I recently reconnected with an old high school friend. To my surprise, they had decided that they wanted to become a police officer and were in the process of doing so. Naturally, I inquired to why they decided to pursue that profession. With all the debate, danger, and alleged corruption, not many are keen on such a job. The response? They want to be a part of positive change. I realized at that moment, a big piece of the justice puzzle.
Police in America have been a big piece of national news lately. Video recordings, being much easier to come by, has unearthed a nest of police officers exploiting the current justice system. Day after day, news of shootings, often of the colored community, leaves police open to wide scrutiny. All lot of questions are being asked: Why are there bad cops? Why are they not being punished? Are cops bullies or protectors?
Growing up, I certainly had a disdain for cops. Likely due to my upbringing, I was taught to watch out for cops and to not let them bully you. And as a child of a family of almost no illegal activity (everyone speeds once in a while), I now find it odd that I was raised to think our protectors were my enemy. Now, taking that and add it to my understanding of pop culture, where police in television is often taken by the role of the high school bully. Maybe after sustaining an injury, or flunking out of college, these jocks turn to the one job where they can still be in control. When you put those two together you come to the point I realized while talking with my high school friend.
Not every cop is bad, I think that goes without saying. I have concluded that a big problem within our policing system is simple. The right people for the job, don't want to be cops. With the current situation involving cops, it isn't surprising that great and honest people ,who want to make a change, would avoid a job that is under such public scrutiny. Whereas those who don't care what others thing about them, would be more prone to cause disruptions within the force.
What can we do about this? Cops made visits during my time in school, coming into class and talking about safety and taking questions. And as children, our most important interest involved the cops firearm. This creates a very unhealthy understanding of police work in general. My first move of action would be changing the way officers present themselves to children. Have a happy attitude and express how great it is to be a cop and help the community and to save lives. As opposed to telling the classrooms about what not to do, how to respect and follow the law.
Next, I understand cops have decent rewards for their services. I would increase the rewards based on the communities approval of the local force. Great duty makes great money and benefits. I think if this change was implemented, you would see a quick shift to police coming together to figure out how to better service their communities.
Despite all this being said, I would like to thank the police for keeping us safe. There are plenty great cops and I respect and admire your dedication and work. Thank you to my friend as well, for working to be a positive influence and inspiring others to do so as well.
