Today’s first entry is more geared towards the general public than it is members of law enforcement. I think it is very important that individuals of the general public remember, when interacting with the police, we are human just as much as they are.
I will always take that into consideration when dealing with an individual, so why can’t they? Police officers are held to a higher standard, we all know this. We all understand that we are held to a higher standard and we embrace it into our professional lives. However, being held to a higher standard does not mean that we are not human too.
What does being human mean?
Being human means that we have emotions, we feel sadness, anxiety, fear, loneliness, happiness, excitement, regret, hopelessness and fatigue. Being human means that we have bad days, we have good days, we have mediocre days, some days we feel sick, some days we feel healthy and strong, and some days we just wish we were at home with our family. Being human means that we fear the unknown, we have individual character traits, we aren’t all the same. Being human means that we are allowed to be mad, not necessarily at you (unless you have earned it). We are allowed to break down, and we are allowed to be built back up. Being human means that we make mistakes, but we will do our best to learn from and correct them.
You see, being a police officer does not restrict me from being human. My sadness, anger or fear may not be directed at you. But just as you can claim to be human, we can too.