Being a police officer is one of the toughest occupations around the world. However, it can also be the most life-changing, as every day that you spend wearing that blue uniform you learn more about how the human race works.
Before starting your journey into police officership, it is important that you first take a peek at the lives of our noble police officers. So to help you with we’ve gathered some testimonies to one of the most common question asked by applicants to their senior officers.
Great Lessons Police Officers Learn
The retired cop and criminal justice professor for Reno Police Department, Tim Dees, has spent decades of his life protecting and serving his fellowmen. With his tremendous amount of experience, he has learned some of the best and also the worst sides of humans.
Below are some of the worst and things he has learned about people in his 28 years in service:
Everybody Has A Hot Button
Remember when your little brother or sister used to “push your buttons” by doing things or saying stuff that makes you angry? Most people would say that they are passed that phase and that being an adult, they no longer rage out onto people for doing things that piss them off.
Instead, they calculate their reaction for every offense that is done to them. However, according to Dees, this can’t be further from the truth. The truth is that even the kindest and most collected person can explode given the right situations.
Some People Live To Push These Buttons
Just like your younger sibling that was mentioned in the example above, adult versions of these people do exist. Some people may unconsciously or at times even consciously try to anger people. There can be countless reasons for them to do this. It may include personal or financial gains or the worst type which is that they just get a thrill from pissing people off.
Sex, Money, And Power Can Change Anyone
According to Dees, Earthly things like sex, money, and power are the greatest influencers for humans. He further explained that even the most saint-like person you know could do anything with the right price.
Nevertheless, this is something datable as we hear news reports of people sacrificing their lives every day for the service of others. However, it is sad that at the same time we hear more people doing evil things to quench their unquenchable greed.
You Never “Have Seen It All”
The best thing about humans, and probably the reason we won’t be seeing robots replacing us in the hundreds of years, is our amazing creativity and imagination. Sadly, criminal minds possess the same type of creativity we have.
Hence, people are thinking of new ways every day to do dastardly deeds for the sake of their unyielding search for money and power.
People Change Once They Find Out You’re a Cop
One of the saddest realities of being a cop is that people around you change the way they treat you once they learn that you’ve become a cop. Whether it is your longtime friend or even your close relatives, people have a hard time getting comfortable with you knowing that what you do for a living is catching people for their bad conduct.
Nevertheless, humans aren’t as bad as they might have looked like in the previous section. There are still some great heartwarming lessons that you can learn while being a police officer about the complex human behavior.
Here are some good things police officers and ex-police officers have learned about humans:
Respect Begets Respect
One of the most striking aspect of human behavior I learned was that as long as you treat people respectful, regardless of the situation even if it means placing someone under arrest, they will be more apt to do likewise.
–Earnie Moe, Former Police Officer from Baltimore City
According to Moe, as a police officer it is not uncommon to experience kindness from the people they are arresting; but, of course, only if you are showing them respect. He added that even those under the influence of alcohol could display respect as long as you treat them right.
You Have More Rights Than You Think You Do
Many Americans insist they know their rights. Some do, most do not.
–Rick Bruno, Former Police Commander from Illinois
As I write this article, I am not entirely sure whether I should put this in the good or the bad part of human behavior. Nevertheless, I chose to place this in the good part as I believe it shows something good that people can learn.
One of the most common rights that people tend to forget is that they have the right to remain silent. According to Bruno, people tend to forget that nothing requires them to tell anything to police officers. Hence, it is important for normal citizens to know their rights to protect both themselves and their loved ones.
People You Least Expect To Can Be The Kindest
There are some really good people in this world. And there are some really bad people. You can’t always tell by the way they look. Their deeds roar! It is up to us all, not just the police, to protect each each other from the bad and make this a better planet.
–Bob Cooke, retired Special Agent in Charge from the Department of Justice
Bob Cooke recalled one situation in his police career that two large men attacked him. Thankfully, a group of bystanders came to his aid helping him neutralize and cuff the offenders. As he thanked those that helped him, he found out that one of those that came to his aid was a former drug and gang offender that he arrested before.
This teaches us three things, the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is true, and people, even those who have made wrong decisions in their past, can turn their lives around for good. Hence, we should stop limiting our perception of the potential of a person due to his looks and history.