"I am the police, and I'm here to arrest you. You've broken the law. I did not write the law. I may even disagree with the law, but I will enforce it. No matter how you plead, cajole, beg or attempt to stir my sympathies, nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away I will chase you. If you fight me I will fight back. If you shoot at me I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes I can be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me, and I them. We stand watch together. The thin blue line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police."
- "End of Watch"
Recently, I went on a ride along with a police officer. And I noticed something. People don't appreciate them the way that they should. Don't get me wrong, I knew that there was hatred to police officers, but I had never seen it firsthand.
Don't get me wrong; we saw some kids who were excited to see us driving around and asked for stickers and talked to us for a minute. And there were a few men and women who were very polite, but for the most part it was the complete opposite. These men and women were called names and cursed at, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Growing up in a small town, everyone knows everyone and most people are polite. But maybe that is just my town. People are so rude and cruel. These men and women were called to do this job, and that is what they are doing. Their jobs. They are here to protect you, and make sure your neighborhoods are safe. No one seems to care.
Every day these people get out of bed to serve others. They don't know if they will return home at the end of their shift; they don't know if they will see their loved ones again, because they could die while saving yours. They are the peacemakers.
I recently watched a video that explained it perfectly. Most of the world are sheep; they are gentle and will not hurt each other unless by accident. There are wolves, who feed on the sheep. They are the criminals, the sociopaths, the crooked cops. And then there are sheepdogs. The sheep are not sure about the sheepdogs. The sheepdog watches out and will never turn his back on the flock; he just waits for an attack. When the wolves decide to attack, the flock will hide behind the sheepdog and he faces the wolves. The goal is to become a warrior and be ready for the attack when it comes and to face it head on.
Don't get me wrong; I know there are some crooked and evil cops out there, but you can't judge a group of people because of one individual.
I don't think people understand the impact that the police have on a community. You don't see them walking around a neighborhood to rescue a dog, or talking to kids who want to grow up to be police officers. You don't see them losing their brothers and sisters, or getting keys out of a locked car. You see videos of the crooked ones, the ones that weren't meant to be cops, or you see the ones who are doing their job, but you don't get the whole story. You see what the media wants you to see.
At the end of the day when it comes down to it and I am in trouble, I would want the police to come a help me. I trust in them wholeheartedly. I want them to protect me when I need it and even when I don't. And most of all, I want people to appreciate police officers, because without them this world would be in even more chaos than it is right now.
