A Badge of Honor: The Job and Importance of Police

_{Photo by Rosemary Ketchum}

The police play a very important role in society. While their work is often marked by challenges and sacrifices, it is still extremely crucial if we want to maintain public safety, uphold the laws, and foster security.

The Job and Importance of the Police

Being an officer of the law is not a simple nine-to-five job. The profession is highly demanding. It requires people to have a balanced and cohesive state of mind and body. High-stress situations are usual for an officer, from responding to domestic disputes to engaging with armed suspects. An inherent part of being an officer is the danger that looms over you, and as such, if you want to be an officer, you must be prepared to take the heat and make decisions at the drop of a hat, especially when life and death are involved.

Beyond the physicality of being an officer, there are also the challenges of navigating the community. Police officers often serve as mediators, counselors, and social workers, and as such, knowing how to acquire the trust of the community is pivotal. People come from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures, so police officers should know how to interact with them.

_{Photo by Spenser H}

A Badge of Honor: The Cornerstone of Public Safety

The police are often the first line of defense when crime comes to nothing at your door. If given the proper resources and allowed to do their job right, the police can respond to emergencies swiftly, investigate crimes quickly, and catch criminals more efficiently. With the police walking the streets, would-be criminals are deterred, and active crimes are de-escalated.

Through their dedication to their communities, the police make the world safer for citizens to live, work, and play.

A Badge of Honor: Traffic and Community

Another thing that police are responsible for is traffic enforcement. People may often be (justifiably) miffed about how traffic jams mess their days up. This simply means we have to empower more of our officers to regulate traffic, investigate accidents, and properly issue citations so reckless driving is further mitigated. Without police, road safety would be harder to maintain, and traffic congestion would be more terrible.

Furthermore, as the pillars of community safety, police officers do the rounds, engaging with residents, addressing local concerns, and working together with community leaders to better secure cities.

A Badge of Honor: Beyond Law Enforcement

Being a police officer isn’t just about following the law. Police officers go above and beyond their duties. They are always available to help people who are in distress, provide help when natural disasters strike, and make up the numbers for community events.

Police officers are more than enforcers of the law; they are providers of humanitarian services, too. When catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and human errors occur, police officers are often the first in the line to maintain public morale, looking out for survivors, evacuating residents, and being the backbone of emergency assistance.

_{Photo by Brett Sayles}

Challenges and Controversies of Being a Cop

Of course, as important as they are to the flourishing of society, police officers do not conduct their jobs without their challenges and controversies. Problems such as police brutality, racial profiling, and corruption have made their mark on the reputations of police officers.

These occurrences (infrequent, they may be) highlight the necessity for ongoing reforms and accountability within our law enforcement groups.

While it’s important to acknowledge these past issues and demonstrate a commitment to improvement, what’s even more important is to push for change.

Change like better and more human training, the use of body cameras, and more civilian oversight.

Why We Should All Support Our Police

The community by itself cannot police itself. That is why it needs police. However, for police to be effective, they need the support of their communities. We need to understand each other’s challenges and respect each other’s role in the community so we can create a better world for all of us.

Michael Sanborn’s A Cop in a Small City: Examining Mission and Integrity is a book detailing how police work.

If you want to pull the wool out of your eyes and truly learn what it means to be a police, grab a copy through this link.