An Open Letter To Cop Haters

When one thinks of a cop. What should come to mind is “hero.” But nowadays cops are seen as people you want to stay away from. In the past, they were publicly displayed as heroes on television shows and parents, as well as children, knew the names of the officers patrolling their neighborhoods. However, times have certainly changed because police departments have increased the size of their force and tactics have switched and have become less about protect and serve, and more of a militaristic approach. Police officers have abused their power for too long because they have access to so many different types of weapons and there’s been so many cases involving police brutality that it needs to come to an end and they need to be held accountable for what they’ve done.

The term “good cop” is an oxymoron, like I believe that there are good people who are cops but the system is so messed up to the point where that takes that away from them. Yeah there are a lot of police officers that take the job seriously and came to work wanting to help others, but they ended up messing up people’s lives. I wish the black lives matter movement could understand that it’s all a game and a set up to kill more young black kids. The police will continue to use “ I thought he had a gun” and he will get a slap on the wrist or get

Police are never seen as the good guys. Their usually the one who would kill people, both innocent or guilty, every day. The government is one

Looking at them and how the police are looked at to help, protect and serve the community, I just don’t can’t justify the thought that all police are bad. I feel that you need to, in some way, be a good person to do what they do on a daily basis. This is similar to how I feel like you really need to like kids and enjoy teaching in order to be a successful. There are just somethings that need to be a part of you to do what you do on a daily basis.

Not everyone views police the same today, well never for that matter. People have always seen police as bullies, racist, and corrupt, but with good reason. During the time of the great depression and the rise of gangsters, cops would physically abuse and harass innocent people physically and mentally to the point where they almost killed them, just so they could get a little information out of them on a suspect they were after. They would also plant “evidence” at a crime scene just so they can say they did their job and got the guy. In the 1960’s during the civil rights movement police were known to beat African American for using their fourth amendment right “freedom of speech” and protest. In the month of March in 1965, there was a civil rights march from the small city of Selma to Montgomery. During the first days of the march hundreds of unarmed Africans Americans ever some whites were beaten by clubs, chased by the dogs, and even trampled by horses. Not for breaking any laws, but for the color of their skin and expressing their freedom of speech. Who could do such an unspeakable thing to hundreds of innocent people, police. Because of police officers and there dark past is not hard to see how anybody could

Are police officers always the good guys? They have killed 1,149 people from police brutality in 2014. Officers around the globe are supposed to protect and serve the people of the nation, but some of them abuse their power and force. The increase in police brutality in U.S.A. is a frightening reality. In the last decade the number has grown to 5,000 murders by police officers. Since police brutality is rising rapidly, the police department should enforce some changes such as wearing body cameras at all time during service, following the rights of the constitution and not covering up murder or skipping trials. The community needs to step up and enforce these changes. Citizens think it's time to take action and make the police brutality decrease

The two common opposing views towards police officers is a supper cop who saves the day and a violent officer who harms civilians. As a society we tend to zoom in on every blemish and mistake law enforcement makes and the media often encourages these views. In news outlets when police positively contribute to the community it usually only makes headlines for a day or two, but when a crisis occurs it receives high media coverage for weeks at a time. Recently there have been controversial cases surrounding police brutality which have fed the belief that police using excessive and deadly force is a the most common reflex. In reality it’s not as common as portrayed. In 2010 the New York Police Department received over 206,000 calls involving weapons and of those calls only 33 ended in officers firing their weapons (Anthony, 294). Home videos and pictures showing confrontation between law enforcement and offenders are causing wide spread misconception about police brutality.

Today in society the view of police officers varies from person to person, but here is the central idea and responsibilities of what officers are supposed to be viewed as. They are those who play a central peacekeeping role in our cities/ communities. Their purpose in the government is to protect and serve and to deliver criminals into the hands of the law. Police are responsible for catching criminals who threaten the livelihood, property and peace of other citizens. However, lately some police officers becoming the criminals more and more. Some people might say in the past police were a symbol of authority and power in a neighborhood for people of all ages, backgrounds and races. Many criminals are deterred from committing foul actions if

People often ask if officers do their jobs correctly or questions one’s judgement. Officers are constantly under the microscope on and off duty and are held to a higher standard, both by the employers and the citizens of the country. After making split second-life or death decisions, officers often times are ridiculed by stereotypes or misconceptions. When an officer makes an arrest it is for a person committing a crime, not because they have any dislike or hate towards that person. People tend to forget this.

If someone is associated with a person or individuals that has a negative point of view about police officers, they generally seem to share the same opinion. Police officers as a whole are looked at as heroes, but there is a percentage that are looked at as being corrupt or those who use their power past their scope of authority. That small percentage are typically individuals that do not follow their training or lack the proper training. This is a huge vulnerability when an act of violence takes place and officers hesitate or goes outside of their scope of use of force. Today our communities feed on the negative reaction put out by media.

Police these days have a bad reputation for police brutality. In the past few years, we have seen multiple police officers being fired or disciplined for unethical situations. In certain states and neighborhoods, police are the bad guys, because of how they treat the community in which they serve. This tension started to climax in 2014, as a police officer shot an African American male named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri that was when people started seeing police officers in a whole new different light (Buchanan, 2014). While this was happening in Ferguson, the Newark police in New Jersey were being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for unconstitutional practice. 75% of the people stopped don’t have a valid reason for being stopped. Over

I believe that police officers have one of the toughest and highest stress jobs in society. Any person who is required to deal with the most stressful and dangerous of people and situations deserves a lot of credit. I know that police officers are human like anybody else and therefore are capable of becoming corrupt and abusing their power. However, I also believe that the majority of police officers are honest people and that on account of a rise in crime, and therefore a rise in police brutality, an attitude of discrimination has evolved against all police officers. I also believe our country has a fair criminal justice system, which enforces fair regulations that protect all citizens’ constitutional rights. Despite accusations that the criminal justice system is rigged to protect and hide the flaws of its officers I believe that our criminal justice system does a lot to enforce that officers of the law remain honest people.

Police officers have been the center of attention for many years now. They appear in the news, on television, you name it. Living in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area, I can proudly say the police force have a great impact on this society. However, whether that impact is villainous or heroic, there is no way to be completely sure. Just like the President of the United States, the police take an oath that goes like this: “On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution, the community, and the agency I serve, so help me God.” (IACP). With this oath, rest assured that the police’s intentions are not atrocious. Police officers are not superheroes – which would be nice – and they are certainly not perfect. Under that badge and uniform is a human made with flesh and blood just like yourself; and a human who makes lots of mistakes as well. While recognizing that some police abuse their power and recognizing the negative aspects of police force, the bigger picture shows that police officers do more good than harm.

Now, I'm not trying to demonize most police officers. I do admire police, and I have respect for the police. You better believe I'm the nicest person a police officer will ever meet, who is pulled over for a one day old expired registration tag. Still, I think there are police who have let their authority go to their head, and that's an issue we keep seeing over and over again. It's a legitimate concern, and I think it needs to be addressed. Even criminals shouldn't have their right

Now I respect and admire the brave men and women of our police force. They are some of the many unthanked heroes in our country. Whenever I get the opportunity I thank any police officer I come in contact with for what they