Today, there seems to be an incessant amount of media coverage on police brutality cases and the politics behind them. With allegations of racism, sexism, and corruption from power, it can seem that we all don't like cops because of their vigilant and "gestapo-ish" nature. Many friends even tell me that they feel afraid or scared when they see a cruiser roll by, or want to see real justice instead of cops patrolling around.

However, there seems to be an issue, not that of the conflict between the black lives matter, or the blue lives matter, or the all lives matter camps, but of categorization and judging books by their cover. Categorizing officers by the actions of a few is like using Trump's categorization of "all hispanics" bringing drugs, crime, rape to the United States. In reality, these kinds of things are much more complicated. In the public opinion side of things, the police are seen as someone who should be defied or not listen to, since authority is not essentially in our nature. We want to defy and do our own thing, but unfortunately if everyone wanted to do that, our society wouldn't exist. The police do many favors and should be recognized for their efforts for stopping crime, enforcing important laws, and keeping the peace in our communities. However, the police should be held accountable for not only the good things they do, but of the unjust and corrupt actions they take. Police brutality should not exist, and it is the peoples job to keep the police accountable and transparent with the communities they inhabit. With the power of viral videos and social media, unspoken actions by the police to citizens (mostly minorities, but it seems now anyone who questions authority) can now be seen to the whole world and kept them in check.

Let's take a step back though. Being a police officer, like any other employment in the world, doesn't necessarily define the person in the suit. Being prejudiced against a police officer is an irrelevant term. Even if an officer puts on a uniform and drives in a police cruiser, a cop is still a human, and could very well have a family and people to look after. If one judges a police officer by calling him names and insulting his work, its like calling a McDonalds cashier a loser and a failure because they couldn't get a better job. It doesn't help. The police are here to serve and protect, and if they aren't given enough credit to what they do, cops, just like any other human, can get fed up and keep perpetuating the things we infamously see on video cameras.

Its time to address these issues like civilized people. Police accountability should be seen as a serious problem that cannot be acted upon by citing youtube videos and death tolls. In order to end the prejudice, both sides must raise their voices of concern and become accountable and follow through with their missions to serve and protect both the rights and the lives of citizens in the United States. Officers are part of our community, and if we continue to exclude the many who enforce the law by the few who abuse their power, then our moral compass needs more than just a realignment, it needs rethinking.