I think I did: It's crushingly dull.

Picture the U.S. television show Cops, but only the deleted scenes.

I had hoped that my escort, Officer Milan Huňák, would be sent on patrol through a Romany neighborhood so that I could see firsthand the very concerns that the Interior Ministry had about its concerns with Roma, or Gypsy, and other minorities. At the very least, I wanted to see how Huňák — himself Romany — interacted with the Roma community.

But the Ústí nad Labem Police Department doesn't have "Roma beats" for its Romany officers, and as the day wore on I had the distinct impression that I was being led on a dog-and-pony show — an occupational hazard for journalists who negotiate time in the field with cops, soldiers and the like.

On foot, I followed Huňák as he meandered through a newly reconstructed park with mothers and children playing together. I watched Huňák warning citizens against jaywalking. I yawned.

One thing I noticed is that people looked at Huňák differently than they did other officers. There was a subtle double take that some people performed when they saw him. Occasionally, they muttered something unintelligible to whomever they were walking beside.

While Huňák checked the tags of cars parked in the handicap spaces at a supermarket, a couple in their '50s watched him for more than five minutes. Despite being only 10 meters from them, I could not make out what they were saying. But their expressions hinted at contempt.

At one point, the man walked over to Huňák and criticized him for not checking the paperwork of someone Huňák stopped. It was outright disrespect.