30 People Are Sharing "Street Smarts" Everybody Should Know

Above everything else, maintaining constant vigilance seems to lie at the core of surviving any dangerous encounters. Preempt any risks by not getting into those situations at all or knowing how to defuse them. And, like one redditor wrote, “Don’t worry about your pride, run.” Though that’s easier said than done when you’re panicking and fearing for your life.

New York police officer Sadaka Kitonyi told Bored Panda what it’s like to work as a patrolman. He explained to me that the foundation of being a quality officer begins with taking care of one’s health, both physical and mental.

“A good cop must have a healthy lifestyle—and physical health creates mental stability,” he said that leading a healthy lifestyle is about more than just health. A police officer who is sharp, always in control of their emotions, can defuse tense situations and solve things diplomatically before things get out of hand.

“As a patrolman, our main responsibility is to answer and respond to 911 and radio calls—very reactive, yes, but the unique thing is we can all choose how we do our job in between answering calls,” the officer said.

“Some guys look for guns and drugs or guys with warrants. This is a proactive approach and that’s great—it’s needed—but I choose to take that time to develop relationships,” he said.

“I check in on businesses and residents and get out of the car for a few minutes. It may not be proactive in preventing crime, but it is proactive in developing trust and respect with the community because that’s an important part of policing too,” Sadaka told Bored Panda.

“I don’t sit or live in an ivory tower, I'm on the ground level with everyone else out here. I'm not an administrator calling shots from the top or some outsider looking in just to make comments and posts on social media for attention,” he said that he’s in the trenches, day in, day out.

“I’m out here—walking up and down these streets with the residents and business owners day in and out. I look at it like this, I have the ability to ruin someone’s day or make it. I don’t know about you but I like to see people smile.”