Kiev policemen patrol the streets wearing orange ribbons on their sleeves to show their solidarity with the supporters of opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko who have inundated the city. Dozens of uniformed police cadets join the boisterous street rallies, singing and waving Ukrainian and Georgian flags. Ukrainian television news programs regularly broadcast assertions by the law enforcement agencies that their officers are not taking sides in the standoff between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych over who should be the next president. The reality on the streets of Kiev and other cities, however, is that many in the rank-and-file have made their choice. This may be one reason the current leadership has been so careful not to provoke a violent confrontation as the protests have grown throughout the week, although both candidates have impressed on their supporters the importance of avoiding violence. "I voted for Yushchenko and I think neither I nor many others in my detachment would act against the people, even if we got such an order," one police officer said. "But I am not ready to speak about it openly yet. I will wait and see how things develop." The officer -- who would only give his first name, Oleksander -- was patrolling the Khreshchatyk subway station with a fellow officer Sunday evening. Both wore orange ribbons on the sleeves of their dark blue police uniforms. "If I see somebody drunk, I will lead him out, otherwise let them yell, I won't move," Oleksander said. In an informal poll of about a dozen police officers patrolling the streets of Kiev on Sunday and Monday, most said they support Yushchenko, although some said they were afraid to show their support publicly for fear they may be fired.