Cops at work

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Been working at home Depot for three and a half years as a Lot Attendant. Pushing carts and loading merchandise in the parking lot

Home Depot (at least, that one) has at least two standby cops at all times.

The other cops never bothered me. And there were plenty of other cops.

Officer DEH asked my name a couple of weeks ago and I told him. He then had the nerve to ask which Asian I was (how politically incorrect) and I told him. He said he thought I was Vietnamese instead of Chinese

A couple of times later he said hi.

Today he bothered me three times(!).

(1) On the loudspeaker he had the nerve to say "sup (my first name).". I didn't want to seem too curt, so I approached and waved. "Drink plenty of water". "They have water in the break room". "Really?". Then I left

(2) He told me that plenty of customers ask him where the carts are. (Lot Attendants are only supposed to push carts to the "main" entrance and Garden, not the Lumber entrance. He asked a "favor" that I push four carts to the Lumber entrance and I told him that I have to push carts to the main entrance and Garden, and there is no way to keep four carts at the Lumber entrance at all times. He said, not "at all times", just at that time. Which didn't make sense because there was nothing special about that particular time, but "pick your battles". (Some people pick all the battles). And later I put four carts where he wanted them and he gave me a "thumbs up ".

(3) After that he told me that he likes cold water and asked if I do too and I said "no"

__________________

Does it sound like he wanted to be my "friend", like he was autistic, or whatever?

I didn't want to be harsh, but he was bothering me while I was trying to work. The only thing I saw him doing was sitting in his car and it didn't look (to me ) like he was working

He was bothering me and he acted like he was doing me a favor or something

Plenty of my coworkers and his coworkers, waste large amounts of time standing around flapping their traps, but I am not one of them

Hi SFBUM.

I don't think he means any harm. Yes, it sounds like he wants to be friends, but he isn't necessarily good at knowing how. He may be autistic or not. He probably can't work out that you are autistic. Neurotypicals can be irritating too.

He might be a good person to have on your side. If he is irritating you too much any time, maybe try saying something like 'Thanks for looking out for me. But I'd better do some work right now. People are watching.'

based on previous interactions, it did not appear to me that he meant any "harm". however, things are not always the way they appear. home depot hires convicted felons. plenty of home depot customers have no manners. some police officers have literally gotten away with murder. the requirements for becoming a police officer are much higher than for lot attendant (my job). police officers need to pass background investigations, medical exams, physical fitness tests, and oral interviews. due to autism or any other reasons, there is no way i could pass any of them. (the written test is just grammar school reading and writing.) besides, there is no way that i could work a rotating schedule, work on call, physically fight with suspects, or drive a police car, or anything like that.

plenty of precious lil "people" are not good at knowing how to be friends. that includes me. that doesn't give him an excuse to bother me. there is no way for me to "know" if he is autistic or has any diagnosis like that, b/c i do not have a legal "right" to access his medical record, nor do i have the moral "right" to assign diagnoses. plenty of neurotypicals are irritating. he is just being "true" to himself. the vast majority of extroverts know *nothing* about autism, but they act like they know everything.

yes, he might be good to have on my side.

yesterday, i was trying to push three shopping carts from the Contractor doors to the main entrance (what i am supposed to do, according to the head cashier), and that annoying lil dipshit, Officer DEH, had the nerve to bark @ me "what are you doing? go push the other carts." he only bothered me once. but whatever. cops get away with all sorts of s**t, such as murder. he was just verbally rude to me. there is nobody to tattle to.

On a later date, Officer DEH then had the nerve to tell me that 24 hour fitness' parking lot (next door) had a stray shopping cart and "would you mind getting it?". (But Home Depot technically does not allow employees to leave the property while staying "on the clock"). But I did it anyways, and nobody made me redundant, wrote me up, or interrogated me or anything like that.

Last week, one day after work, I was walking to the bus stop, when Officer DEH, who was driving toward Home Depot, had the nerve to pull over and "do you wanna ride?". "No, thank you," I answered. "Just checking," he said. Officer DEH has bad vibes and makes me uncomfortable. Granted, I have not, thus far, seen him doing anything illegal or extreme or anything like that, but sometimes you have to follow your gutt instinct.

On Sunday, Officer DEH made eye contact with me a couple of times and did not bother me. (Thank Buddha). For some reason, I thought cops were required to be *really really* great @ nonverbal communication.

Officer DEH doesn't seem to get the message.

He has bothered me numerous times. Not once did I bother him

I have never seen him doing anything I could not also do. The vast majority of the time he is sitting in the car or flapping his trap at other employees

One time after work he pulled over and offered me a ride. "No thank you". (Are cops even allowed to give rides? How do I know if I got in the car he would not physically or sexually injure me?)(rolls eyes)

One time he had the nerve to ask me "do you mind getting a shopping cart from the middle of next doors parking lot?". Why does he care about shopping carts? That's not his job

Then he had the nerve to bark "hey!" @ me when I was pushing carts and I told him the head cashier told me not to give him any carts and he had the nerve to bark "what does she know?". And then he talked to her and he said that the head cashier said it is ok. But that was a different head cashier. Besides even if I give him carts, that's a personal favor, not a job requirement, s**t. (I also hate how he called the head cashier "the black girl", even though I don't like the head cashier either. It just seems objectifying and condescending and s**t. He bothered her and didn't even get her name.). I don't know why a cop would want shopping carts. None of the other cops want shopping carts.

Then another time he said "nice glasses" but they are company goggles

Every time he bothered me I answered briefly but tried to indicate with nonverbal communication I don't want him to bother me anymore

I thought cops had to be really great at interpreting nonverbal communication but I was wrong as usual

Quite frankly I suspect he is on the autism spectrum

Also (not to be fatphobic), but I looked up the fitness standards for cops and I could not imagine him passing a single test, much less all of them. He's about five feet tall, 180 pounds and sixty years old. I'm 41, 5'3, 110# and I could not come anywhere close to passing any of the fitness tests

Maybe I should have been a cop

They earn a lot more than minimum wage

What is the most polite way to ask someone to please stop bothering you? I am afraid of I make the wrong action or statement he might tell my boss to make me redundant, he might take out revenge on me in ways that are subject to imagination