Rick - you are the kind of person that makes me proud to be an American. First you served in the Marines(or was it Navy as what I remember is you met your British wife while on active duty) and then as a policeman. My son-in-law is a policeman and tonight the four grandsons - age 2 -9 - will be a Halloween Swat Team. You have got it right about the police having a thankless job. The small thing we can each do is encourage the police with kind words whenever we have the opportunity.
As far as Lauletta he is a fine young man who I trust will get this straightened out with enough pain to not repeat it but not enough pain to hurt his career.
Thanks, was in the Army, and wife is a Virginian not a Brit, but what you said means a lot. Now I want to see a humble and apologetic Lauletta who realizes that he's a guy who plays a game for a living while the other guy might leave for work one day and not come home.
Btw directing traffic is no day a the beach, ALL police officers hate that assignment!