My fiancé and I are a strange pair. Everyone commented on it at first, how we didn’t “match.”
Personalities aside here’s why it’s relevant in today’s news – he’s a cop; I’m a reporter.
Think about that for a moment. A policeman and the media. In the beginning, it all the makings for a spectacularly bad romance, but we made it work because professionalism is a cornerstone of our relationship.
Thankfully, my Mr. Man wears a tie to work instead of a bulletproof vest.
Still, the radio’s loud chirping at 2 a.m. has roused me from sleep more times than I can count. Often, it’s a question or something easily handled. Sometimes, though, murder is on the other end, and he has to go. And at 7 a.m., I was the media person on the other side of the crime scene tape, waiting for the story.
I’ve had beautifully-plated food placed in front of me, and as quick as we could say “grace,” had to have it boxed up because a sexually abused baby at the ER trumps date night every time.
The news often paints the picture of a policeman in broad strokes.
All cops must be bad because this one took a bribe, was involved in a suspicious shooting, got into a fight with somebody on a traffic stop or whatever the case might be. That is an asinine way of thinking. That’s like saying all TV shows are bad because the one on last night was horrible.
In my nearly 10-year relationship with a cop, I’ve had the unique opportunity to see inside that world, to watch these men and women suit up each day, get into that car and be ready to face whatever challenge life throws at them.
These men and women deserve our respect, because they could be shot at any moment. They deserve our cooperation because they don’t know who or what is on the other side of that window. And they deserve our admiration because being a cop is career they choose to do each and every day, and we sleep soundly at night knowing they will come if we call.
One can’t judge a profession because of the actions of a few.
Do all pro-football players win the Super Bowl by using under-inflated balls? No.
Do all teachers make sexual advances on their students? Absolutely not.
Being a cop is a tough job – one that, over time and by making difficult choices, takes a toll on officers’ lives and their families. It has to be hard to be a person that does the right thing in a world, outside of law enforcement, does the easy thing.
I commend those who choose to wear a badge every day and the families waiting at home for their safe return.