Police officers are proactive because they want to stop crime before it happens and before criminals can hurt others. Why? Because the vast majority of us are good people who care about and want to protect the innocent! Perfect time for the politically correct qualifier. Do cops have their crabby days and display disdain a little too often? Sure. Are there some police officers who are mean, biased and even racist? Yeah, there are. But, and I’d argue this to my death: There are no more people that fit that description in law enforcement than there are in any—and I do mean any—segment of the population. People of that ilk are alive and well in the medical field, education profession, certainly the media—even in theology. The real truth is that the vast majority of police officers are motivated by one thing: protecting the innocent. I know it’s corny but it’s still the truth. And we work in spite of the obstacles, threats of discipline and the potential for litigation. But, we aren’t insane. Well, mostly we’re not. We still volunteer for the dirty jobs: Undercover narcotics and organized crime, SWAT, bomb squads, night shift and so on. We run into burning buildings, wade into violent bar fights, enter darkened hallways looking for homicide suspects and charge into buildings occupied by an active shooter. We get very few thanks. No parades. No hugs. No gifts of great material value. And we’re fine with that. We can live without hero monikers, awards and medals. But—please!—stop the name-calling, the ridiculous racist rhetoric and the destructive diatribes that paint all in law enforcement as, well, criminals. So where is the public outrage? Where are the politicians speaking the truth to their constituents? And where are the bosses standing up and acting as our advocates? I’ll tell you where: on the defensive! I’ve seen it in big and small towns alike. Accusations, even baseless ones, put administrators on the ropes. They eat up administrators’ time and cause considerable emotional angst. So the bosses find themselves spending an inordinate amount of their time trying to disprove a negative that doesn’t exist. And this isn’t fun. It’s draining as hell, and they don’t like it much. Eventually, they figure out that not having to defend officers’ actions is much more fun than defending them. They also realize that the people they report to know next to nothing about law enforcement. But they think they do, because they own the complete seasons of Law & Order SVU. So perhaps unconsciously, they communicate to officers that getting in trouble isn’t something they, the bosses, want to see. And the officers get the message. Again, I’m not advocating a work stoppage. In fact, I totally agree with Val Van Brocklin that your character is what defines you and your behavior. I’m just saying, systemically, it’s becoming a viable and accepted option in many organizations. Law enforcement officers works in spite of the many obstacles. They want to do their jobs. We have the most enthusiastic recruits of any profession that I know of. These guys get out of the Academy ready to rock! They are stopping cars, making arrests, searching vehicles, finding contraband. The stats and activity on the shift they inhabit soar. They’re happy, supervisors are happy, life is beautiful until one of two things happen: The recruit gets a citizen complaint and/or the sluggy veteran officers get to them. A citizen complains: Some—not all, but some—supervisors overreact. They berate, criticize, grumble and whine. Then, perhaps unintentionally, they convey a clear message: No more citizen complaints … And what is the best way to avoid getting a citizen complaint? Yep: Do less. Sluggy veterans give advice: “Listen kid, you need to slow the hell down! This place sucks you just don’t know it yet. The more you do the more trouble you’re gonna get in. So just follow my lead. Do the minimum; volunteer for nothing. The sergeants will love you and if you want you’ll probably get promoted.” And one more time: The downside for not working (at least systemically)? There’s none. My bottom line: I’m proud of police officers because they do work, and should work, in spite of those who believe the worst about them. Yes, we are flawed. But we are also honorable. We are the warrior’s that do what 95% of this country would never do. We wade in and put ourselves between the wolves and the sheep. A word of warning from a veteran cop buddy of mine: “When society makes enemies with its cops, it better become friends with its criminals.” Pick a side.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 00:59:28 +0000
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