Commentary : Slaying Linked to Officer Sparks Fears

If we can’t trust a cop, who can we trust?

The recent Cara Knott case, in which California Highway Patrolman Craig Peyer has been accused of murder, has ignited fear and tension among women in San Diego who are asking this question along with many others.

What should we do when we’re pulled over by an officer? Should we comply with his requests? If we don’t, where is the fine line between practicing caution and resisting arrest?

Whenever a case like this one is covered by the local media, the staff and volunteers at the Center for Women’s Studies and Services (CWSS) get busier than usual. Speaking requests start to pour in. Calls on the business line increase, as people request information on safety tips or just want someone to listen to their concerns. Calls on the 24-hour hot line for rape victims and battered women increase.

After Peyer’s arrest, the daily number of crisis calls increased to about eight compared to the average of two or three. This case stirs up ugly memories.

Since Peyer’s arrest on Jan. 15, CWSS, the oldest and largest women’s center in the United States, has been receiving numerous calls from teachers, employers, school nurses, working women, homemakers, mothers, fathers--the list is endless.

A sampling of the calls:

- Memories of an attempted rape that occurred six years ago begin to again plague a professional woman. The attack took place as she walked from her office to her car. She avoided being raped but was badly beaten. News of the Peyer case causes flashbacks of her own brush with violence.

- A high school student is frustrated and angry because her teacher has clipped every article on the Knott case from the newspapers, and every day for a week has demanded that the class read them aloud and discuss what they should do to prevent a similar attack.

- A father calls because he is extremely concerned about his 18-year-old daughter, who drives home from work late every night.

- A school nurse says she has a junior-high girl in her office who can’t stop crying. She’s afraid to walk home alone from school.

- A grandmother of three college-age granddaughters has trouble sleeping at night thinking about Knott’s killing.

- Countless women call to speak to a counselor about a rape, battery, or a similar experience that terrified them.

Fear is real.

The 35-member volunteer hot-line staff is trained to help people in crisis who are experiencing a myriad of emotions--fear, mistrust, guilt, anger, confusion and depression. CWSS is currently training new hot-line volunteers in an 11-session course that teaches advocacy and crisis counseling to aid victims of battery and sexual assault.

The training encompasses the following intervention techniques: the crisis counselor builds rapport with the caller by listening and giving an empathic response. She then collects information and clarifies the caller’s problem. She helps the caller evaluate the problem and define various solutions. Once alternatives have been explored, the counselor helps the caller choose a plan of action. These techniques are especially effective in dealing with the frightened callers who have kept the hot line busy for the last few weeks.

Common sense tells us that, just because one peace officer has been accused of murder, not all officers should be brought under suspicion. But our hearts pound faster, and something hits us in the pit of our stomachs. Our trust is obliterated. Police officers say it may take some time to get that trust back.

What can we do to speed the process?

Rick Carlson, public relations officer for the San Diego Police Department, concurs that the following pointers can help assure the safety of women traveling alone. In fact, he says the Police Department encourages women to take the necessary steps to make themselves feel safe.

- You have the right to question an officer when pulled over. Why do you need to get out of the car? Why do you need to pull onto another road?

- If you are asked to pull off the road, always try to stay in sight of other moving traffic.

- If it makes you feel safer, keep your doors locked and your windows rolled up. Slide your license through a crack in the opened window. If the officer believes you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs or are otherwise unable to drive safely, you may ask him to call a second officer to the scene.

- If you feel unsafe, motion or tell the officer you will pull over at the first appropriate place and stop at the nearest service station or well-lit area where there are people. Remember that it is a violation to refuse to yield to red lights and sirens. Use discretion when choosing when and where to stop.

In our haste to deal with these fears, we must not forget that officers are still there to protect us. Continue to practice road safety tips:

- If your car stalls on the freeway, keep your doors locked and place a “Call Police” banner in your rear window.

- Use call boxes when available.

- Never pick up hitchhikers or accept rides from strangers.

- Look in your back seat before entering the car.

- Keep your gas tank at least half full and your car in good operating condition.

The recent Knott case reminds us of how vulnerable women are to assault and promotes mistrust--not only of peace officers, but of all people we should be able to trust. We need to continue to voice our fears and concerns. We need to assert ourselves when we feel unsafe. But we cannot allow an incident such as this to cause mistrust of the very people we need to depend on for our own safety.