on.

In the end, I have only been on a few vocational exchanges here yet I have learned a tremendous amount. I learned not only about police work from another country's perspective but also about the country in and of itself. We're not even half way through and I'm so excited about the potential of what else I can learn. I cannot thank Rotary and the Foundation enough for this opportunity.