Corrupt Cops Give Honest Cops Bad Reputation

I don't know about you, but whenever I used to see a police officer in uniform browsing the magazine rack that I was shopping across from I immediately got very uncomfortable. Why is this? Aren't cops supposed to make us feel safe? They are defenders of the good and destroyers of the bad. Knowing this did nothing to ease my terror of their presence.

I grew up in an extremely safe neighborhood. You could leave your front door open and your keys in the ignition overnight if you wanted and nothing would be bothered. There was a police officer living four houses down from mine so I was never worried about being mugged or kidnapped.

I grew up watching television programs like Miami Vice where cops were brave and admired! I loved police when I was a child and felt comforted by their presence. I knew that they would jump in front of a bullet to protect me if necessary. The delusions of little kids, oh well, it was a nice thought at the time.

So why did I tense every muscle in my body whenever I heard a police siren heading my way. Why did I try and look innocent whenever I passed an officer in public? I nearly wet myself one evening when I passed by a patrol car parked on the side of the road despite the fact that I was going well under the speed limit.

Did I feel guilty or maybe just paranoid? I'm no criminal so why couldn't I just be relaxed around the police. I felt like a body was going to appear in the trunk of my car one day when I got pulled over or an unpaid digital camera would end up in my purse mysteriously when I bumped into an officer at Radio Shack.

Now that I am a criminal justice major (go figure), I am beginning to understand why law abiding citizens are so intimidated by the police. It turns out that when we look at a cop we don't stop to consider that they are citizens of the community just like us. They have families at home, taxes to pay, and laws to abide the same as we do. All we see is the uniform, not the human being wearing it.