Believe it or not cops are HUMAN. You get good ones, you get bad ones. Just as you do with teachers, doctors, lawyers, daycare providers, parents. There is well over a million officers just in the US, (Counting all forms, local, state, federal, military, coast guard etc). Generally we only hear of the bad when things go wrong. Just as with parents, we don't hear when a parent does something right and nice, but we certainly hear of the tragedy when a child is forgotten in the back seat of a car on a hot day. Rarely do we see the good, (like the NYPD officer who gave the homeless guy boots 2 winters ago). Then when it came out it was said he did it only because he knew it would be a "good news story"
I had one fellow very early in my career, (so early 80"s), I picked him up for imparied. To him I was the scum of the earth and he made sure to tell me everytime our paths crossed..lol Then about 2 years later he had a infant, and the child had stopped breathing I was first on scene. I was able to clear the airway and save the child.
Now was I a "good cop" or a "bad cop"???
The night I saved his childs life he said nothing to me. I left, (I wasn't expecting him to do or say anything to me, after all I was just doing my job). About 6 months later our paths crossed again, (no official reason we were just same place at the same time). He came over shook my hand and said "I have been struggling with this for way too long. I always thought you were a p rick, because you arrested me. Then you saved my kids life. To me you are now a hero"
I simply said "thank you for the kind words but I am neither a p rick nor a hero. I was just doing my job in both cases. But I am glad I have made a difference in your life"
Obviously this conversation has stuck with me for 30+ years, so it did have an impact. But had I not been a "p rick" that night and he had been in an accident while impaired the child may have never existed in the first place for me to be honored to save it's life 2 years later.
Now did I ever give anyone an "attitude adjustment", sure I did. But I am human I am sure there were things that some would view as "wrong or bad". But I also did a lot of good. But mostly I just did my job.
