By Samantha Nichols, staff writer
With the recent publicity of the Kenosha Police in the news, it is time to shed light on our side of the story, referring to the “Blue Lives.” As the daughter of a police officer, I am speaking on behalf of all the servicemen and women out there, and their families, to tell the side no one hears.
The saying goes, “because he’s mine, I walk this blue line.” The blue line, or blue life, metaphor refers to the life of a police officer. So the saying means because my father is a police officer, I am constantly worried about his safety.
On top of the fears police officer’s families have to deal with is knowing their loved ones are out pa- trolling the streets. We can’t go on any social media without seeing someone badmouthing the police department. Comments like: “Police don’t help people, they only harass them,” or “A dead cop is the best cop.” These thoughts are all around us and it hurts our families to know that people would rather see police officers dead when all they are trying to do is help.
Police officers have it hard; some may argue that it is one of the toughest jobs out there. Not only are officers putting their lives on the line every time they put on their uniform, but they also have to deal with the constant hatred from most people.
If an officer does something amazing, like save a small child, sure it will be in the news, but most people won’t really take notice. On the other hand, if an officer is involved in an accident, like a shooting,
it’s all over the news, the Internet, and it’s all people can talk about for weeks. People are so quick to criticize the police when all they want to do is protect and serve.
When a police officer wakes up in the morning, they don’t think “I want to shoot someone today.” If a horrible circumstance does occur where an officer has to use his weapon, he doesn’t feel proud about it.
They don’t go back to the station and brag about a shooting to the other officers. They go home, they feel pain and guilt, they think about what they could have done, because they know now someone’s son, brother, or father is dead. It’s all because the officer was just trying to do their job.
In the end, most of the time there is no other option. If the officer would have waited just a few more seconds before firing his weapon, he could have been killed instead. In the big scheme, the criminal is shooting to kill, where as the officer is just trying to protect himself and everyone around him from the threat.
“In the situation where we are trying to contain a subject, they control the situation. Our movements and actions are based off of how they act,” said a Kenosha Police Officer.
As an officer’s daughter, I want my dad to come home. To some, that might sound selfish, but my father is selfless every day, putting his life on the line for people who don’t even want him there, so I think I can be a little selfish.
Think of it this way, no matter how much you hate police officers, would it be better if they died and the felon was able to get away? Would you rather have a dead officer who was just trying to protect the city, or have the officer do everything he can to get that criminal off the street?
Now I want you to take a minute and imagine what life would be like if there were no police officers.
Imagine destruction, violence, and people in pain. It’s hard to put a positive spin on that. The message I am trying to convey here is that we need the police. Whether people like it or not, they are necessary to keep order.
People don’t want police officers around but won’t hesitate to call 911 if there’s an emergency. People need to learn to respect the badge. If you are going to disobey orders from an officer or even pull a weapon on one, you deserve whatever is coming to you, because at the end of the day the officer is just trying to do their job. Officers don’t use their badge, uniform, or weapon to their advantage.
No one is perfect, people make mistakes, and there are some officers out there who aren’t as good as others. One bad officer shouldn’t create a bad stereotype for the whole profession, just as a few bad politicians haven’t corrupted the whole government. Officers only do what they have to do to keep the city and its people safe.