"Due to officer safety needs, they can look into other areas, to clear rooms," he said.

When dealing with active incidents, officer safety is paramount.

In July, the union asked for meetings to discuss the new system, saying it was having an adverse impact on officer safety.

These two factors have been proven to increase officer safety dramatically.

The primary purpose of effective community policing is insuring officer safety, he said.

The color of the day system is about officer safety.

Over the years, police policy has tried to balance civilian and police officer safety when it comes to weapons.

"It really came down to officer safety," he said.

Primary consideration must be given to public and officer safety.

In other words, if the person arrested could conceivably reach into his car for a weapon, then a search based on officer safety is permitted.