Soul Mates by Donald Hanley

Author:Donald Hanley [Hanley, Donald]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-24T05:00:00+00:00

17

Think about all the uniformed service personnel in your town or the surrounding area. Police, firefighters, and paramedics probably come to mind first. Next up would be the Armed Forces, especially if there’s a base nearby, plus the National Guard. Depending on where you live, you might run across state troopers or the border patrol. You could even toss in the Postal Service and the Boy Scouts, if you’re so inclined.

Now, which of these groups makes you nervous when you encounter them on the street? Odds are, the only one that makes your heart skip a beat if they make eye contact with you is the police. Why is that? What is it about the police that makes us fearful, even though we’re not doing anything remotely criminal?

I have to believe it has to do with the fact that police officers are authorized to kill you. The key difference between the police and the military is that a soldier has to be ordered to shoot you, while a policeman can decide to do it entirely on his own. There are consequences to the use of deadly force, of course, but by then it’s too late.

The police have a thankless job. They’re there to protect and to serve, as the motto says, but every time they step outside, they’re potential targets. Anyone they meet, no matter how young or innocent-looking, could be carrying a weapon and a grudge. They have to make literal life-and-death decisions in a split second. If they make a mistake, someone could die and that someone could be them.

Ask yourself why any sane individual would want to be a policeman. It’s not because the uniform looks good on them or the paycheck has a lot of zeros on it. It’s certainly not because of all the respect and admiration they receive from the people they meet. It’s out of a genuine desire to do good. So give the next policeman you see a smile and a nod by way of thanks. It won’t kill you. Probably.

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