With everything that is going on in our nation in regards to our policemen, it has made me look back on my childhood years. Why you may ask?
It is because I am a proud daughter of a retired policeman. My dad was a police officer until I was around 12 and retired with 25 years of service under his belt. My childhood was filled with not seeing my dad for a day or having to sneak around during the daytime because my dad was sleeping due to his earlier midnight shift.
My dad did not have a typical job where he could come home for dinner every night or watch us play our little league T-ball games. He would make as many as he could, but sometimes he would miss my amazing catch at second or come late to my choir concert. But I would still see him at some point in the back in his full police uniform cheering me on.
Did this make me sad to know my dad had to miss some great childhood memories? No. Because I was proud of him. He was out there saving peoples' lives and making my world a safer place.
My dad was my hero and to see the impact he had on not my life but countless others is something I never forget. He sacrificed his life for 25 years and never regretted it. He had to miss some of my concerts, games or just everyday memories in order to do his job.
To see how the media and some people act toward cops is just unfathomable. These men and women are out there putting their lives on the line for you. They are not killers by nature but by circumstance. How else are they supposed to protect us when they are judged for protecting themselves?
Most of my dad's friends growing up were cops, and they are the kindest people I have ever met. They let my sisters and I ride around in cop cars and play with he speakers on their motorcycles.
It breaks my heart to see how the people who are out their protecting us now have to protect themselves even more because of the target on their backs. These officers, the ones who have dedicated their lives to protect the public at the cost of their own lives are being victimized for actions, whether justified or not.
Cops, whether civilian police or military police, are being victimized by those who are being guided by their hurt and anger. How does a group of evil define all of them?
Yes, their actions have consequences that affect lives forever but so do other jobs. For example, look at a teacher. When a teacher sleeps with their underage student, causing years of psychological damage to the child, does society paint all teachers as evil molesters? No, we punish the offender and recognize that the few do not represent the many.
Now, how does the logic not transfer over to other areas of life, such as police work? We need to remember that cops are humans. They will make mistakes, too.
Wouldn't you if you were handed that great of a responsibility? When those who are evil harm others in this world, it is those in uniform left behind who have to pick up the pieces and suffer the consequences.
We live in an evil world, but villainizing those who are here to protect you makes their job that much harder. So next time you think of insulting or speaking poorly of the police officers, think of the family and friends they have. And that is why we should be grateful toward our police officers, not hateful.
