Persuasive Essay On The Police

Many thoughts come to mind when the word police is said aloud. When asked, one person provided the words “protection, and law”, while another simply stated “pigs”. We’ve all formed opinions on the police whether it be positive or negative based off of what we see in the news, hear from others, and from our own personal experiences. The politically correct definition of police is “the civil force of a national or local government, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order” (Martin). In the United States of America, the police have made a lasting impact on the public’s view of them most of which is extremely unpleasant. What we forget however, is that the police is formed of individuals who set …show more content…
Nothing can prepare an individual for the bizarre events that they will meet. Mr. Howerton explained he was thrown off by what he faced. “I wasn’t prepared for the lack of humanity people possess. Going into this job, they can’t warn you enough of what you will encounter through your job so it’s shocking having to witness it firsthand. I’ve learned that some people just don’t care for anyone but themselves. They feel no remorse for the horrible things they’ve done. It’s terrifying and yeah, I’ve learned to separate work from my personal life, but you catch yourself still going over it in your head even when you’re not on the job”. It’s important to detach yourself from your job when you exit work. There’s a reason why they say leave your work at the …show more content…
There are large amounts of cops who have become horribly affected by their work. Brian Post, a thirty year old cop at the time, never recovered emotionally after witnessing a sixteen year old girl murdered before his eyes. He became distracted and unfocused at work and felt he was to blame for the girl’s death because he couldn’t save her. “..Beginning of a downward spiral in Brian’s health, spurred on by a psychologically and physically challenging law enforcement career. Brian had been a healthy and fit ex-airborne infantry soldier when he began his policing career. But he eventually developed hypertension, anxiety, peripheral neuropathy, hearing loss, arthritis, and post-traumatic stress disorder” (Hayasaki). People like to believe that cops witness murder everyday so they become immune which is untrue. To witness an innocent person being killed in front of you is not something one can just forget. Policemen Howerton agrees, “It affects you emotionally when you witness a death and stays in your memory and sometimes it consumes you with guilt. You feel responsible somehow for the victim’s death and you find yourself wondering what if I was faster? What if this and that? You question yourself and abilities as a policeman”. We have yet to learn about all the thousands of police officers who have been effected mentally due to their