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Behind the Blue Line: One Officer's Testimony
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20434 |
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Section : |
MODERN THOUGHT
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| Issue
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3 / 1992 |
5,633 Words |
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Anonymous Interview
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THE WORLD & I: What's it like being a police officer in a major metropolitan area like Washington, D.C.?
Officer: The focal point of everything that happens in the criminal justice system is right here, so being a police officer in D.C., is unique. Being in D.C. we have tended to take the lead role with everything. We were the first to hire female police officers; we were the first to lower height and education requirements so we could get more female police officers in the department.
Because it's unique, it represents a vast view of law enforcement as opposed to our neighboring jurisdictions because many of the things that are felonies in the District of Columbia are misdemeanors out in some of the other jurisdictions. I really do believe that the metropolitan police department is one of the finest police departments in the country.
We have an opportunity to work with a very diverse cross section of the people in terms of religion, race, ethnic background, and cultural background. Many suburban police department don't have that natural tendency to work with so much cultural diversity.
W&I: Why did you become a police officer? Of all the other things that you could have become, something called you to the police force. What was it?
Officer: I have what I like to call an instinct about helping people and about doing things. I've always been for the underdog, always wanting to help the guy who wasn't the bully. I always thought the bully should be in this place. They harass the little people, the people who are unable to care for themselves or speak to do anything for themselves when it comes to cutting through bureaucracy and dealing with the bullies.
Obviously, I couldn't combat or deal with bureaucratic inertia, but I could deal with people at the street level. I can identify with the common man and his everyday struggles. Being a policeman gives me a sense of serving, a sense of helping, and I guess a sense of patriotism. I feel called to this.
When I was young, I saw policemen walking the beat. I saw the things police officers did arresting people, counseling, people, talking to people, guiding people and they were role models for me. I can remember standing on Fourteenth Street and saying, " I want to be like him one
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