Maybe I'm feeling good because I just completed a long research paper and am almost at the end of the semester. Seeing things in a positive light can really help you get through a challenging day. I've been thinking about the interactions I've had with the police over the years, and while I'm a good guy who's never been arrested and never been in jail, there have been some questionable stops by the men in blue. However, while the bad one's stand out, and you'll hear me share them on Twitter, we sometimes forget about the good cops, and that's what today's blog is about.
Now, I live in the city. The city cops are awesome, as they're used to being around all kinds of people. Many of them know me and keep a good eye out for me when I have to go out at night. The true problems begin with the suburban police, who are so nasty, that they deserve whatever they get when they stand in front of the almighty on that great and terrible day.
So let's begin with the first kind officer who went out of his way for me. I had just completed practice for the wrestling team. My partner had tried some kind of move on me where he compressed my neck as he'd seen in some video. I knew nothing about "blacking out" at the time, and left school to begin the long walk home. I didn't even make it halfway before the world started spinning and I collapsed in a heap in the parking lot.
Not knowing what in the world was happening to me, but not wanting to get run over by a car in the dark, I somehow managed to crawl over to a metal light pole, throwing up along the way. There I sat, head hanging down, with everything spinning around me.
Well, someone at the homeless shelter must have noticed me and called the police. This really kind officer asked me what happened, and when I described the neck move, he seemed to understand. Since I couldn't walk, he picked me up and put me in his patrol car.
Intending to take me to the hospital, but I asked him to take me home. I didn't want my mother worrying why her 15-year-old son had been rushed to the hospital by the police. I was too sick to get up, but when I did, I wrote a letter of thanks to the un-named officer and sent it to City Hall. Now that's one fine example of our tax dollars being put to good use, and I hope he got a promotion for helping me out.
"Citizen"
Fast-forward several years after the prior incident, and I'm walking about to cross the bridge to do some laundry. Just before I set foot on it, I hear some students talking about pulling a prank involving the cops. Of course I'm not thinking it's about me, but am about to be proven wrong. I see a police car pull up, and the officer gets out.
First off, he addressed me as "citizen." Whoa, never been called that before by the police! I can still remember how professional, polite and respectful he was throughout the entire session.
He says he received a report that a criminal was transporting stolen goods on the bridge and wanted to look in my bags. I assume he must have been nearby because he got there quickly. While he's looking through my stuff, I noticed a commotion on the porch of the house where the teens had been planning their escapade.
They were giggling and pointing towards him and I, and I could just make out that they were bragging about causing me to get stopped. As he was completing his search having found nothing of course, I directed him to listen to the teens down the street behind him. He did, and apologized for inconveniencing me, then went off after the teens. Last I saw the laughing on the porch had ceased, and a look of pure horror painted itself on their faces. Hopefully they learned something from wasting the time of our hard-working men in blue, and when I got home, off went another letter of thanks for the most professional police stop I've ever had in my life.
So the next time you hear somebody saying "F the police!" try to think of the many times they've gone above and beyond the call of duty for you and I. Without them, the world would be one hell of a scary place in which to live.
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