Leadership, Outreach

DEAR POLICE OFFICER

by Jeremy Norton

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about posting this.

Then again, it’s not written to those who won’t like it. I wanted you to know that there are a lot of us out here on the internet who love you, appreciate you, support you, and are praying for you.

These days, it’s easy to find pictures of you, displayed in riot gear.

-> No one seems to be posting pictures of your impact, teaching kids about strangers, drugs, and traffic.
-> No one seems to be posting pictures of your turmoil, as you analyze disturbing content, to build a case against abusers and traffickers of the vulnerable.
-> No one seems to be posting pictures of you losing sleep, as you spend weeks sifting through evidence to bring closure to a family who has tragically lost a loved one.
-> No one’s ever going to post pictures of your breakdown, as you sat in your cruiser, trying to reconcile with the testimony you just heard, processing how to write an accurate report to describe the total depravity of what you just heard.

And the list goes on.

I want you to know that there are a lot of us out here on the internet who know that a police officer’s career consists of far more (and different) responsibilities than a traffic stop or an arrest.

For the massive majority of law enforcement, we do not believe you entered this career to harm us, or keep us under your control.

For the massive majority of law enforcement, we believe you carry a responsibility and accountability that is both an honour, and a burden, and that you all have willingly chosen that path to protect us, and bring justice into an unjust world.