These things never happen where I live. Half of the population of the US, and I can't remember a single incident of a person being tased or shot by a policeman in the last 18 years.
Other than to ask directions, the only time I've had an incident involving the police was when I was young and reckless -- about 15 years ago. A friend and I got drunk one night at a place near his house and I missed the last train home. My friend was so drunk, he could barely stand and was completely incoherent, plus, he had no cash left. I had just enough cash for a taxi ride home, but he didn't.
Two policemen came by and escorted us to the
koban about 50 yards away. They just wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt, then after hearing our pathetic story, they gave him the money for a taxi to go home. They asked him to stop by the next day to pay it back. They called taxis for us and were laughing at our sorry state of drunkenness. I guess I could expect to be tased or shot, then arrested and thrown in jail in the US now. And some of you would say it was my fault.
I really like the police here. The police stationed in an area come by the house every year, just to find out about you. Not to be nosy, just to know if you have kids, grandparents or other relatives or pets who might need help sometime. If there is a fire, they have the information of how many people might be in the house; maybe someone is disabled, blind, mute or deaf.
If you want, they'll look around and advise you about the overall security of your place. Burglaries are very rare, but not unheard of, and they'll offer up some suggestions. It's kind of like living in one giant Mayberry. And that isn't all bad, is it?
