Don’t Speed So Close to Me

So, I had a run-in with the police today. I was driving my daily commute and took my regular shortcut through a local neighborhood to avoid lines of traffic waiting for lights on Madison Ave.  I know that they have been doing work on the road, but it appeared last week that they were just about to wrap it up, and it didn’t interfere with my route, anyway.  Well, I pulled up to the intersection with a couple of small traffic cones and a police officer w/ cruiser blocking my left turn.  No problem, I thought, as I asked the officer if I could pull through or if there was a different way to go.  So, here’s the conversation:

MOTOWNPETEY:  Hi, can I get through here?

OFFICERHELPSALOT:  Is it an emergency?

MP:  [thinking he might let me through.  what a swell guy!] Uh, I have class at Fairleigh Dickinson.

OHaL:  Are you late?

MP:  [looks at clock.  rethinking previous assessment]  Well, no, I’m not late…

OHaL:  So, why are you driving so fast?

MP: [ugh...]  I didn’t realize I was going that fast [I must have been traveling 27 mph and he could clearly discern that from his standing position that could only really see the last 100ft of the road--the section of road on which I was slowing down].

OHaL:  Didn’t you see all the orange cones [perhaps 3 or so placed off to the side of the road that haven't moved in weeks regardless of construction going on]?  That means look out, slow down, caution.

MP:  [are you freaking kidding me?  I guess these two little cones mean I'm not getting through, huh?  Can we get on with this already?]  Sorry, I thought I was OK.  Where should I go?  Do I need to go around?

OHaL:  [proceeds to give proper directions around the coned-off route].

I don’t know.  I guess it wasn’t a big deal.  But did I really need that at 9:00 am on my way to a class that constantly reminds me of that fact that I have no job and no life?  Not really.  Could he have just said, “Yeah, you’re going to need to go such-and-such route, and would you mind the speed limit?  It seemed like you were going a bit quickly for the neighborhood.”  I think that would have been nice.  It was no real inconvenience, but it does go to show why people get the wrong impression about police officers.  I have a great deal of respect for anyone who protects me from all the crazy people in this world, but please address me and others with the same amount of respect Officer Helpsalot.