A baby died this week after a police officer diligently performed CPR in a frantic attempt to save her life. According to initial reports, the baby had ingested lethal illegal drugs. No one recorded the officer’s heroic measures or sent a video to the media. When the baby died, the officer wept.
This story isn’t about race, bad parenting, liberals or conservatives. It’s about a team of good police officers who worked to keep a baby alive and then responded to the next call. They were in full gear, working in 90-degree heat, upholding their pledge to serve and protect.
The current anti-cop hysteria has damaged the morale but not the mission of local law enforcement personnel. Every day they perform acts to help people, arrest criminals, solve crimes, calmly talk a person out of committing suicide, and keep the peace. They counsel foolish teenagers, direct traffic around a tragic wreck, respond to emergency situations, comfort a scared victim, remove children from dangerous homes, and watch each other’s backs. They act as school resource officers, neighborhood contacts, and charity volunteers. And, they weep over dead babies.
True, there are some bad cops; just as there are bad teachers, preachers, parents, and politicians. I openly condemn the rogue bullies in uniform, but they don’t represent the majority of law enforcement officers who work around the clock to serve and protect their communities. If you want to imagine life without law enforcement, watch the post-apocalyptic action adventure film, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Or consider the town of Ferguson, Missouri. The Kansas City Star estimates that the Ferguson riots, characterized as a spontaneous eruption of anger over the shooting of unarmed black criminal Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, cost the county $4.2 million. NBC News recently reported on the “Ferguson Effect,” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/violence-spikes-some-cities-ferguson-effect-blame-n368526, that notes “Violent crime — killings, robberies, rapes and assaults — is rising in half of the 10 biggest U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, where the rate is up 25 percent. Murders are up in four of the biggest cities, most notably New York.”
Or consider Baltimore, Maryland. A recent article in The Atlantic, http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/baltimore-police-slowdown/394931/, details the spike in crime with an alarming number of murders and non-lethal shootings after the riots over the perceived police brutality in the death of Freddie Gray. After the riots, vandalism, and destruction, some think a police slowdown has resulted in the extensive increase in crime.
Now police advocates are writing about how the current anti-cop climate is beating the motivation out of cops, and the public is bearing the consequences. Read this article for a powerful insight: http://calibrepress.com/2015/06/slugs-vs-the-rest/.
The perceived racism must be addressed. An activist organization called Black Lives Matter, http://blacklivesmatter.com/, reports that every 28 hours a black man, woman, or child is murdered by police or vigilante law enforcement. In contrast, in 2013, the FBI reported that nearly 50,000 officers were assaulted on the job, and 76 were killed. The officers face a daily barrage of insults, defiance, and video cameras that never seem to record all the good deeds. In truth, all lives matter.
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It’s important to filter out all the noise and focus on solutions to the problems facing officers and citizens. Most city and county departments have programs that allow citizens to ride in patrol cars so qualified adults can join police officers and experience what they deal with on an hourly basis. Community organizations can work together to address the issues, without violence or vandalism. We can support education for all races that want to work in law enforcement. We owe it to future generations to reach across racial, political, and socio-economic barriers to become good partners, neighbors, and law-abiding citizens.
I have a colleague named Raya Fagg whose many talents and interests include supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. She also supports the police and appreciates that they put their lives on the line daily to protect and serve. We both object to the ones who are corrupt and racist. She recently blogged about her complicated relationship with the police: http://andstarringasherself.com/black-lives-matter/. With brutal honesty she writes, “It was an officer who called me a nigger when I was seven and played in a fire hydrant.”
Raya and I both have sons. Hers is an energetic teenage Boy Scout who deserves the right to live freely and have equal opportunities. Mine is an outstanding professional who deals with emotional, life-and-death situations. We both want a better country, and we both pray for our sons to return home.
I can only hope that a greater sensitivity and awareness, for both officers and the public, will come out of this recent backlash against law enforcement. Only when we have respect and compassion for all humans will we move forward.
Kimberly
http://FiftyJewels.com
Excellent, Elaine. You are so right. There is good and bad in every profession and the hysteria created by the media or moguls or whoever (!!) is an unfair portrayal in defense of the good people doing extraordinary acts in their work every single day. Putting themselves on the line for the good of others.
We grew up thinking all cops are good. Today we are inundated with stories of bad cops. We need to restore calm and order and balance out the bad headlines with the good. We need to honor those who put their lives on the line for us. We need to look past what we are spoon fed and realize that the truth does not end with Headline News.
Thank you for writing this, Elaine. Simply said, just thank you.
I think, I hope, most reasonable people separate the few bad cops from many the good ones. What just happened in Texas is a great example. Most cops were just trying to get the stories; one cop out of the many was running around cursing the kids and tying a girl down. I hate to think of what he would have done if the other cops weren’t there.
I don’t believe Soros promised to pay the protesters. But that is just my opinion.
I have a facebook friend Karen Hughes, you might want to know. She wrote a memoir about growing up in San Francisco with hippie parents and then becoming a cop.
I also have a number of Black friends who do have to give their sons “the talk” They mostly keep quiet as they’re members of the educated Black elite and they have to live in a largely white world. It’s a shame as there’s much they could say that’s a bit different than what most people here.
I hope your son comes home safely every night.
The last paragraph is where we need to start. We need to start with what we have in common and stop focussing on our differences.
Beautiful Elaine.
This issue needs to be discussed openly and I’m glad you wrote this post. The good cops vastly outnumber the bad ones and put their lives on the line every day. They’ve gotten bad press lately and I wonder why we don’t read more “good cop” stories? Does that not sell newspapers?
Amazing post! Thank you so much for sharing the story and your thoughts. While I agree that there are a few bad apples, I know that the majority of police officers in our country are here to help and protect us. I think I will send a thank you note to my local police station to remind them that there are people still thankful for them!
Bravo! This post is right on target.
You did it. Good job. Like Pia, I too doubt the Soros story. I’m not sure I understand why we’re so, excuse the term, black and white, in this country. It seems like it’s always us against them and everyone piles up on one or the other extreme side. You point out well that there’s lots of grey in between. Thanks
Anita
Well said, Elaine! You’ve nailed it……that most officers are good people and rise above the backlash and the 15 minutes of “big news” fame! Personally, I think folks label things race whether it’s poverty, cultural or addictive behavior. In news coverage…..it’s often the first person to scoop and spin….very damaging in today’s world. My editors drilled Facts! Facts! No way we could have written/photographed/published anything with personal feelings or intent! Thanks for this great tribute to the good guys!
Well said, Elaine. Hysteria gets us nowhere and often costs more innocent lives.
Thank you for writing this post, Elaine. I know many fine men and women who have gone through the police academy. The things they had to endure to prepare them to serve as Officers were horrific to say the least.
I also know many who have served during the Vietnam War. They thought that coming back to their homelands, they would be treated as heros’, and instead they were spit upon.
I believe that all unrest starts out with a lack of respect,, understanding and compassion. Officers are getting a bad rap everyday, Bringing light to this difficult subject, is the only way that will ever change.
I’m so glad you wrote this post—it NEEDED to be said. Your son is doing the hardest job of all—you must be very proud. Our police force just doesn’t get enough credit for all that they do to protect us.
I know this was a very emotional blog for you to write and it took a lot of thought and care to put together to make sure the message you wanted to convey was well received. If my opinion matters, you did good! Thanks for sharing from an #mlblvd fan 🙂