Unless you have excluded yourself from news and current events for the past few years, you have been made well aware of the steadily-rising tension between civilians and law enforcement. Whether it has been from news channels, Facebook posts, or newspaper headlines, virtually everyone can agree that our nation’s law enforcement is defined by a lack of trust stronger than ever before.
Growing up, I always marveled at the pictures and stories of my grandfather and his police escapades while working for the Maryland Police Department. I would look at pictures of him with his uniform and badge and have thoughts filled with pride and courage, because I knew he served, protected, and stepped into situations I could only hope to have bravery enough to match. To me, this label that I put on my Grandfather was not singular to him, but one that he shared with all other police officers as well. So when did this label, one of pride, selflessness, and courage, leave our minds and get replaced by doubt, intimidation, and biased predispositions? Are we naïve to still believe that law enforcers wear their badge to protect us, or, on the other hand, are we closed-minded to think the opposite, that cops really do abuse their power and narcissistically neglect the needs of citizens?
The only way to follow this rapidly-growing tension is to observe how the world around it, aside from law enforcing, has changed as well. Technology and media has allowed people from all around the world to instantly connect their thoughts, beliefs, and opinions, which many times has very positive results. This technological advance has a crucial issue in its nature however: people connecting themselves through things such as television or the internet are satisfyingly fed by videos, pictures, and interviews that serve only the purpose of reinforcing their beliefs. When a video is shared showing police brutality or civilian resistance, it is not shared in an effort to sway someone’s mind, but instead it is shared to blindly support whatever standpoint the individual already has. If a video is posted showing someone run away from the police, the target audience is those with a pro police background, just like a video from a police body camera that implies some unnecessary force is aimed at grabbing the attention of those who are already on the side that is against law enforcers.
It is no secret at all that there is an issue within the heart of some law enforcers, as there absolutely are cases where bigotry, prejudice, and power cloud the judgement of police officers; but it must also be mindfully and mutually respected that a vast majority of them want nothing more than to put on their badge, serve their community, and go home to their family each night. So admitting these things, can we say that there is pure injustice and racism simply because we saw a flashy video online about it? Or can we logically say that there is no injustice at all and racism is not alive strictly because we have a predetermined positive notion toward law enforcers? With the tension seeking no imminent end and the fight growing bigger and bigger, there is a fundamental basis that citizens must live their lives by in accordance with the realm of law enforcement the way it was meant to be: understand that a small number of incidences do not cover a full category of people, and that in order to see this we must open our minds to beliefs other than one’s we are comfortable with.
People have grown extremely accustomed to seeking information they already know the answer to instead of taking a step back and letting statistical logic base their notions. Are there instances, especially in the past few years, where unquestionably unjust actions were taken against innocent people? Absolutely. Have there been times where these officers were not punished for their actions? Sadly, yes again; can, however, we let a specific number of cases define our view on those who are said to serve and protect us? Instead of letting a catchy video that shows one example of injustice sway our beliefs, let us do research, learn not just about the bad but the good, and talk to officers ourselves; when this happens, there will be a realization that an extreme vast majority of law enforcers are there to do just what their title says, to enforce laws in a way to protect us and those around us. We should focus on the officer who responded to a home invasion. We should thank the officer who pulled over the drunk driver before an innocent life was taken. We should, without question if we want future change, be forever grateful of the fact that these men and women took an oath to serve, protect, and put others first each and every day, which is something most of us cannot understand.
Injustice from a certain few cannot undermine selfless actions that these men and women take every day.
