Rethinking policing for Rana Station

Rethinking policing has always been an important part of my world-building  for the futuristic world of my science fiction novels. Recent protests and calls to abolish or defund the police have given me fresh material to work with. 

But they haven't changed my plans for the series.

At the time this post went live, these were the "XK9 books" available. Cover art for The Other Side of Fear is © 2020 by Lucy A. Synk; Cover art for What's Bred in the Bone is © 2019 by Jody A. Lee.

Balancing reality and fiction

One of the joys of speculative fiction is that you get to make up your own world. That makes it possible to explore all sorts of thought experiments. How would this or that work out, if this or that other thing happened? The challenge that comes with the joy is making your world believable.

I wanted to combine my love of science fiction, dogs, and mystery stories into a science fiction series. 

But I couldn't assert spontaneously sapient, talking dogs (sure, that's believable . . . or is it?). No, they'd need to be engineered and equipped. Most people probably wouldn't do that for a pet. Contemporary smart dogs are already sometimes too smart for their own good. Plus it would be expensive, and take a long time. 

My fictional dogs needed a job that required the development. I already knew I wanted to write a mystery in this futuristic setting, so K9s--police dogs--were a natural choice. 

They aren’t using computers yet, but dogs are smarter than we think. (GSCSafety/Donna Clayton/Pinterest)

I set my story on a space-based megastructure built on designs actual rocket scientists thought might work. My canine-cognition, robotics, and other research led me to other extrapolations. I hoped I'd figured it out so my readers could suspend their disbelief, and enjoy the story.

Reality and fiction in policing for Rana Station

But how to portray the police? I knew from the start that TV and movies were no guide. They tend to show cops as good-guy protagonists. They're frequently wildly erroneous. They often glorify, erase, or excuse terrible misconduct for the sake of drama. 

My original goal was to portray a style of policing that a real police officer could read and think, "yes, this is right. This is how it really works." 

Never having been a police officer or worked in that world, I had a lot of learning to do. But the more I've learned about the way it really works, the less I think it fits with the rest of how Rana Station is conceived. 

The more I learned about how policing really works today in black and brown communities, the more I found myself in sympathy with concerns reflected in recent protests (Uncredited/The Hill)

The society on Rana Station is yet another thought experiment. This one is steeped in my roots as a teacher in urban schools. I built it on understandings from working on my Master's degree in Multicultural Education. As one of my characters says in a later chapter of What's Bred in the Bone, Rana's "governmental aim is to support the realization of each and every inhabitant-being's full potential."

The rest of the surrounding universe looks more like systems we're unfortunately familiar with. In some ways Ranans themselves don't live up to their ideals. In others, they do better. Part of the fun is speculating about what might happen when social systems, values, and priorities collide.

Rethinking crime 

One thing about humans: crimes happen. People screw up. They fight. Greed gets the best of them. Con artists run their scams. Passions rise, and sometimes people die. There are plenty of cases to solve, even on Rana Station. 

But a society built on respect for everyone, and dedicated to supporting their achieving full potential, isn't going to criminalize many of the things our society uses the police to address.

When murders occur, they must be investigated. Members of the Pinellas Sheriff’s Department Forensics Team and St. Petersburg Police gather evidence at a murder scene in St. Petersburg, FL in 2017. (Uncredited/Tampa Bay Times)

Addiction isn't illegal on Rana Station. People can have small quantities of controlled substances. But authorities regulate potentially dangerous substances and try to stifle smuggling. Sapient-trafficking is illegal pretty much everywhere (but which beings are sapient?).

Digital thievery plagues everyone. Rana's "second-story men" (and women) sometimes intrude on residence towers. As in Chapter One of What's Bred in the Bone, people sometimes get mugged.

Assaults, rapes, and murders do still occur (although there are lots more conflict mediation efforts on Rana Station than in the USA right now).

And the XK9s, along with their human allies, are on the case.

Rethinking policing in more ways than one

But a social system designed to support every inhabitant-being reaching their full potential would not look like our reality. That means not only is the agriculture different. The schools are different. Ranan mental and physical health-care infrastructure is different (to name just a few).

And Ranan policing is different, too.

Today's "defund" advocates demand some changes that already were planned features on Rana Station. Even before our collective consciousness raising on police use of force. For instance, police won't be the first responders called for most mental health crises. Mental health professionals called "Listeners" will. Many current "de-criminalize" issues are handled outside of the justice system on Rana.

The criminalization of poverty reaches an extreme when it comes to people experiencing homelessness. Police prepare to clear a “homeless” camp in San Francisco, in 2017. (Judith Calson/San Francisco Public Press)

RReaders of What's Bred in the Bone may recall that the Orangeboro Police Department has a STAT Team (for "Special Tools and Techniques"). I originally called them a "SWAT" Team, but "Special Weapons and Tactics" recalls the old-fashioned militarized unit of contemporary practice. That's not what I intend to portray.

In very special circumstances some SWAT-like tactics may be needed. Think sharpshooters, or psychologist-trained negotiators. But Ranan STAT teams also embrace what we think of as search-and-rescue,  bomb squads and communications and surveillance specialists. They're known for saving lives, not kicking doors.

Rethinking police mental and physical health

One major area where my police research appalled me is the real world of police officer/first-responder stress. Rather than write in generalities, I'll share a summary of an all-too-typical case study. This one's from the March 2016 AA Grapevine, but unfortunately none of it seemed unusual, or out of step with other cases I've studied. 

Erika J.'s story

The writer was a young woman who'd wanted to be a police officer since she was in high school. Right at the start of her first rookie year she had a "suicide by cop" call. Although it was devastating, she felt compelled to "lie my butt off" to the department psychologist so she wouldn't lose her job. 

There are so many wrong things, just in that one element of her story.

From the beginning, this young employee understood if she was honest she'd be fired (like most people, she needed her job). She didn't feel supported, and that pattern continued. Later promoted to detective, she was "the only police officer in town assigned to juvenile cases." Not surprisingly, the caseload overwhelmed her. She asked for a reassignment after six years, unsure how many more autopsies of abused babies she could handle. Her request was denied.

So she "boarded out" and qualified for a promotion. Later, as a now-sergeant with a 3-month-old breastfeeding infant, they denied a reassignment that would make it easier to care for her baby. "I was told to quit whining and do my job." There's more. But if you're like me you've seen enough already. It's really not surprising this woman developed a problem with alcoholism. The way she was treated--by her brothers (and sisters?) in blue--ought to be criminal.

Stress and feelings of isolation can build up for cops if they’re not given adequate support. Mitchell, SD Police Officer Mici Bolgrean does paperwork. Only 5% of South Dakota officers are female. (Sean Ryan/Republic)

So many wrong things

Instead, it's not uncommon. She probably got more grief because she was a woman (way to diversify, people!!). But male officers don't get much less pressure. That old-school police culture is toxic, no matter who's on the receiving end. As other pressures in society build virulence, police officer suicides have hit an upward trend.

Cops also work long hours with few breaks and little access to healthy food. That's why you see so many fat officers after they've been on the job for a while. They're usually not so much lazy as stressed-out and overextended. You won't be surprised that police officers are at 30-70% more risk of sudden cardiac arrest than others, when thrown into stressful situations.

It's not an acceptable reason, but it's easy to see how some officers grow jaded, callous, or abusive. That kind of job environment is practically a formula for inappropriately-displaced aggression. Give that human powder-keg a racist system to work in, a history of oppression and a gun, and you have a police brutality offense just looking for some "uppity" brown-skinned person to trigger it. 

Rethinking policing in a better way

Ranan culture doesn't put up with any of these ways of doing things. They are stupid, counter-productive, and deeply destructive. Excuse me while I'm "unrealistic," and explore a better way.

We need to ask why our own contemporary society puts up with those stupid, destructive ways of doing things. Must we abolish the police and start over from scratch to get rid of rampant, racist old-school police culture? If so, it might be a better way of rethinking policing than many people believe.

IMAGE CREDITS:

The covers of my books are from my Jan S. Gephardt’s Artdog Adventures website. Many thanks to Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation, via Donna Clayton’s Pinterest Board, for the K9-making-a-report meme. I’m grateful to The Hill, for the photo of the “defund” protesters. Many thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for the photo of the murder scene investigation. I am grateful to Judith Calson of the San Francisco Public Press, for the photo of the police outside the "homeless camp." and thanks also to the Mitchell (SD) Republic and photographer Sean Ryan for the photo of Mitchell, SD Police Officer Mici Bolgrean at work. 

 

How (and why) might we defund police?

It appears that when people say, "Defund the Police!" they often don't mean completely. They usually appear not to mean "dismantle the police force and don't replace it," although some do. 

I started examining the ideas of abolishing or defunding the police in the previous post on this blog.

Defund the Police, like Abolish the Police, is an arresting (sorry), but inadequate slogan. Like most ideas, if you take the logic to its farthest extreme, it's a terrible idea (hint: for real-life applications, never go to the farthest extreme). But people have begun to have valuable discussions about the way forward.

(Kevin Siers cartoon courtesy of Charlotte Observer/McClatchey)

Deciphering what they actually mean

In the simplest statements I've heard, the idea is to reallocate some funds from the local police department. Then to spend them building up departments that would be more appropriate responders to certain kinds of situations. Police solutions often end with someone arrested or ticketed, possibly taken to jail. That's appropriate for some things, but not for others.

For example, if it's a mental health crisis, deploy some kind of mental health equivalent of EMTs (and yes, I know we don't have those yet). This would radically reduce the number of incidents in which a mentally ill person in crisis (but mostly a danger only to themselves) isn't confronted, further agitated, and then eventually killed by police.

Another example we often hear cited is when police are called to deal with persons experiencing homelessness. What do these people need? Certainly a better place to live. Many also need mental health counseling, physical health care, possibly addiction treatment, additional education so they can find a job, or other services. What can police do about them? Usually none of those things. They can arrest them, or force them to go somewhere else. That's pretty much it.

(Illustration courtesy of Aleksey Weintraub, @LAKUTIS via Twitter)

Why many say policing itself needs a re-think

Diversity training is only as good as the trainer who teaches, and the personal investment of the people who show up. Until individual officers take the messages to heart--and until there's greater diversity and cross-cultural understanding in most police departments, cultural clashes will continue to fuel bad outcomes.

If the overall culture of the department doesn't change (and changing police culture is an uphill climb), street-level outcomes won't, either. Many American police are actively trained to distrust their communities, and to believe every encounter could end in violence against them. They are taught to "fear for their lives" almost as a default-setting. The "warrior" mindset of increased police militarization isn't helping any of us.

Even when radical overhauls happen, there's often still a gap between desire and result. It's discouraging. But allowing ourselves to feel defeated and saying, "I give up" isn't a sustainable solution. Sweeping problems (and problem officers) under the rug doesn't work. Perpetuating and doubling-down on "how we've always done things" doesn't cut it. We've been doing that for decades, and the results keep getting more extreme.

A city worker power-washes "Defund the Police" from the road outside the Atlanta Police Department, after the protests in Atlanta. When the protests subside, will calls for reform be as easy to erase or ignore? (Photo by Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

What is policing supposed to do?

It gets down to questioning the very purpose of policing. Why do we have police? To keep public order, so we feel safer in our neighborhoods? To respond to (or ideally limit/prevent) crimes such as murder, assault, rape, fraud, and similar invasions of property and person? 

Do they have a role in limiting vandalism, truancy, and roving bands of unoccupied youths, or should other programs address those ills?

Do we want police to prioritize our privacy and personal autonomy at the expense of the privacy and personal autonomy of others? How much governmental intrusion is acceptable, and are we okay with knowing that some people experience more heavy-handed treatment than others?

De-criminalizing our society

Many proposals start with a laundry-list of things to de-criminalize. I've already mentioned de-criminalizing homelessness in this article. A strong case also can be made for de-criminalizing addiction and drug possession. 

Much is made, in gun-violence arguments, of the urgent need for better mental health services. Yet we are a very long way from de-criminalizing mental illness and creating a robust safety net of mental health services.

De-criminalizing poverty is another consideration. We could do this in part by examining all proposed statutes, civil codes, and local ordinances to see which disproportionately afflict poor people. Another good starting place might be not over-policing poor and minority neighborhoods.

Decriminalizing addiction, drug use and other "offenses" that could better be handled by other agencies would also free up jail space (Barrie Maguire cartoon courtesy of the Philadelpha Inquirer).

Where do we go from here?

Some"de-fund" arguments focus, not on policing itself, but on problems that perpetuate the conditions that encourage crime. 

Even before the pandemic threw them into glaring prominence, inequalities in educational opportunities, in health care, in food security and economic opportunity were major concerns. So it's not surprising inequities claim prominent places on many people's "to-reform" lists. Yet all of those things get less money from local governments than policing. Many cities' biggest budget item is its public safety budget.

Some observers fear we're rushing into things with half-baked approaches to revamping police forces or radically altering them. Others fear we'll only use half-measures, then reluctant politicians will have an "out" to declare, "well, that didn't work!" a few weeks or years from now.

But what if we were really serious about this? What if we actually tried a well-thought-out plan to readjust the way we do social well-being, including efforts to ensure law, order, and justice for everyone? For real.

I think we're all still trying to figure out how that would look. But next week in this space, I'll take a stab at relating my own vision and thoughts to my stories about policing in the future on Rana Station.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Many thanks to the Charlotte Observer/McClatchey, for the Kevin Siers cartoon. The "Defund the Police Teapot" illustration is from Aleksey Weintraub, @LAKUTIS via Twitter. It appears to be a clever adaptation of a photo of an actual, multi-spout teapot from Tea Exporter India (now a defunct link) via Alobha Exim's Pinterest board. The photo of the city worker power-washing the street in front of the Atlanta Police Department is by the formidable Alyssa Pointer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution The remarkable Barrie Maguire (who also did a stint at Kansas City's own Hallmark) is a marvelous fine-art painter of Irish-inspired work, but he also created cartoons for the Philadelphia Inquirer for a while, including this one dramatizing prison overcrowding.

Service dogs for first responders

In light of Wednesday's post, here's a video about service dogs for first responders.

Thank goodness, leadership in some areas has begun to cut through the "tough-guy" culture in many agencies. It's high time we recognize the huge impact of stress on first responders. When more than twice as many police officers die by suicide than in the line of duty, something is seriously wrong!

Anyone who's followed this blog for a while knows I've posted about service dogs many times before. I've featured dogs who help calm child witnesses in courtrooms, who aid deaf people, help with mobility, comfort hospice patients, and support recovery from PTSD. Especially as they've become more widely used to treat PTSD in military veterans, it's logical to expand the idea to include service dogs for first responders.

Dogs' roles have evolved

This kind of caregiving role for our canine friends isn't a universal centuries-old tradition, such as their aid over the millennia as co-hunters, herding dogs, and guard dogs. But in isolated instances people have used animals as helps in therapy or guides throughout history.

L-R in a wonderful composite photo created by Tori Holmes for Bark-Post: Mural from Herculaneum showing an ancient Roman dog used to guide a bind person,  Morris Frank and his guide dog Buddy (she is popularly considered to be the first guide dog in the US) and a contemporary guide dog with her person.

Our contemporary understanding of what a service dog can do began in Germany after World War I. Former ambulance dogs found new roles as guide dogs for blinded veterans. The idea spread to the United States, where trainers established several schools.

Developing the concept

From there, a whole new chapter in the relationship between dogs and humans has unfolded. Service dogs now help people deal with all kinds of medical and mental health issues.

But the first time I became aware of therapy dogs helping first responders cope was through stories about therapy dogs at the site of the 9/11 wreckage.

Crisis dog Tikva, a Keeshond, helped responders cope at Ground Zero. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)

Individual agencies have begun bringing in therapy dogs occasionally. In the 911 Call Center for Sheboygan County, WI, a team of therapy dogs visits on a regular schedule.

Back in Fairfax County, home of the police in our opening video, they also have a Goldendoodle therapy dog named Wally in Fire Station 32. Therapy dogs have been brought in to help firefighters battling wildfires in Californina (I hope in Australia, too!).

I think this trend of providing service dogs for first responders is positive. What do you think? Should more agencies should explore it as a way to offer our first responders some relief?

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to VOA for the video about therapy dogs in the Fairfax VA Police Department. I deeply appreciate the three-photo composite of guide dogs through the centuries from Tori Holmes and Bark-Post. Finally, I want to thank the New York Daily News for the photo of Tikva the Keeshond, and the accompanying article about therapy dogs at Ground Zero.

Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress

When I first stumbled across Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress, it left a resounding impression. A major theme in my upcoming novel A Bone to Pick is first responder stress and the marks it can leave on a person. (A Bone to Pick is the second book in the XK9 Trilogy, with a projected pub date in August 2020).

Post-traumatic stress is a huge problem for first responders

The toll that traumatic events can take on professionals who are regularly exposed to blood, gore, violence and death is huge. The first responder community is beginning to understand it's impossible for people to "tough it out" indefinitely and continue to thrive, without help and support. But cultural change is slow, and it's hard for "tough guys" of both/all genders to admit they need help.

In his public appearances, Daniel Sundahl uses his artwork to get people talking about hard-to-discuss issues. (This December 2019 photo is currently Daniel's Facebook profile picture.)

Unfortunately, it also can be hard for them to find help once they realize they need it. That culture of denial can go all the way to the top. And the US has never been a great haven of enlightenment when it comes to mental health.

Daniel is a firefighter and paramedic as well as an artist. He's also an activist on the topic of first responder post-traumatic stress. He pours his passion on the subject into both his artwork and his speaking engagements.

With that introduction, I hope you'll be moved and fascinated by Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress. He depicts scenes featuring all types of first responders. In this post I've shared one example each from Communications/Dispatch, EMS, Fire, and Police.

But you can see much more of his work on his website and his Facebook page. All images are © by Daniel Sundahl and DanSun Photo Art, and have been used with the artist's permission. Please do not reproduce or re-post them without express permission from Daniel!

Communications Departments

The Ghosts of Dispatch © by Daniel Sundahl. Of this image, he writes, "Speaking with someone as they kill themselves or hearing someone pleading for help as they're being murdered is something the rest of us just don't understand. This one is for all the dispatchers. Stay safe brothers and sisters." 

My first encounter with Daniel's art came when I discovered The Ghosts of Dispatch while searching for images to illustrate my blog post "Merry Christmas, and be careful out there." It took my breath away the first time I saw it, for a multitude of reasons. 

Emergency Medical Services

Is anything I can say that's more eloquent than what Daniel himself has written about this next image?

Children of Heaven © by Daniel Sundahl. "I often hear from fellow Paramedics of the terrible calls they’ve had involving children. . . . Calls involving children are the ones that affect us the most. . . . I still have many calls in my head that I can’t get out that involve children. . . . I call this image Children of Heaven. It brings me peace thinking where these kids are now instead of thinking of what happened to them. "

First responder stress probably can't get much worse than a murdered baby. But then, it also seems there's an unimaginable range of horrors it is possible to confront, and the folks who'll confront them are first responders, God help them.

Fire

Fire Fight © by Daniel Sundahl. "Fighting the Dragon...my fellow firefighters know what this means." As a fantasy artist myself, I absolutely could not resist this one.

Firefighters stand between the rest of us and that dragon. Whether it's a raging structural fire,  vehicle-turned-inferno, or a wildfire roaring up a steep hillside, they stand between it and us. All too often they pay a steep price, as well.

Police

Police officers never know what's coming, but like all first responders their lives are spent on call. Their schedules exist at the mercy of the next emergency. A day can be fairly uneventful, and then turn suddenly deadly. 

Officer Down, © by Daniel Sundahl. "Would you enter a live shooting event to treat the injured and help take them to safety? What if it was someone you knew? The medic and fallen officer in this image are close friends in real life. They work on the same shift so this situation is a real possibility for them. I have no doubt she would risk her life to save him."

I hope you've been inspired by these images and the brave people they represent. Daniel Sundahl's artwork about first responder stress is real and authentic because he has lived the situations he portrays. They all fight the dragon for us, one way or another. They all stand between us and that unimaginable range of horrors.

IMAGE CREDITS: All images are © by Daniel Sundahl and DanSun Photo Art, and have been used with the artist's permission. Please do not reproduce or re-post them without express permission from Daniel!

Merry Christmas, and be careful out there

Not everyone gets to celebrate at home with their families today. With that in mind, today's post is a tribute to the first responders who have to work. Because heart attacks don't take a holiday. Neither do fires. Nor mental health emergencies. Nor crime. "Let's be careful out there" was an iconic line from the 1980s show Hill Street Blues, but it applies in all decades.

In the past I've written about ways to thank first responders, and I hope I've expressed my thanks and respect through other blog posts as well. But it's time to do it again. So to all first responders I'd just like to say, Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

911 Dispatchers

The Dispatch Center at the Ada County Sheriff's Department in Ada County, Idaho is a busy place during the holidays, just like practically every other 911 Dispatch center.

It's a too-frequently-forgotten crucible of chaos that's often a center of frantic activity on holidays: the place where the calls come in. 9-1-1 dispatchers have a high-stress front row seat on the worst day in the life of practically everyone in town.

That goes double for busy winter holidays. Roads are often wet or icy. People are distracted, inebriated, or both. Stuff happens. And 9-1-1 dispatchers are expected to remain rock-steady through it all. No, they're not out in the weather, but never imagine they're not in the fight. And never imagine their job is easy.

I hope they'll accept my heartfelt thanks, for what they're worth!

Emergency Medical Service and Firefighters

EMS doesn't always get shoveled sidewalks or plowed streets when it snows, but it's nice when that happens. (Photo by Gold Cross Ambulance/Post Bulletin)

EMS is part of the local Fire Department in much of the United States, but not always or everywhere. However they're organized, when Dispatch calls they go. No matter what's on the ground. Shouldn't matter which neighborhood (although, sadly, sometimes it may). And it doesn't matter how gory or horrible the things they see when they arrive might be.

Winter is a difficult time to fight fires. Added to the usual dangers, cold weather can cause falls from slips on ice, frostbite, and related hazards. Add all of this to the strain of being away from one's family, and you can see that holiday duty comes with added stress.

Many thanks to all of you! Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

Christmas cheer is where you make it at the fire station, when you have to work that day or night. (Photo: WJHG Channel 7, Panama City Beach, FL)

Sometimes it's a modest wreath . . . sometimes it's a bit more elaborate. (Photo: Ephraim325 on Reddit)

Police Officers

Many of the people who come into contact with police officers during the holidays are not happy to see them. Drunk drivers, domestic disturbances in stressed-out households, thieves from porch pirates to armed robbers, and many other criminals take no holidays. In fact, Christmas is "the most dangerous time of the year."

This makes police officers' Thanksgivings thankless, their Christmases critical, and their New Years nasty. Whatever holidays they celebrate, they know they'll receive more curses than holiday greetings on those days.

I know one blog post can't make up for all the abuse, but this blogger thanks you! Merry Christmas, and be careful out there!

I found a couple of cartoons by this unidentified artist, featuring an "Officer Santa" character. (If you know who the artist is, I'd love to know and give credit!) (Sidney Ohio City Government on Facebook)

Clearly the same artist, same character, same rousing thank-you message. (Police Benevolent Foundation)

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to the Ada County (ID) Sheriff's Glassdoor listing, for this uncredited photo of their dispatch center. I'm grateful to The Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin and Gold Cross Ambulance (now called Mayo Clinic Ambulance). I also thank WJHG Channel 7, of Panama City Beach (FL), for their photo and story about first responders working on the holidays. I'm very grateful to Ephraim 325 on Reddit, via Pinterest. I'm grateful to the Sidney, Ohio City Government's Facebook Page for the first "Officer Santa" picture, and to the Police Benevolent Foundation, via the "Sh*t My Callers Say" Tumbler, written by an emergency response dispatcher. 

New Year's Eve reminders

Not all of us get to party tonight. Please spare a thought for our first responders, who'll be on the job to keep us safe!

Holiday Cheer for Our First Responders, a painting by Teresa Ascone.

Be nice to them at checkpoints, and designate a driver, please!

Keeping us safe this Holiday Season, a poster by Teresa Ascone.

They're working hard tonight! Don't give them more to do!

IMAGE: Many thanks to Teresa Ascone via Fine Art America for her Holiday Cheer for Our First Responders painting, and to Teresa Ascone's "Holiday Art" Pinterest page for her Keeping Us Safe this Holiday Season poster. Thanks to Bonfire Designs for the EMS greeting.

Artdog Image of Interest:Faith in Humanity--and in Police

I used to tell my students, "I did not go into teaching so I could oppress students!" (Although some of them acted as if they thought I was only there to make their lives onerous).

Likewise, in my experience, people don't normally go into police work so they can oppress, beat up, racially profile, or kill others. They go into that line of work to help people. Indeed, for many it is a calling to community service.

The next time you read or hear a story about officers who fell short of the ideal--remind yourself that most are not like that.

IMAGE: Many thanks to the K9s4Cops Facebook page, for this image. To learn more about K9s4Cops and its mission, please go to their website.