Talking With Your Hands

People talk with their hands.

Words come out of mouths but meaning comes from members.  Exclamations, sincerity and genuineness can be punctuated by hands.  Communication, punctuated by gestures, is effective.

Think Danny DeVito.

An officer talked with his hands.  

Whenever he spoke, about anything at all, his hand fell to his sidearm.  Sometimes he softly cupped the butt of the gun between his thumb and forefinger.  Other times he shifted his weight onto the weapon by placing his palm and leaning.  When he really wanted to make a point, the semi-automatic would be gripped.

A slight tug left the barrel in the holster but the weapon in his hand.  He would pull the gun up an inch only to replace with the conversation's cadence.  Up and down, in and out of his hand, the handgun was just as conversant as its proprietor.  

Subjects varied; small talk and philosophy interested him, but each subject was accompanied by firearm fondling.  He talked with his hands and one of them regularly gripped his gun.  Feedback from nervous listeners, interpreting his firearm fondness as a threat, seemed to fall on deaf ears.  

He meant no harm.

Civilian complaints about fearful exchanges may have been lodged but old habits are hard to break.  Police culture includes gun culture; he was one of many cops who talked with his hands.  

What's the big deal?

"What's the big deal?" a listener asked the writer.  "I have never feared the police.  Why would I?  They are here to help," wondered a member of the audience hearing a police chaplain's testimony.  God's grace can turn fear into a faith-filled ministry.

Serving among officers includes profanity and dark humor.  Coping requires thick skin and ministering to gun caresser is part of the deal.  

"I guess everyone has a different experience," said the listener.  "You were terrified of police, but have things changed for you?  Are you still scared of cops?"

Answering his question included a look back at a department meaning no harm.  Since encountering 9-millimeter nonverbal communication, police culture has changed.  Hand gesturing storytellers now think twice before touching sidearms because departments are implementing Axon Signal Sidearm.

Signal Sidearm is a sensor that alerts body cameras when a firearm is drawn.  Because cameras in the cruiser and on the officer's chest begin capturing footage, moving a weapon an inch now requires an explanation.  Awareness of technology that polices the police comes from proximity.

Some departments have made behavior, that discomforted civilians, uncomfortable for cops.  New patterns of behavior, like limiting sidearm touches, are the result of internal changes.  Perhaps citizen feedback played a role.  Litigation can bring about change, but sometimes an administration steps up and does the right thing.

An officer has kicked a disturbing habit because his department invested in technology.  Rather than storytellers touching a handle, their stories are touching hearts. 

Above all else, guard your heart,

    for everything you do flows from it. ~  Proverbs 4:23