5 Things Cops Would Like You to Know
By Neal Griffin
May 2, 2018
Thirty years is a long time to go without ever really speaking your mind, but that’s precisely what a law enforcement career is. It’s about keeping your opinion to yourself and doing your job. To be sure, Police Chiefs get to pontificate constantly, even though their career path often involves little or no actual police work. Union reps take to the microphone to spout off once in a while, but usually only after somebody really screwed up. But what about a cop on the beat? Good luck trying to get one of them to go on the record about a job-related issue.
What about off the record?
Recently, I reached out to a few of my old partners and colleagues. With a promise of anonymity, I asked them, “What’s something you’d like the public to know about your job as a cop?” Here’s what they said. I’ll bet you can even guess the first one.
Police videos with 10 million views on YouTube DO NOT reflect the reality of law enforcement.
The social media distortion of police work is probably the biggest frustration of modern-day cops. And it should be. Cops get it. They know there are men and women working as police officers who have no business wearing a badge and gun. Police officers are as offended as anyone, if not more so, by what they routinely see on the nightly news. But cops detest the idea of their profession being identified with the worst of the worst.
Several officers I spoke to acknowledged that these viral videos create fear of the police. Police officers understand that sentiment, but some context is needed. Nationwide, more 100,000 citizens have face-to-face contact with a police officer every day. That’s almost 40 million a year. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 90% of people contacted by a police officer believes the officer behaved professionally. Being afraid of the police based on a snippet of video is kind of like refusing to get in a swimming pool after reading Jaws. I use that analogy because of personal experience. Growing up in Wisconsin, my buddy had a backyard pool. It was above ground and usually thick with leaves, but on a muggy Midwestern day, it was a little slice of heaven. I read Benchley’s masterpiece in 1974. I didn’t get back in the pool until Carter was President. Silly, right? Exactly.
The more cameras the better.
Most cops I talked to have no problem with body cameras and video because they have nothing to hide. For every one of the “cops gone wild” videos seen on social media, there are a thousand that show police officers doing the right thing. I can attest to this because, as a police lieutenant, I reviewed countless police videos. Most were pretty boring because police work is often routine and uneventful. Some were damn funny. Cops do end up in some comical situations. Many videos recorded heroic actions by officers coming to the aid of citizens caught up in deadly circumstances. Some even captured human tragedy. But regardless of the scenario, in almost every case, the video showed the cop doing their job professionally. Videos like that rarely top the million views mark.
See also: Naked in Whatcom County: Tales from a Crime Analyst
Please don’t ask me that.
Cops cringe at the question, “Have you ever shot anyone?” Everyone asks, from five-year-old kids to grown adults who ought to know better. For nine out of ten cops (actually, it’s more, but I’m terrible at fractions), the answer they’ll politely give is, “No. Thankfully I haven’t.” The answer they want to give is, “No, and why would you ask me that? Cops help people: resolve disputes, protect, and serve. And no, you can’t hold my gun.”
As a side note, if a cop has had to take a life, they’d probably rather not talk about it at a backyard barbecue.
When it’s on, it’s on.
The use of hands-on force is exceedingly rare but never pretty. When I say “hands-on,” I’m talking about full-on, physical confrontation. Typically, these situations precede a custodial arrest and officers are already on high alert. But on occasion, officers are attacked with little or no prior warning. In those sorts of skirmishes, the goal of any police officer is to win and win decisively. If that means taking advantage of superior numbers and tactics and the use of specialized defensive weapons, so be it. And, yes, it can get ugly. Fortunately, these sorts of confrontations are rare, occurring in far less than 1% of police/citizen contacts. Police officers are trained to “talk people into handcuffs,” and that is always the preferred method.
We know how fortunate we are.
Cops know that to be a police officer is a privilege. They realize the overwhelming majority of folks in all communities, large and small, throughout the country, support and respect their local police. Working conditions, training, and equipment have never been better. The men and women hired as cops in the 21st century come from all walks of life. They are professional and dedicated. It’s a great way to make a living, and cops are honored to have the opportunity to serve.
It was warmly nostalgic talking with old friends about their work and getting them to open up. Funny, nearly every one of them turned the situation around and asked me: do you miss it? That’s an easy one. Do I miss being a 50-year-old police lieutenant riding a desk? Not really. Do I miss being a young-buck beat cop, sitting in the driver’s seat of a black and white, working a uniform patrol shift with my sworn brothers and sisters? Man, put me in a time machine because I’d go back tomorrow.
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Putting this on my TBR list!
Many thanks to the men and women in blue.
Thanks for the giveaway. Always looking for new authors to follow.
All Great Points and true!
From your favorite CSO! 😉
would love to win thanks
Love to win ! Thanks for offering a contest!
Good list of things to know. Thanks for posting.
As a retired LEO, I heartily agree with the above. I don’t mind little children asking about shooting a weapon but adults should know better. And no I never shot anyone…..
Wienerschnitzel
Ah, more for The List – I see there are three Neil Griffin Newberg novels so far and all have high praise.
When a cop orders you to stop, please do. Unfortunately, many do not obey this command and it often ends badly for both parties. Do obey an officer’s commands.
Another Best Seller!
will definitely read and share with senior center
I would love to meet you at a book-signing event!
Sounds like a great book
Can’t wait to read it!
Sounds interesting.
This sounds like a great read. I hope that I will be lucky.
Very interesting, thanks for the chance!
Thanks for all you do!
nice to get the officers’ side of the job
What an informative post.
That was really insightful.
By His Own Hand sounds really good.
Sounds like a great read!
I’d like to win that book. I don’t have enough mysteries in my library.
New author for me. Fascinating point of view!
Definitely gonna read this whether I win or not.
Sounds like a great book!
I’d love to read this!!
Looks like a very interesting read. Far too often our law enforcement officers are portrayed in an unfair and unjustified manner.
I don’t know if the tv show “Cops” did law enforcement any good! I did like the theme song, tho.
Please enter me in this sweepstakes.
Thanks!
Thank you for the opportunity to win this prize.
This novel sounds compelling andintriguing.
As the granddaughter of a former law enforcement officer, thank you for pointing out these five things and respecting those who protect and serve.
count me in
interesting
This sounds absolutely fascinating! I can’t wait to read it!
Love getting lost in a new book
New books are always a pleasure to dip into!
Enthralling and exceptional. Thanks.
I can’t wait to read it.
As I’m retired from law enforcement, I always like to hear from colleagues!
would love to read thank you
Would love to win!
I think it’s really a shame the lack of respect I see towards police officers. I truly respect and appreciate everything they do for the the community. By His Own Hand sounds really good, thank you for the chance to win this.
George, congratulations to your son. I’m jealous! Starting a career in police work is an exciting adventure. Wish him well for me and tell him to stay safe! Best, Neal
Sounds awesome!
This sounds like a great read ,especially since my son just started with the SD here
This would be a interesting book to read and pass along to share!
No amount of appreciation is enough to sufficiently thank law enforcement officers for what they do for us every day. I wish him great luck with this book.
Esther, That’s very kind of you to say. I’ll pass along your sentiments to the officers I interviewed. Best, Neal
Looks like a good book.
Without the men and women in Blue, we would be in dire trouble! Thanks to the police, we are safer!
Thanks for this opportunity! Hope I could know more about “Police World” =)
Your book sounds like very interesting reading
Putting on my to read list
Neal,
No truer words spoken than those anonymous cops you spoke with.
Rick
Neal, No truer words spoken that those anonymous cops you spoke with
Rick
Would love to read this
Thanks so much for the chance 🙂
Great book.
This sounds informative and something the public needs to read! So many misconceptions, and this would clear a lot up.
Thanks for the great article. It is great information for the public. Sorry some officers give everyone a bad reputation. Like everyone I’ve met every kind. Macho, lazy, crooked, stupid but I remember the ones who left a good impression by being a professional.
All great points! Thanks for the helpful post
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Happy Tuesday!
Crime does not pay…
You forgot the one parents use when their small child is disobeying them in public, and you the Officer walks by, and Parent points to you the Officer and says…if you don’t behave I will have that Officer Arrest you.
Funny thing, Barb. That happened to be number six on the list! Great to hear from you.
Oh, great, comments are up!
You learn something different every day, I still need to read your books 🙂
I would like to read this.
My father was a state highway patrolman so this book is particularly interesting to me!