Yesterday I felt GREAT, thought, okay I am doing much better, road is getting less bumpy – today, not so much.

Carla works late tonight with tomorrow off.  It is getting warmer out, so she is working on some clipboards for a friend who owns a coffee shop.  She made her a couple, as a gift, several years ago, they have finally given out.  Carla doesn’t charge for these things, she just enjoys doing things like that.

Proverbs 31:8  Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

In the course of my career in Law Enforcement I have interviewed hundreds of applicants for position of Police Officer or Deputy.  When asked ‘Why do you want to be a Police Officer?’ invariably the answer is about making society better, helping people.

There are other professions with similar applicants that express that same thought, Social Workers, Counselors, Missionaries, Doctors, Nurses, etc.  Even attorneys will state it is to protect those who cannot work through the variances of the law by themselves.

Some positions pay more, of course, and there may be questions as to their true motives, is it money or is it altruism?

Many have an unrealistic view of how they can ‘change’ the world, that doesn’t rule them out, necessarily from doing a good job; because they can help individuals and they can make a difference in individual lives.  But for some the realism is devastating.

As we delve deeper into the police applicant’s ‘motives’ we often find they like the excitement.  They like the uniform, the vehicles with red lights and sirens.  They are more action oriented and as supervisors and department heads it was up to us to separate those that were in it solely for the adrenalin rush.

We go through a long process in selecting a police officer.  There are certain requirements before they will even be considered – education requirements, no criminal history, ability to communicate well are just a few examples.

While the order of tests may vary from department to department most departments do the following:

They go through a written examination that tests their reading and decision making ability. 

Passing the written test, they go through a physical fitness test administered by the agency.

Passing the fitness test they go through a series of oral examinations (boards, usually officers, selected by the department, to ask questions that try to get into a person’s ability and true reason to apply) it could be as few as one or as many as three or four before they are interviewed by the hiring authority – Sheriff or Chief.

If the Sheriff or Chief chooses to consider the applicant for hire, background checks are conducted – former employers, landlords, neighbors, school counselors, etc. 

All applicants are asked to submit a list of their employers, schools, addresses etc, along with a list of references – we don’t stop there.  We get from those individuals information that will lead us to other people; we know the people on the applicant’s reference list are most likely to be positive, so we don’t just take their word for it.  By the third person out from the reference we have a pretty good idea of the true nature of the applicant, either good, or bad.  One of the questions that will be answered is their mental stability and how they deal with people.

Passing that, a physical exam is conducted to make sure there are no physical impairments to do the job.

In most departments psychiatric examinations are given.  Everything is done to insure the applicant can, at least on paper, do the job – and those who would be unable to do the job or who might not be desirable to have as an officer, for one reason or another, are weeded out.

The officer goes through training within the department with a designated training officer to oversee his progress.  He attends an academy that last several months to train him in law enforcement tactics and laws.

The officer’s employment includes a probationary time, where he may be discharged without cause, which goes anywhere from a year to two or more depending on the department.  It allows the supervisors to evaluate the ability and temperament of the officer once he undergoes the real life stress of being a Police Officer in the field.

While a police officer may do many things in the course of his work day and career, his basic duty is to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.  To protect those that cannot protect themselves and almost every activity is designed with that purpose in mind.  Even giving talks on Crime Prevention techniques and other ‘public’ relations activities are designed to teach the person to help themselves, and encourage them to come to us if they need help.

Even the ‘mundane’ act of the issuing of citations is to make people aware their driving is hazardous to the population, in general, who cannot stop them on their own.

The police officer stands between the bully and his victims on behalf of the victim – he is there to insure the safety of society from those who will covertly or brutally take something from them.  If we cannot protect them from the crime, we try to mitigate the problems by investigating and making arrests.

We are there to give voice to the victim and to protect them.

It can be frustrating and thus many officers become cynical.  After you have gone to the same house, on the same complaint of family violence for the third, fourth, fifth and other multitudes of times and nothing seems to make a difference you can begin to wonder ‘what is the point?’

I can remember one family in particular that almost, like clockwork, we knew when they would call us.  The husband got his check on Thursday night; he cashed the check and went to the same bar until closing at 0230 hours.  He got home (he did learn we would catch him driving under the influence if he drove, so he usually hopped a ride) and immediately he and his wife started fighting, sometimes just arguments, often he physically abused her.

We would get the call, sometimes make an arrest of the husband, other times just get one or the other to leave for the night depending on whether or not the argument got physical.  The wife would vow to go to court against the husband but within a day or two renege and it would start all over again in a couple weeks.

One example, of a great many; the same would be true of drunk drivers – we had one man who was arrested so many times back in the 70’s for drunk driving and driving while suspended that based on the method of sentencing of the time, he still wouldn’t be eligible for a driver’s license – we couldn’t get him to stop, fortunately he never killed anyone.

Everything we do as Police Officers is to protect those that cannot protect themselves.  Even if they continue to be victims, we will defend them – even if it means we give up our lives.

The officer learns early on how to present himself in a manner so he can take control – of himself and the situation.  To falter in either makes him vulnerable to attack.  He learns to read situations quickly and make instantaneous decisions.  He learns he must take charge or someone is going to get hurt – or even killed.

It is a proactive reactionary position.  We take proactive measure to help prevent crimes and we react to those crimes that have or are happening and many times that means physical force must be used. 

Unlike many professions that have similar goals of protecting a person, law enforcement is on the front line and must be willing to die, if necessary, to accomplish that goal.

We speak for those that cannot.  We are action oriented and we are trained to defend the citizens and ourselves from injury.

We don’t give in, we might have to back off a situation until additional help arrives, but we don’t just leave; to do so places society at risk of anarchy and no one is safe.

If the police don’t act, there is no deterrence and things get out of hand, quickly.  It can be a difficult decision as to when to act and how much force, but anarchy has to be stopped and people and their property protected. 

That is why we have police, that is what we do.

It is a mindset, often there long before the person becomes an officer.  They will give their life to protect someone – they run to the gun fire, not away from it.  They are the person in charge who must quell the situation - that is their job; that is their personality.  That is why they are police officers and not social workers or attorneys or other less physical protectors.

That is who I am, that is my mindset.

Yet, as a Christian I know that there is also a time where I must relinquish control.  That is hard, I am used to controlling, to giving the orders, but when we serve God all of that has to be placed aside.

Romans 8:35-36  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

While Police Officers know they may die in the line of duty, NONE of us consider ourselves sheep for the slaughter.  It could be called a ‘macho’ thing even for women who enter the profession if you wish, but it is a mindset; NONE of us consider ourselves that vulnerable.

Yet, for the sake of Christ ,a Christian – even a Christian Police Officer - must be willing to do whatever He asks, even if it is to humble ourselves and accept death for Him, without fighting.

Doesn’t mean that we are not to speak up or to stand solidly for Christ, but it does mean that when it comes to making a decision to serve Him or not, we serve Him as obedient as a sheep obeys the shepherd.

I must confess, my response is to strike out, to be active, I have a great deal of difficulty in developing that heart, that mindset.  Yet, I must for Christ’s sake, follow Him.

I am too much like Peter before the resurrection of Christ.  I must accept, like Peter did, that I am not in charge and the things I do must have Christ at the forefront of my mind and heart.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again