Protect and Serve: The Police Aren't the Bad Guys

Police officers: A.K.A. "The Fuzz", "The Cops", "The Boys in Blue", "Johnny Law". You've heard police referred to by those names and worse, but how often do you hear "Heroes", "Protectors", "Defenders", "Good Guys"? The police get a bad rap for the actions of a few bad apples. And even a lot of those apples aren't as bad as some people would have you believe.

The police are our first and last line of defense between the public and the miscreants living among us that would do us harm. If not for Johnny Law, we would either be fighting for our lives on a daily basis or be barricaded in our homes for fear of being attacked if we left. There is no shortage of "bad guys" (and girls) out there - in fact, they far outnumber the police we pay to protect us. If left to their own devices, they would likely band into larger gangs vying for control of the streets, taking what they want, killing whomever they please. The police fight a constant war against these criminals every day and many people - the same people benefiting from the protection - just can't seem to see that.

When an officer on patrol pulls a car over, he (or she) is taking their life and putting it on the line right then and there - every single time they do a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle may be on drugs, may be mentally unstable, may have just murdered someone, or may be a soccer-mom heading home to make dinner for the family. The officer has no way of knowing yet time and time again walks up to these vehicles to do his/her job. Traffic stops are the easy ones. Police also answer emergency calls from people in trouble - and by "trouble" I mean things like getting shot at, physically attacked, robbed, abused, raped... the list goes on and on. These fine officers respond with speed and professionalism into situations most of us would run from to escape. Here's a good example: You're sitting home alone on a Tuesday night reading the paper when you hear a noise outside. After dismissing it as an animal you hear the front door handle jiggling and while staring at it in fright you hear the back door start rattling too! Who do you call? Who comes to your rescue? Who do you appreciate now?

We've all seen the TV show "Cops". We've all seen how stupid people can be and how the police deal with them. Frankly, I wouldn't be a good police officer for the simple fact that I couldn't exhibit that kind of self-control. I would pummel an awful lot of the suspects. I recently saw an episode where some fool walked into a police station and shot a cop point-blank in the head killing him instantly. The fool then ran outside where the police swarmed him and took him into custody. "Into custody". I would have shot him, they took him into custody. I'm hoping that behind closed doors they beat him unmercifully. That's why I wouldn't make a good cop. Of course, I wouldn't make a very good "perp" either since I tend to cooperate with the police instead of lying to them and trying to run away. Not that I've ever been arrested, as far as you know.

Day after day they're out there protecting us, defending us against people who have very little conscience when it comes to trampling the rights of others. The police are not paid well enough for what they do, not given enough credit for what they do then criticized for how they do it. We have two days per year on which we thank our veterans for defending our country - on which days do we thank our police for their efforts? Since there aren't any specific days set aside for them, let's just tell them when we see them. The next time you get pulled over (and you will), when the officer is writing you up, tell them that you understand why he (or she) is out there and that you appreciate their sacrifice on your behalf. They may be so surprised to hear it they might forget why they pulled you over in the first place - which would give you yet another reason to thank them.