Cops are generally not thought of as cool.
The media besmirches the good name of police officers, and it shows. The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey found 58 percent of likely voters think there is a war on police.
Police exist to diffuse conflict — not create it. The stigma associated with cops teaches us to fear the wrong people, and this is an issue. But police are not blameless for this negative stigma, which is clear in various instances of police brutality.
The media caught many cops red-handed in their excessive use of force. Robert Davis, Frank Jude and Rodney King are all infamous cases of adults facing clear instances of police brutality, but recently it seems cops are expanding their horizons to attack children.
On May 8, a 13-year-old ne’er-do-well realized how brutal cops could be. Mario Badia, the school officer, responded to a domestic argument between a boy and his mother by slamming the non-resisting boy to the ground.
Detectives found probable cause to charge Badia with child abuse.
School officers are usually the first exposure children have to cops, so it should be a positive one. The majority of cops are not jerks, and a surprising amount of people fail to realize this. The media portrays officers like the crooked cop from “Pulp Fiction.”
Police brutality sells, and the media is in the business of making money. News outlets won’t pass an opportunity to report on police brutality, and this skews opinions on law enforcement.
If the media reported on every instance of a cop properly doing his or her job, two things would happen: Cops would be seen in a new light, and the news would be way more boring.
Rather than modifying the media’s agenda, police could simply avoid doing dumb things. They shouldn’t slam kids for arguing with their mothers or arrest kids who bring clocks to school, but we don’t live in a perfect world.
The extreme actions of a few inaccurately represent of the population. When we label cops as unjust or crooked because of a small group of them, we send an unwise message.
We see this mass labeling especially after terroristic attacks. One Muslim driven to the point of terrorism doesn’t define the beliefs of the entire religion. Jumping to conclusions about a demographic is intolerant and should not be how we identify groups.
People should not fear cops. They provide an essential service and aren’t paid justly. Cops should have our respect, but they have to earn it.
They should be held to a higher standard because they uphold the law. A police officer breaking the laws he or she swears to protect is hypocritical.
Police officers serve as role models to today’s youths and should not be slamming 13-year-olds. The insane amount of police brutality reports shows the police force should be held to stricter acceptance qualifications — or work on their public relations.
Though police are commonly perceived negativity, we need to stay faithful to the police. The majority of cops aren’t corrupt and protect the law to the best of their abilities.
Most are approachable and protective, not crooked and aloof. This misconception could lead to negative repercussions in the next generation. Cops make the world a safer place, and we shouldn’t let the media tarnish the reputation officers work so hard to preserve.
Kain is a 19-year-old psychology sophomore from Mandeville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @kain_hingle.