The other day NPK wrote an essay titled Let’s Start at the Very Beginning where she posed the following question.
What would make you as a citizen feel safe? And what would you be willing to do, have done to others and agree to accept for yourself, in order to maintain that safety and security?
It sparked some interesting discussion and really got me thinking in lots of different directions. I’d like to write about one of those today.
Due to the fact that my professional life involves working with kids who are making dangerous decisions that could potentially lead to deep involvement with the juvenile justice system, I’ve worked with alot of police officers over the years. I must confess, however, that I don’t understand the people who choose that work and I certainly don’t understand the culture of police departments. While I’ve watched and tried to learn as much as I can, its still a mystery to me in many ways.
But I do know two police officers who have intrigued me more than just about any human beings I’ve ever met. I’d like to tell you a little about them.
Both Tim and Lucia have been police officers their whole adult lives and partners for most of that time. While their incredible competence has provided many opportunities for advancement in the department, they’ve turned down all offers in order to stay “on the streets.” The only position in the hierarchy they have been willing to embrace is that they do occasionally get involved in providing training and mentoring to new officers.
But when it comes to their street work, the sky’s the limit in what different kinds of things they’re involved with. Tim and Lucia know that their job is to respond when bad things happen. They’re pretty much adrenalin junkies who tend to run in to situations where most people’s instincts are to run away. But when they’re not doing that, they spend their time on just about anything that will keep the “bad things” from happening in the first place. Its a joy to watch them out and about in the community. Almost everyone knows them and enjoys talking to them. And especially for Tim, who could moonlight as a comedian, no one is a stranger.
Lucia has been in the department long enough to have amazing stories to tell about what its like to be one of the only women doing this job. Not only that…she’s very open about being lesbian and a practicing Wiccan. As you can imagine, these kinds of things don’t go over well with alot of the men in the department. She doesn’t give a shit what they think and lets them know that in no uncertain terms. And its absolutely lovely to see Tim both tease her about all that, but back her up every inch of the way.
A few years ago we honored Tim and Lucia for their work in this community at our organization’s annual event. Lucia is also a poet and wrote this for the occasion.
Hands
As cops we know that hands can kill us
we must always watch the handsbut hands also comfort, carry, and bring us to safety
they hold us, caress us, and lift us upit is the hands that give us life
and the hands that take lifeit is the hands that make love
and the hands that make warthe touch of a hand can be healing
or it can bring immeasurable painhands are the extensions of emotion
passion and conscience
or lack thereofhands can make beautiful music
and art that can bring one to tearshands pull the trigger and wield the sword
they throw the switch and light the firethey command and give clear direction
they always steer our coursethey are compassion, they are power
they protect and they destroythey are instruments and tools
of our minds and heartsthey are the servants of our wishes
and our deepest and darkest desiresthey are critical for us cops
as we live by them and die by themit is our hands that defend us from harm
sending a bullet through the barrel
a baton toward its target
a pen or key onto paper or laptopand it is our partners’
our friends’
our families’
and our communities’
hands that hold us up.
I’m not sure why I wanted to write this or what point I’m trying to make. Its just that when I think of security, eventually I think about people like Tim and Lucia. They’re not perfect by any measure. And they work in a department and system that is way too often an ugly part of our society. But if I was able to start at the very beginning and create the kind of world I want to live in…folks like Tim and Lucia would definitely be a part of it.
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…to know people like that.
My parents were teachers. Another orbital out in the family molecule, I have state patrol and cop relatives (most of whom I’ve never met). The impression I’ve gotten though is that for the best of ’em, the motivations are similar to teaching, the whole lawful good moving society forward thing. A friend of mine in HS who joined the local police force — and is now a cop muckey-muck in my old home town — gave me the same impression.
This doesn’t mitigate the fact cops scare the hell out of me and as a culture we’ve fetishized police work as the essence of what “good people” do.
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This week I had to go to the dentist to have a cap replaced – yuk, yuk, yuk!!! As is so often the case while I sit in that chair, I thought about how much I would HATE that job, tried to figure out what kind of person is attracted to it, and wondered how they motivate themselves to do such repetitive, tedious work every day. I also thought about how glad I am that there are people, very obviously different from me, who are drawn to that profession and do it so well.
As I was thinking about Tim and Lucia this morning, I was thinking the same thing about them. And perhaps the difference with police work is that too many people haven’t realized what it means to do that job well.
we got 3 new cops, fresh from Detroit. That would have been at least 25% of the whole force for this small town. The new cops were brutal with our teens. We weren’t used to that and neither were our parents. It didn’t take them long to settle down and see things were different here. So I think situation and public reaction have a lot to do with their actions.
But it still seems to be illegal to drive while being black here.