Sometimes weird ideas float around in my head. Today my mind and I played a game wherein we listed what we didn’t like about police officers, and how we wish they were different. I was driving. What else am I supposed to do when driving?
1) I wish they took the law more seriously. While officers can break the law in the enforcement of it, normally they don’t have to. When I see officers speeding and driving recklessly when *not* chasing someone (just because they can), I feel that this sets a bad example. This goes for any law… I just notice the driving the most.
2) They play judges. You speed, you get pulled over, but you might not get a ticket – depending on how the officer’s day is going, what your excuse is, and how much paperwork he feels like doing. If it’s worth pulling you over, it’s worth giving you a ticket. This goes for me, too. I want more tickets for all! OR – I want the laws changed. I dislike partial, variable enforcement.
I don’t feel that it’s an officer’s job to play judge. If a judge wants to let someone off, that’s their prerogative. That’s why we can appeal tickets/citations. An officer’s job is to enforce the law (when possible), not interpret it.
3) Officers are sworn to “protect and serve”. I feel that officers should be more service oriented. You know, like Andy Griffith types. Less bullets and more friendliness. The kind of guys who you can look up to, ask directions of, that just walk around town and meet people and help out when they can.
I think we have the “tough guy” thing down pretty well – and sure, officers have to be enforcers and protectors too. But maybe our communities need a little more service – nice guys wandering around helping people out.
Maybe the police already do this sort of thing a lot and I just don’t know about it or notice it? Maybe I don’t know enough of them personally and assume the wrong things. In any case, I *want* to like the police – they do a necessary job and get very little thanks for it. But sometimes I wish for more inept (but friendly) officers like Andy 🙂
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