For as long as I can remember, my older brother knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to be a police officer. He was so sure of it from such a young age. It started out as wanting to be Batman and save the world, and slowly transitioned into realizing that the real life superheroes are those in blue. He looked up to our dad, a chief of police, and our many uncles and cousins that served in law enforcement, and felt in his heart that he was meant to follow in their footsteps. He's never once wavered.
A few months ago, he turned 21. While most kids see that as the milestone where they can go to bars on the weekends, he saw it as finally being old enough to apply to police departments. So he started his search. After extensive interviews, background checks and physical, mental and polygraph tests, he got the job of his dreams. After spending these next six months in a full time police academy, he will hit the streets as an officer. That's all he's ever wanted, and I couldn't be prouder of him.
But I'm also scared.
Today's world is unpredictable. Multiple times a day, my phone buzzes with my News app telling me another awful thing that has happened somewhere around the world. And lately, it has been hitting too close to home.
The police are a target these days, and that's not how it should be. Of course, corruption exists, but the vast majority of citizens are grouping these isolated instances with the rest of the brave and hardworking men and women that protect members of the community every day. They're generalizing all police officers into one group with a negative reputation, and it's frightening to see the results of such ideas so seriously affecting the world.
I've grown up with law enforcement, and I feel safe and comfortable around police officers. After coming to college in the city, I realized very quickly that I am in the minority when it comes to this viewpoint. People, especially young people, have been taught to instinctively run from the police, even when they're not doing anything wrong. And when they are doing something wrong? The police officer automatically becomes the bad guy, while they are the victims.
Truthfully, I'm scared to have my brother, my best friend, out on the streets protecting people that don't respect him. I don't want him to be sworn at or spit at while he's in line at the grocery store. I don't want him to be told that his life doesn't matter. I don't want him not to come home one day. The thought of that scares me to death, but what's even more terrifying is that the likelihood that that could happen to him is on the rise with the ignorant, negative attitudes that are practically everywhere these days.
Personally, l love seeing an officer on the street, keeping an eye out for the safety of the community and being a resource for anyone in need of help. I love seeing an officer sit with his back to the wall to watch the door at a restaurant, or kneel down to talk to a child or buy a homeless person a cup of coffee. I love smiling at an officer and reminding him that there are people out there who are thankful for his bravery and sacrifice. It breaks my heart that most people don't notice all of the good that police officers add to the community.
They are not monsters. They are not threats. They are heroes.
My brother is in the police academy, training to protect the lives of others. I'm hoping and praying that people will start working harder to protect his.
