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I was talking to a friend earlier this week, and the subject of police came up.  There was a situation with her roommates from a while back (while she was still living with them) and the local police were called regarding the dispute.  It was a case of two against one, so she really didn't have much of a chance.  However, as we were discussing the situation, she let her feelings about police out quite vehemently.  Like many in situations like this, she believes that the police officers involved were out to get her.  She also said that they were, well, let's just say, the opposite of nice with her.  It's not that I don't believe her, in fact, I do believe her.  However, I do not feel bad for her in any way, at least when it comes to her interactions with the officers.  I have always felt that being a police officer is one of the most thankless jobs out there.  I don't know the exact percentage, but I would say that most officers deal with nothing more than traffic citations and the occasional civilian dispute like this.  And in either case, they have to deal with more jerks than not, with people giving them a hard time just because they are doing their job.

Now, I'm sure that my friend was quite angry in that she had to deal with the police, rightfully so.  And I'm also pretty sure that some of that anger got directed at the officers involved.  Seeing how they deal with that kind of situation day in and day out, I can hardly blame them for not being willing to take any crap from anyone.  These men and women are willing to potentially put their lives on the line on a daily basis, and most days, all they hear is how hard they are making it on the person that was going 25 over the speed limit so they can get from one side of town to the other two minutes faster.

When I stated all of this to my friend, her response was something along the lines of "what, are you good friends with a cop or something?"  I can honestly say that I don't know a single police officer personally, but I have dealt with both nice and not so nice officers over the years.  Just like I've dealt with nice people and jerks in almost every walk of life.  There isn't anything inherent to being a police officer that tends to attract a less nice group of people.  I believe that others just view them that way due to how and when they typically have to deal with the police.  You rarely have to deal with police officers, especially uniformed patrolmen, when you haven't done anything wrong or when something wrong has been done to you.  In either case, you are probably not in the best of moods, and that is going to rub off on those around you, including the police.  If you just treat them with respect, with your words, actions, and moods, then I have found that they will pay you the same regard.  If you are standoffish, they will treat you accordingly.

Remember, the job of the police is to protect and to serve the public.  Police officers choose their profession because they want to be one of those that does these two things.  The key thing to remember here, is that each of us is only one tiny little piece of that "public" that the police protect and serve.  They have to make judgement calls when a situation arises to ascertain the risk to both the individual involved and the public at large.  This is a very difficult job, and one that most people don't have the guts to even consider.  One wrong decision, and someone could be seriously hurt, or worse.  That is why officers typically err on the side of caution.  It is better to make one person angry than have one person, maybe even that same person, in the hospital or in jail.  Remember that next time you find yourself getting angry for being stopped by a police officer for any reason, and try to remember this key fact - respect goes both ways.