When you and your children pass us in the store and you
can't control them, you make them afraid of us. You tell them if they don't
behave, you'll tell us to "get them". My friend we are not monsters.
We don't want them to be afraid of us. We want them to know that we're their
friends, and they can trust us. Do you know who we are?
Sometimes, we have to play the role of lawyers, judges,
psychiatrists, reporters, medics, marriage counselors, investigators,
firefighters, and many times, just be a good listener. Those are just a few of
the skills that we must be able to utilize at any moment in the performance of
our job. We're constantly scrutinized by the media and you, the public. We're
bashed by you. If one of us makes a mistake it sometimes makes the local news,
and possibly even the national and world news.
Many of you are more interested in what a few of us do
wrong, than what most of us do right. You forget that we are not perfect. We're
human and we do make mistakes. Have you ever made a mistake?
We have the same emotions that you do. If something is
funny, we laugh. If something is sad, we cry. When repeat offenders are released
from prison and placed back into society to rape, rob and murder again, we get
angry just like you. We wonder why they are put back out also.
We suffer from the same problems that some of you do. Some
of us at this very moment are thinking about committing suicide. Some of us
already have. Some of us, if not most, have marital problems. Some are
alcoholics, and yes, some of us even have problems with drugs. Again, we are
just like you.
We're of every race, sex, religion, nationality and even
sexual preference known to mankind, yet, if we strike back to defend ourselves,
we're called racist and prejudiced. Do you know who we are?
Most of you have no idea what we go through every day and
night. You have no idea what kind of decisions we must make in a split second.
Decisions that may forever change someone's life, family or future. Decisions
that a jury will have hours or days to decide whether we were correct or not.
Many people would love to cause us pain, injury or even
death. Some wish we didn't exist at all. We're cursed, ridiculed, shot at, cut,
beaten, ambushed and murdered in cold blood by some. Would you ever imagine that
we're here for those people also? Would you believe that we are the only thing
that stands between you and them?
We see things that would horrify most of you. Things that
you may think only exist in large cities. That's a common misconception. We see
death, broken bones, dismembered bodies, and cut throats. The list is too long
to really go on. These things are everywhere. A lot of the things that you see
only on TV or at the movies are all too real to us.
We see innocent little children that have no choice but to
live in dirty, smelly, roach infested homes because their parents would rather
sit on their butts and live on welfare in a government funded housing complex,
or a house that is not fit for human habitat, than to get out and get a job.
Parents that would rather spend more, if not all of their money getting high on
drugs, than taking care of their children, and raising them in a clean
environment. Some of the parents are only children themselves.
As I said before, we're human and have feelings. It hurts
knowing that these children may never get to see and do things that other
children with loving, caring, hardworking parents are doing. I wonder if any of
them will ever get to see that magical wonderland called Disney World.
Yet our job is one that looks appealing to some of you.
Especially when you see us stopped for lunch. We've heard some of you say things
like "I wish I had a job that would pay me to sit around and eat." Of
course you don't think that the very next minute we may be fighting for our
lives, or yours.
When you see us riding down the road, and you, not knowing
where we're going, or what we're about to face say "I wish I could get paid
to ride around all day and write tickets". My friend, I wish that was all
we had to do. Do you know who we are? I think you do.
You don't see us ride through your neighborhoods late at
night trying to protect you, your family and property from the thieves who could
care less about how long and hard you worked for everything you own. You may not
know this, but they are roaming your neighborhood at night too while you are
fast asleep. They're looking for anything of value that is easy to get. Things
that you carelessly leave unsecured or laying in your yard. No neighborhood is
completely safe. When something is taken from you, you call us. Some of you will
complain and wonder where we were when your property was taken. The sad, but
true story is that we are extremely out numbered by the bad guys. We can't be
everywhere at once and they know that. I wish there were more of us. You should
know who we are by now. If you don't you will soon.
Now the types of crime and people that I have mentioned
aren't the only ones that we come in contact with. We also come into contact
with you, the citizen that never does anything wrong. We're all to familiar with
you and the remarks that you make when our paths meet for whatever reason.
Whether it is running a stop sign, a red light, speeding, or DUI. If we had a
dime for every time we heard you say "I pay taxes! Why don't you leave me
alone and go get the drug dealer standing on the corner"? "There are
people out there doing worse than me!" Or the famous "I pay your
salary!" We would be rich!
We know that those of you that make an honest living do pay
taxes. So do we!
If we concentrated only on the drug dealers, how many
innocent people would be injured or killed if we were to ignore the people that
travel extremely too fast, or the people who get behind the wheel while
intoxicated? That number now is too high and is still climbing. I can't help but
wonder how many lives we have saved by stopping the speeders and the drunks.
Could one life have been yours or one of your family members?
We know that there are people doing much worse than you,
but the bottom line is, there are many laws that must be enforced, from minor
traffic violations all the way to hard-core crimes such as rape and murder.
To the remark "I pay your salary". All I can say
is, "Well, we're doing our job, boss".
If for some reason you still don't know who we are, we are
the Police Officers, Sheriff's Deputies, State Troopers, State Police, FBI and
everything in between. We are many but we are still too few!
As I said in the beginning, we are ALWAYS here for you. If
you need us, call. Even if you don't, you don't have to be afraid of us.
Remember that we are on your side. You can talk to us anytime you see us sitting
on the side of the road, or in a parking lot, or walking in a store. If some of
you would just get to know us, I think you would find out what I've tried to
explain. That we are just like you. We just have a different job.
Bushnell Police Department
"Committed to the Quality of Life"
