To all the people who are blessed enough to live in the United States of America but have no appreciation, respect, or understanding for police officers, I’m wondering how you can do it?

I’m wondering how you can look at a group of men and women, who choose to put their lives in danger for your safety every day and feel nothing but hate and suspicion toward them?

You look at stories in the news and assume that you know everything about the case and that the police officer was the bad guy. And maybe it’s just the way I was raised that gave me the privilege of feeling this way, but I’m not so quick to insist that police officers are a bunch of bad power-tripping racists.

And I’m not saying that there are never times when police officers do things wrong. I’m not saying that all cases of police brutality in the news are misplaced and untrue. I’m not saying that all police officers are above the moral level of normal citizens. In fact, what I’m trying to say is the exact opposite.

The mistake that I think you’re making is to think that people who decide to become police officers are superior individuals who are somehow above everyone else on the ethical level. The reality is that they’re normal people. They come from different walks of life, they grew up in different situations, and they were raised with their own sets of prejudices and inherent feelings that they’re expected to ignore when it comes to doing their jobs. They weren’t born better than anyone else. They are special people because they have chosen to devote their lives to serving and protecting others.

And it’s probable that you’re not like me. Maybe it is because I grew up with a dad who is a police officer, but I tend to have more sympathy for men and women who wear a uniform that takes them to the most dangerous places in order to protect people they’ve never met. Maybe the idea of putting your life on the line for people who say nothing but hateful and disrespectful things about you brings the word hero to my mind faster than it does for others.

But to you, who complains when a police officer pulls you over for going over 20 or who runs your mouth about how they’re never there when you actually need them, I hope that one day you’ll realize just how much police officers sacrifice for the good of mankind. But speaking as someone who has been surrounded by police officers her entire life, I can honestly say that I have yet to meet a police officer who doesn’t deserve to be respected, honored, and thanked for the service they do and the things they and their families endure.

I know the feeling of worrying about someone you love who makes a living out of putting themselves in danger for the safety of others. I know how it feels when that loved one comes home bandaged and bloodied, but you’re just thankful that they came home. I know how hard it is to wonder where that person is when the game is about to start, and to know that they can’t be there because they’re out there fixing other people’s problems, and making the world safer for you and everybody else.

Again, I understand that there are exceptions. I understand that not all police officers are good people, but the job in and of itself is hazardous. Grouping police officers together as all bad people is wrong, because for the most part, they’re just normal people who risk their lives every day for people like you and me. And unlike you, they don’t have the option of throwing their hands up and deciding you’re a bad person who do not deserve to be helped or respected -- they just have to do their jobs. They deserve a lot more appreciation and gratitude than you’re giving them.