I’m not usually outwardly political, but I have something to get off my chest. I recently overheard a police officer talking about how it won’t be worth it if he has to get insurance so he won’t get sued. I didn’t feel comfortable enough to get into a debate with him, which later made me even more uncomfortable, so I will address the issue here.
When you signed up to be a public servant and put yourself in harms way to protect your community, it was one of the noblest and bravest things you could do. Now the thing your community needs protection from is a little closer to home. Don’t take this personally, it is not a reflection on you as an individual, but some details of the police and societal culture have evolved over the years to create a smell that hangs around among your ranks.
Changes are coming. Changes can be scary, but you have a choice:
- You can grit your teeth and bear it to serve the community you swore to protect.
You might even look for ways to contribute to improving the process so that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.
- You can fight it and become the villain you imagined yourself saving people from.
It is a slippery slope, but the time are changing, and you can’t fight the tides of change.
- You can find another line of work.
Policing is a very dangerous job, and like many of the hard jobs in this country, they are underappreciated. No one will blame you if you choose to go in a different direction.
The rest of the narrative is up to you. History on your subject is yours to write if you choose your pen wisely.