"My dad is the chief of police!" I would say when people would ask me what my parents did for a living. I was proud of that answer. People would always give me a hard time and say things like, "Oh, that must be so difficult. You can't get away with anything!" I didn't care. I was a good kid so there was nothing I even had to ever worry about "getting away with" because I knew not to put myself in that kind of position.
I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for police officers. Growing up being the daughter of a police chief, you get to know many officers. The ones I have met are so incredibly special. They are such amazing people who are spectacular at their jobs. People who I can trust and people who I love. I know whenever I visit my dad at work I will be greeted with a big hug and a smile by my dad's officers. I consider them my family.
I remember a time (many years ago) when I would tell people what my dad did, and it would be the coolest thing ever. I remember a time when taking my friends to the police station would be the highlight of our weeks, getting to see the jail and all of the equipment made us happy. It's not like that anymore.
I sometimes feel insecure telling people what my dad does when they ask nowadays. The media portrays police as horrible, racist people who are only out to hurt others. Police aren't the most favorable people in the world right now. It makes me feel sad that I have to feel bad about telling people about what one of the most important people in my life does for a living. I've talked to many community members, and I have heard how respected my dad is in my community. He goes above and beyond his duties as chief of police (which are a lot to begin with). He has dealt with a lot during his time being police chief such as multiple murders, drug busts, very large amounts of prostitution and much more. On top of all of the things him and his department has gone through, he is also in charge of every single officer and disciplining them when necessary. My dad has many responsibilities that many people do not realize. He does his job at an exemplary level, every single day. He has to stay late and clean up people's messes. He even goes into work on important holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving to feed his officers and thank them for doing a great job.
I wish bad things didn't happen. I wish it didn't take a few bad seeds to ruin the reputation of an entire population. I'm not trying to sit here and say that all cops are good cops because I know that is false. All cops are not good cops. Some of them are corrupt and violent. Some of them use too much force. However, the poor choices of a few should not reflect how all of them are viewed. There are more officers who do their job well every single day than officers who abuse their privileges. I wish more people could see how great most police officers, like my dad, are. I hope someday we can become a nation where police are recognized for all the good they do, not the bad.
For now, I want to thank officers such as my dad and his department (shout out to the East Lampeter Township police department) for all of the work that you do. It is appreciated by many.
