Imagine saving people’s lives, how would you feel? Imagine seeing things that aren’t seen by many people. If you were a police officer, imagine all the eyes focused on you for help and direction. Imagine being the kid of an officer, I’m sure you would worry about your parent day in and day out. YOU are a criminal, some of you are known and some are hiding, or haven’t been identified as a criminal yet, you will serve time for your actions or you won’t.
Many depend on police officers to keep us safe, most officers want to help for a specific reason. People become police officers for different reasons Officer Elaine Franco said, “For me, it just seemed like the only way I could give back to the community. It seemed like an honorable and respectable job, where at the end of the day you felt like you actually did something, or helped someone.”
Being the child of a police officer can be hard and stressful. Junior Austin Mize said, “It makes me nervous because I never know what’s going to happen, but he’s doing something that keeps others safe”.
Criminals, or others, however, may have a different view. I asked the older man why he chose a criminal lifestyle, “I didn’t choose the lifestyle, it kind of just happened” Said Carter Therrien.
Dealing with officers can be intimidating but is there really a need to be intimidated?
“They were just like normal people, they were there to do a job, house inmates, and keep the inmates under control, but they are like everyday people,” said Carter Therrien.
Now I have always grown up to think wrongly of police officers due to my uncles being in and out of jail/prison. Whenever I saw a cop I would tense up, but why? I was never hurt by a police officer but they were portrayed to me to be bad people which I think is wrong. Most of my family are criminals so I hear good and bad about police officers, but not the ACTUAL good and bad, only the good and bad from what others have experienced. Society needs to not portray police officers in certain ways until something bad/good happens to them by an actual police officer.
It’s tiring to see cops getting hated on when all they do is protect the community to their full extent. There are justifiable reasons for just about every situation, some there are not, but don’t portray the situation until you have the FACTS!