A POLICE OFFICER SPEAKS

(The author of this article was Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia
State Police. More about him at the end of the article.)

Well, Mr. Citizen, it seems you've figured me out.
I to fit neatly into the category where you've placed me. I'm
stereotyped, standardized, characterized, classified, grouped, and
always typical.

Unfortunately, the reverse is true. I can never figure you out. From
birth you teach your children that I'm the bogeyman, then you're
shocked when they identify with my traditional enemy... the criminal! You
accuse me of coddling criminals... until I catch your kids doing wrong.

You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks each day, but
point me out as a loafer for having one cup. You pride yourself on your
manners,  but think nothing of disrupting my meals with your troubles.
You raise hell with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me
catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you. You know all the
traffic laws... but you've never gotten a single ticket you deserve.

You shout "foul" if you observe me driving fast to a call, but raise
the roof if I take more than ten seconds to respond to your complaint. You
call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it Police
brutality if I strike back. You wouldn't think of  telling your dentist
how to pull a tooth or your doctor how to take out an appendix,
yet you are always willing to give me pointers on the law.   You talk
to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose from anyone else, but
expect me to take it without batting an eye.

You yell something's got to be done to fight crime,  but you can't be
bothered to get involved. You have no use for me at all, but of course
it's OK if I change a flat for your wife, deliver your child in the
back of the Patrol car, or perhaps save your son's life with mouth to mouth
breathing, or work many hours overtime looking for your lost Daughter.

So, Mr. Citizen, you can stand there on your soapbox and rant and rave
about the way I do my work, calling me every name in the book, but
never stop to think that your property, family, or maybe even your life
depends on me or one of my buddies. Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me...  the
cop!

The author of this article was Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia
State Police.  He was killed in the line of duty two months after
writing the article.  

R.I.P.

I love them...unless they labor under the dilusion that they are anything more than a public servant.

I think this guy has captured the sentiment of everyone who wears a gun and badge.  Especially the sentiment of these guys towards the cop haters/bashers on AR15.com.

No one loves a soldier until the enemy is at the gates.  Same thing here.

The author has hit the nail on the head.  Great work.  Be safe.

Sorry to hear about his passing but I have to say it seems like whining to me.  Of course people are hypocrits and resent authority even if it is good for them.  He and anyone else should know this before they start the job.  If knowing the risks they still join the force then I say tough, no one forced you to become a cop.

I think most of the local police types are not the problem.  The federal kind are the ones to watch out for.  They answer to political agenda rather than helpful law enforcement.
Yours in shooting,  Kelly

Yes.

They taste just like chicken.

No realy, most I've met are OK.  

Just like every other class of people some try to generalize about.

I'm not a cop but I do think he's right.
He makes many good points on the double standards placed upon cops.  The same people who bitch about getting caught speeding or what have you are the ones who bitch the loudest when the cops aren't there NOW.
I've seen many posts on this and other boards slamming LEOs.  We as responsible gun owners don't like to be labeled as gun wielding maniacs, I imagine good cops hate to be labeled a JBT.  Not all gunowners spend their days looking for a tower to shoot from and not all cops are looking for innocent people to roust.  Look hard enough and you'll find them, just don't paint everybody with the same brush.

Great analogy

I can't think of a statement I agree with more than Trooper Brown's!

To answer the Topic Question, yes.
I was reading the first post and with a few exceptions and actions, the attitudes and efforts can be applied to my job, too---driving a Bus.
Many other public service jobs suffer the same abuses, but, not everyone can do these kinds of jobs.
And, every once in awhile, we get to "whine and rant" a little on a forum like this.  It's a bit of steam being let off that we otherwise keep under pressure.  Thank goodness the Public Servant is there and able to do whatever it is we do, no?  
Being a professional Driver, I must be courteous and drive defensively; I can't let my underlying frustration or hositility surface while operating the coach...the consequences could range from minor to horrific.
Like the poster above says--Smile.
Not everyone can do this kind of work.
Seeya in Traffic.

To answer the topic question, NO.  I do not care for LEOs, and I do not depend on them for any sort of service whatsoever.  The vast majority I have encountered have no real knowledge of the law.  The only requirement in most places for becoming a police officer is a high school diploma.
Are cops:
underpaid?....yes
underappreciated?.....yes
undereducated?.....yes
underqualified?...yes
Even though I feel this way I would NEVER treat a LEO with anything but respect, they are people after all, and all people deserve respect. (maybe if more LEOs realized this their jobs wouldn't be so rough.)  I just don't dial 911 for help.

13th Monkey