Those red and blue lights make you sweat as you pull over to the side of the road. It’s a psychologically trained reaction.
Who can blame you? I don’t want to go to jail or get a ticket either. And the spiel the officer gives is so rehearsed and monotone, right? If cops are doing traffic control, do you look at them like just another traffic device?
Many citizens might believe cops are all routine and robotic, but we really do have many human qualities:
1. We drink the Kool-Aid…and the lemonade.
In the hearts of those on the blue line, kids are number one. Whether on or off duty, children pull our heartstrings and remain our Achilles heel: our kids, your kids, all kids. We want to make a good impression upon them. Besides enjoying their homemade refreshments, you might see us playing street basketball in the neighborhoods we patrol or sledding down a hill with them in winter.
2. We give the shirts off our backs.
Police officers are bombarded with human misery and constantly seeing people at some of their worst moments. Many times we want to do more for our community than the department commands. The uniform does not strip away our human decency. You might see one of us replace your stolen Christmas gifts, buy a homeless person a new pair of boots, shovel your grandfather’s walk, mow your lawn, pay for a youth camp when you can’t afford to send your child, or check in on the elderly people in our area from time to time. No one orders these extras; they come from heart.
3. Officers have normal lives.
Contrary to popular belief we are not single-status Robocops who sit around waiting for the next tour of duty greasing our joints. We have families and hobbies, we go grocery shopping, get the oil changed in our personal vehicles, cope with the flu, and enjoy our children’s school activities.
4. Cops can be naughty.
Just like the public, we don’t like to attract the POPO, but it sometimes happens. We try to blend into community life and keep a low profile. We are mostly quiet neighbors BUT our brouhahas and BBQs sometimes get out of control like Little Johnny’s college parties.
5. We eat things besides donuts. Sometimes.
We are connoisseurs of the pastry type. Sure, you make fun of us about the cliche, but we are not too proud to recognize it is true. If you don’t like donuts, you are weird, right? But did you know a lot of us are on a health kick? We work out regularly and eat clean. Veggies are good. Sure, we get tempted by our sweet tooths. It isn’t easy being green.
6. We cry.
Law enforcement with feelings? Say it isn’t so. There are times we hide our sorrows on duty when we encounter something that hits us in the feels. Cops try to be stoic through those difficult calls because we just have to and you expect us to be strong. However, we can’t always maintain our composure because the emotions overcome us. Or maybe we have dust in our eyes. Yeah, that’s it.
7. What if I told you we can dance?
It might not be pretty, but we like to shake our booty. Dancing is a sign of joy. Some of us might even qualify for American Bandstand. Oh yeah. Ok. That might be off the air, but still. We have some boogie skills. Have you seen the challenges going around? Those are nothing. Watch us Whip Nae Nae in the yard.
Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know we are mostly human. You know I say that in jest. I have watched my LEO brothers and sisters all across the world display their insides outwardly toward their community members. It really is more common than most people realize. On television, we are portrayed as stoic and impermeable because that is what has been expected. As a result, we get the reputation of being unemotional aliens.
With the way of the world out there right now, I might also think the mother ship has landed just like you. However, police officers are mortal and we are very concerned for our community and its members. Every day gets more stressful and we really do wish for world peace.
We might even want a hug. Maybe. But make sure you announce those incoming affections and proceed with caution. All that feel good stuff might make us soft or push us out of our comfort zone. After all, we are only partially humanoid.
This article, originally published on October 14, 2016, has been updated to add a video and update embedded videos.
