Driving home from work there were a couple things on my mind. Many people have asked me, “Why do you want to be a police officer?” And the answer really boils down to the fact that somebody’s gotta do it. Someone needs to stand up as the barrier between criminal activity and law-abiding citizens. Somebody has to protect those who can’t protect themselves.
It’s interesting that in the United States a lot of people have an issue with those who make the decision to protect and serve. It baffles me that so many people have issues but never have a solution to the problems around us. People want to criticize me for being an African American police officer. I just go out and do my job and I’m a part of the solution instead of the problem.
To the people who are negative towards police officers or who think it’s a daily sin for a Black man to be a police officer, I would tell them to stop making excuses, stop pointing fingers at everyone else, be accountable, and be a part of the change. I became a police officer because I wanted to be a part of the change.
I have strategically put myself in a position where if I see something that’s going wrong or I see injustices within the police department or within policing that I can make a change and a difference. I’m not sitting at home nagging or talking about how police are doing this or that. I’m physically in a position to do the right thing, be a good example, and interject changes where needed.
For all you haters hating on police officers out there – why don’t you become a police officer? Go down to your local police station and put in an application so that you can be a part of the change. If enough of you put in an application, you can patrol your own community. You can do it the right way! If you don’t like the way it’s being done or you don’t like the way people treat “your people” or the people in your community, then YOU become a police officer and you start treating them right. YOU make the change. YOU be the innovative part of the future instead of sitting around nagging, hoping someone will give you a handout or feel sorry for you.
A lot of people in society nowadays avoid accountability like the plague. They don’t know how to be accountable anymore. One thing my dad used to always tell me when I would complain was “What did you do?” He didn’t want to hear about what they did, he wanted to know what I did. If we start living and operating in that fashion then more of us will be successful.
It’s not about what anybody else does. There are going to be people who stand in your way, try to mitigate your success, or flat out be haters. It’s not about what they do; it’s about how YOU respond. It’s not about what happened to you; it’s about what you do when things occur. When you’re doing good, anybody can have a smile on their face. But when you get knocked down, that’s when the true colors come out and you have to be tough, persevere and hold yourself accountable for your own mistakes.