What It Must Be Like to be a Cop

You imagine what it must be like to be a cop right now?

It has always been a difficult and dangerous job, but here in 2021, with all that’s been going on, it must be an even harder job. The shootings by police officers, the trials of police officers and the sometimes violent protests the shootings have prompted have had to have created a uniquely challenging job for cops.

If you’re a cop, you’ve always known that anything could happen, from the expected to the unexpected. And you while you know you’ve been trained for it, you know that you may have to make split-second life and death decisions.

And having seen the bad decisions a few cops have made in recent times that have become flashpoints in debates over what cops do and how they do it, you can’t like what has happened and you don’t like what some of those cops have done. And you know that they should be held accountable. Because you know it helps all cops be better cops.

That’s because as a cop, you know about right and wrong, and you know that your job is to serve and protect the people in your community. And you’ve learned that not everyone can be a good cop. And you’ve come to understand just how important a responsibility you have, that is unlike like few other, if any other jobs.

And you know that the vast majority of cops are dedicated to doing their jobs well, and fairly and openly. And that they do.

But you also should know, especially during these times, that you are appreciated by most of us who are not cops. And that we’re thankful you are there, every day and every night.

(Photo: City of San Diego)