The officer may have simply wanted to make eye contact with you, sort of a passive agressive way of saying, "don't make a mess or cause trouble". My neighborhood has a few officers living in it, and we have a healthy share of patrol cars on our end of town. I personally don't mind. Granted, being thigh-high in a pile of "Renters Remorse Goods" isn't necessarily a position of strength when speaking to anyone especially the cops, but like many of you have stated, sincerity and neatness go a long way.