Growing up, I was always so proud to proclaim that my father was Chief of Police in my small town. I didn't know how dangerous a cop's job could be when I was young and I am glad, I would have cried every night my father left.

My dad is everything a father should. He constantly supported me and taught me everything I know along with my mom. He played with me, he watched me as I played soccer (I give him credit for that since I was terrible). My mom and him are the perfect example of a happy marriage. I got his sense of humor and his sincerity. My father was a police officer for most of my life before he retired. In my eyes, he still is one. I know all the town cops by name and I see them both on and off duty. My family is has cops in them and I am extremely proud of that. But I am a little hesitant to reveal that information. There is always something negative to be said about police officers. People degrade them and rip them apart. Police officers are people too. They have families they want to come home to.

It seems like when I do reveal the information, I am met with weary looks and disbelief. People don't talk about police brutality around me and they assume I am against Black Lives Matter. I am not. I know there are instances of police brutality. There are some bad apples, I am not defending the officers who see a person of color and see them as lesser.

I am defending cops like my father. The cops who don't care what your skin color is, they will extend a helping hand. I am defending the cops that see a situation going sour and step into it, no thought to their own safety. I am defending cops who protect and serve the right way. I have no time for cops who take the law into their own hands and shoot innocents. The people are not cops, they are impostors.

To the police officers who see other people as lesser, take that uniform off. You are not a cop. You are someone with a God complex and you have no place in that uniform. You defile the name of police officers everywhere.

There are cops like my dad everywhere. They are the ones who are responding to your cries of help. They are the ones that comfort you after you were broken into. They are the ones who put themselves in the line of fire. They are the ones who go into the night. As said by Melissa Burke, "Even in the darkest of places, there is light."

I have heard my dad and countless others say that being a police officer is the "most thankless job" in the world. I would have to agree. Police come to help and are often met with cries of "Pigs!" and are spat upon. Remember next time when a cop comes around, think about who put you in that situation. It was you and no one else. Take some responsibility and don't blame cops. My generation has become so reliant in blaming other people for their problems. Mostly authority. We think that we are invincible and we answer to no one. We do and we are not above the law. Stop pointing fingers at others and start pointing them at yourself. Stop giving excuses and step up.

It makes my heart ache to think of the slain officers in Dallas. My thoughts and prayers go out to them because if it were my dad or someone in my family, I would be devastated. Stop killing. We've had enough violence to last a lifetime. I pray that all the officers that go out and risk their lives to protect complete strangers come back to their families. I am eternally grateful mine has.

You may call them "pigs" but I call them heroes. Because that's what they are, heroes. Thank you to Brian, Nick, Sean and the countless other cops I have met. You guys have kept me and others safe. We as society owe police officers a debt that cannot be repaid. It's time we start giving police officers the respect they deserve.