Cops. Misunderstood and Under Appreciated

You see them everywhere, performing a variety of duties in communities across the country. Twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week they are available and can be reached from any phone, anywhere. They are the dedicated men and women of the law enforcement profession, and they deserve to be recognized for the job they do and the sacrifices they make.

Not a single day passes that some newspaper or television news broadcast somewhere in America covers an incident in which police officer's wronged a citizen, violated someone's civil rights, acted inappropriately, or simply acted unprofessionally. The internet is full video portraying cops as racists. You Tube has endless examples of cops doing the wrong thing. This is not surprising to me, as it seems there is a video capturing device in the hands of just about everyone these days. With these devices, an incident can be recorded, uploaded and broadcast on line in minutes.

More often than not, this type of attention paints an ugly picture of the law. In a society in which the media is so influential, the damage done to the law enforcement community is almost immediate and usually lingers for quite some time. Because of the attention these isolated incidents receive, portions of society forget about the rest of the story.

As a proud supporter of the law enforcement profession, I am often surprised at how quickly people will attack the reputation of the police, and how seldom they are to relate acts of kindness or self sacrifice made by these people.

Does the average person understand what life is like behind the badge? Maybe some do, but a majority of people really have no idea. They never give a thought to the scope of responsibility a police officer has. To his community, to his partner, and to his agency.

The average people, living under the blanket of protection provided by their local police probably never give a thought to the risks that can be involved in providing it. Many cops spend more time driving a car in a single shift, than most people do in a week going to and from their safe jobs. Just due to that one fact, a police officer is far more likely to be involved in an accident than most people, and we aren't even talking about driving in inclimate weather conditions. When the call comes in that assistance is needed, regardless of how hard it is raining, or how slippery the road is, the police are on the way.

The average person goes to work daily with the confidence that at the end of the day they will arrive back at their home in the same state of health as when they left. Not so for most cops. To these guys, a successful shift is one that ends with making it home alive or at least in one piece. In the course of a shift they could be hit by a passing car while conducting a routine stop, or even worse, shot by the driver they have stopped. They respond to calls of domestic violence during which, anything could happen. They fight the war on drugs, dui's, and a variety other types of crime, often with only their training and equipment to protect them.

My point is simply that our law enforcement community does far more good than they ever do bad. They do it selflessly, for less pay than many people would work for, under conditions many would find distasteful, and at great personal risk. As a whole, they should be admired, respected, and above all appreciated.

And maybe, the next time you see a cop doing a good deed, you'll snap a picture with your camera phone and send it to your local newspaper.