I'll admit it, I am prejudiced. There, I said it and I say it with no apologies. Now before anyone starts rubbing their hands together and saying, "I knew it" let me be exact as to the source of my prejudicial stand. It has nothing to do with race, religion, or political affiliation. Okay, maybe I am a little prejudice about political affiliation, but that is a conversation for another day. I have an absolute prejudice when it comes to our nation's police officers. Unless there is evidence that is slapping me on the side of the head in direct conflict of my gut feelings, I will always fall on the side of the guys in blue. Every time I see someone on the news talking about how the police brutalized them and violated their rights I just think to myself, "Yeah right, I think I'll just wait and hear the other side of that story". And nine times out of ten there is always another side of the story. And nine times out of ten, the press doesn't give the police officer's side near as much as attention as the six o'clock news headline.<br />
<br />
I am not so silly to believe that we don't have any bad cops out there; of course we do. We have bad cops, bad teachers, bad preachers and on and on. When being human is a factor, badness will always be a component that will raise its ugly head from time to time. But, it is going to take a lot more than some thug in front of a camera to convince me that a police officer has broken the law. They deserve nothing less. If the evidence proves that they were wrong, swift justice must be dealt, as with anyone who has broken the law. If they are simply the target of a loud mouth that has an agenda in mind more so than what actually happened, the officer's vindication must be heard as loud as the officer's accusers.<br />
<br />
Having said all of that, I do believe that we are starting to see more cases where police officers are using bad judgment. I don't see these as cases where any level of malice or criminal intent is typically an ingredient, but just bad decisions being made under stress. The larger issue, than the bad decision itself, occurs when some of these officers attempt to cover up their bad decisions which as we all know merely complicates the matter. Most officers who find themselves in trouble, based on criminal activity, typically get in that position based on a bad reaction to a bad decision. The bad decision could probably have been righted; the bad reaction throws them across the line.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is time that we did a bit of retooling when it comes to a police officer's reaction to a particular situation. While the basic way that we behave and the level of violence that we demonstrate as people has worsened dramatically over the years, we still basically train our officers, as to their initial response to these situations, the same way that we did years ago. To borrow the lexicon of the technological world, maybe it's time for an upgrade. I had an uncle who worked at General Motors for years. From time to time, they would shut down the whole plant and retool the factory for the newer, better versions that they would build. The old way just wouldn't work anymore. Once that version was obsolete, they would shut down and retool again. That is a strategy that we need with our police officers.<br />
<br />
In a society that has the diversity, the societal issues, the anger and the stress that we all live within, the old way just isn't a good fit any longer. We have to teach our officers that any situation can be perceived differently by whoever is involved in the scenario. The "one size fits all" design approach that has been the training standard for so long needs to be put on the shelf with the Edsels, the Corvairs and the Pacers. They seemed like a good idea at the time, but that time has passed.<br />
<br />
Our officers have to be well versed in traditional training as a simple foundation but also well versed in how that training should be applied to a population that is evolving at an alarming pace. This population is so much different than even the population that I served as a rookie officer some 30 years ago. My dad was a cop and this is definitely not your daddy's police force anymore. We have to stay on top of potential outcomes related to conflict that my father, or me for that matter, could never have envisioned in our years on the street.<br />
<br />
Luckily, there is one thing that has not changed when it comes to police officers. The large majority of them are still true to their oath to protect and serve the public and our properties in any and all situations. They are still willing to put their life on the line for a total stranger in the line of duty. And, they are still willing to do all of this at a fraction of the pay that they should be receiving. With them willing to do all of this, we should certainly be willing to put them in a position from a training and equipment perspective to react in a suitable manner according to the situation. They have been the literal backbone of our society for such a long time. But, as we all know when large amounts of stress and weight are repeatedly placed on the spine, without proper care, the spine will begin to show signs of curvature. Unfortunately, that curvature can cause an unbalance damaging both the load it carries, as well as that which carries the load until the back is sometimes simply broken beyond repair.
