Reflection on Police Officer’s Tough Job and Public Perception
“It is only another law enforcement (police) officer who knows the trouble, danger and difficulties faced by fellow law enforcement officers; therefore no one knows police officers and their work better than someone that served/went through the same process.” (Photo: AL-Aziz Turay, author)
A career in law enforcement has made me feel that the job of police officers is one of the most courageous and crucial work one can ever imagine. The job is sealed with uninterrupted pursuit of knowledge that is essential for a successful police career. As we all know, police officers are government officials trusted and vested with enormous power to enforce laws and maintain order in our various communities. Among other things, the job is dangerous and stressful and in most cases, involves violent situations that need to be prevented and put under control. Police officers often encounter many confrontations with the public which most times results in the use of force ranging from minimum to maximum force in order to carry out an arrest. Police officers operate under strict guidelines as to when, where and how they use force as well as their interactions with members of the public. So to speak, it is only another law enforcement (police) officer who knows the trouble, danger and difficulties faced by fellow law enforcement officers therefore; no one knows police officers and their work better than someone, who has served/went through the same process.
When one takes a deeper look into the job itself and then listens to worldwide criticism, condemnation and perceptions about the police, all you think about is the job is occupied by dishonest and corrupt individuals who do not care for anybody but busy making money for themselves. Despite the fact that the public know how dangerous the job is, yet law enforcement officers are not given the credit they deserve for their daily sacrifices to our country. Despite the generic perception and what people say today about police officers, I am one of those who treasured and appreciated my involvement in a law enforcement career. It helped in preparing me for the choices I make on a daily bases and I have never regretted that decision to be one of them, I enjoyed it and I will do it all over if the need arises.
It is my belief that our law enforcement officers do not put on their uniforms to be seen as heroes nor to become fighters on the streets. Those men and women are professionals who dedicate their lives and time to deliver top quality services to our communities and residents within the length and breadth of their areas of responsibility. These men and women provide a full range of emergency-response and public safety services to prevent crime and enforce the law in a manner that makes residents and visitors feel safe in their homes, schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and work places etc. They put on those uniforms mainly to keep our community safe and for which service they are not asking much. So, why not just thank them for their daily life threatening services to our nations?
These men and women also support and supplement in other functions so they can perform their duties around the clock with pride, professionalism, and integrity. It is unfortunate to measure that the moment they put on those uniforms and go out to the street only God knows whether they will return home to meet with their loved ones. They perform their job with so much sacrifice and courage to ensure others are safe in their person and property. They respond to calls and other situations within dangerous areas, they perform daily functions while on beat patrol etc.
I will not dispute the fact that police officers are not doing anything wrong of course; they are human and prone to mistakes like anyone else, more so as individuals, they have their strength and weaknesses. Of course there are crook police officers and some do make mistakes but do not use the mistake of one as a blanket to demean the entire (police) law enforcement institution. Say a little and think about the real police officers who worked in and out of the streets and they are also the first responders to every trouble area or call it the crime scene etc. These officers have one of the most important jobs in law enforcement and they make important split-second decisions in order to put a situation under control. However, their sacrifices are not appreciated nor seen important in the eyes of the public.
To most people today, the typical description of a police officer is a corrupt individual who serves in the police force, always prepared and ready to receive bribes and brutalize others. I think this is too bad of a description for our police officers. Let us take a step back and think of the “Real Police officers” as professionals who do the dirty work as first responders from people who perform staff functions and administrative work. Therefore, real police officers take pride in their assignment and they are not on the street because they cannot find a hiding place but rather they are there because they strive to always keep us and our communities safe. You will agree that the power of a police officer lays in his/her ability to enforce the laws, despite the rules governing their duties, yet police officers differ from country to country; however, their basic responsibilities do not change.
Now let me share with you a little background of the word ‘police’ which derived its origin in Latin ‘politia’, which means, civil administration. Then the term politia too, is a derivative from the Greek word ‘polis’, interpreted as ‘city’ in English. So now, we know that Police officers work with our civil society to maintain law and order. However, their job is no less important than the defense forces, since we all know handling complicated situations while working in neighborhoods comprising of civilians can be challenging. So please do not think the job of law enforcement officers is a trade-off between our security and our freedoms or our rights as citizens, but we must have confidence that their job is one of the most risky, challenging, educative, dangerous, critical discretional and most important, involved a split-second decision making in any given situation. In most cases, we sometimes tend to increase our security at the same time we adjust those freedoms that we hold and cherish so highly to keep a balance.
As a writer of some of the police and security articles, it is my opinion that a career with the police force is one of the best educations one can achieve for many reasons. As a police officer, one has an opportunity to interact with society at every level i.e., rich, poor, young, old, intellectuals, illiterates, etc. As a law enforcement officer, with the powers vested in you, one can exert his/her authority from minor areas to enormous effect; one is open to many secrets. Therefore, the work of Police officers seems much harder and more complex than most people can imagine. The job entails a lot of knowledge and courage which goes simultaneously. In actual fact the whole job situation seems like it is about life and living, but it is just another career where one touches others’ lives in a different and delicate way. Therefore, being a member of any law enforcement is not just a job to me but a situation where one is entrusted with huge and tremendous amount of powers that many other government officials do not have. As a law enforcement officer, you are privileged to see and experience things others are only privileged to read about or see on television etc.
It is always traumatizing whenever the subject of corruption surfaces, the entire public mostly shifts the blame to the police as a crook and corrupt institution. I want the public to know that police officers are not corrupt. They might have a tendency to receive bribes but you, who bribed the police officer; is ‘the corrupt individual.’ What do we think about other departments that aid and abet the invasion of custom duties for their selfish benefit? In actual fact, their actions are sometimes more serious than that of a police officer who receives petty bribes on the street. I am not justifying the act of police officers receiving bribe as okay, rather I am advocating for a fair share of the cake. That is, let us demean or cry down all individuals or departments that do the same thing. Of course as a citizen, I will publicly denounce any officer/individual who accepts bribe to protect offenders or criminals i.e., drug dealers, smugglers, murderers, rapists or those who demand sexual favors from female suspects for services etc.
Watch out for my next episode on ‘A Reflection on Police Officer’s Tough Job and Public Perception.’ My actions in defense of the police/law enforcement are based on the believe that:
No one knows the difficulties and dangers faced by our (police) law enforcement officers better than another officer, and no one knows police officers better than someone who has served and gone through that process.
By: AL-Aziz Turay, An Ex-Intelligence Officer
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