Police officers are helpful all months of the year
Black Friday is behind us, but for some folks, the spirit of Christmas began when the Thanksgiving decorations were unboxed. Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are two of the most aggressively celebrated holidays in the United States, and most people try to take off from work.
More than 1 million Americans will still work on these two days to keep us safe and to supply our personal needs. For some clergy, medical personnel, journalists, cab drivers, hotel employees, police officers, firemen and other service staff, these days are normal work days.
All of these people deserve and receive praise and thankfulness, but one group often gets an undeserved amount of disdain, detestation and disgusting comments. Most Americans see most of these service providers as rescuers and life savers, but many people see police officers as life takers.
Police officers save lives, many lives. Our society can’t survive without a process to reduce the number of people who would do us harm, and that is why we have laws and law enforcement. There are lots of charitable organizations that help by putting toys in stockings or meals on tables during the holidays, but law enforcement is one group that helps year-round.
Giving time and sharing love are intangibles that anyone can offer. Police officers do it every single day. For most of us, the Christmas season runs the entire month of December. But police officers unknowingly treat every day like it’s Christmas. They provide community events, parties and fun activities for children and adults. I can personally attest to seeing many officers give un-refundable cash from their personal pockets to help the downtrodden, not just during Christmas, but all months of the year.
Christmas is a time to exchange gifts and cards, decorate the home and attend various parties. It is difficult to say exactly how each family celebrates Christmas because we come from various cultures and we have various Christmas traditions. Most of us, however, connect with family and prepare great meals.
Conversely, family interaction often brings the family feud. This isn’t a fun event like the television game show because family members can get hurt or killed. Christmas is stressful because it is expensive, it is hard to keep to a tight schedule and because many of us are away from home. Resentments from the past can cause stress even in the closest or wealthiest families. When this occurs, there must be a mediator or someone who can enforce the local laws.
The people who refuse to cooperate with the police, and buck the system, are asking to be arrested. The old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” is very true. Some folks might hate the police, but “I don’t want to comply” is not a reasonable attitude.
Our laws are largely defined by common law, case law and precedent, and police officers enforce the laws that we direct them to enforce. They do not write the laws or chose which laws they want to enforce.
All service personnel want to be with their family at Christmas, but many knew when they signed on for their job that that wasn’t always going to happen. Most people know that the job of a police officer is dangerous, disturbing and sometimes disheartening, yet rewarded with low pay. Regardless, for most police officers, Christmas is not just a season, it is an attitude that endures all year long.
There are plenty of other negative parts of a police officer’s job like being run over by a car, physically attacked or even ambushed. Like some medical personnel, many police officers are burdened with hearing a dying baby cry, then being unable to go to sleep when they get home.
Countless people are unhappy when they encounter a police officer, and countless people make sure the officer knows it. Nonetheless, in the spirit of love, generosity, goodness and a sense of right and wrong, police officers endure frequent ridicule when they protect others by arresting an impaired driver. They accept the risk and ridicule when they arrest a dangerous criminal. They also endure the stress yet show compassion when they deliver tragic news or rescue someone who is injured.
When we are in our warm home during Christmas with family and friends, let’s not forget all our service staff who give us so much. Christmas may be a religious or non-religious necessity, but so are police officers. Christmas only comes once a year, but a police officer will come any time we call.
Charlie Sewell is the retired Powder Springs police chief. His book, ‘I’d Rather You Call Me Charlie: Reminiscences Filled With Twists Of Devilment, Devotion And A Little Danger Here And There’ is available on Amazon. Email him
at retiredchiefsewell@gmail.com.