We're the people that you may see every day and night. We're the people
that you depend on one way or another. We're working for you 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

When you and your children pass us in the store, and you can't control
them, you make them afraid of us. You tell them if they don't behave,
you'll tell us to "arrest them'. My friend we are not monsters. We don't
want them to be afraid of us. We want them to know that we're their
friends, and they can trust us. Do you know who we are?

Sometimes, we have to play the role of lawyers, judges, psychiatrists,
reporters, medics, marriage counselors, investigators, firefighters, and
many times, just be a good listener. Those are just a few of the skills
that we must be able to utilize at any moment in the performance of our
job.

We're constantly scrutinized by the media and you, the public. We're
bashed by you. If one of us makes a mistake it sometimes makes the local
news, and possibly even the national and world news.

We have the same emotions that you do. If something is funny, we laugh.
If something is sad, we cry. When repeat offenders are released from
prison  and placed back into society to rape, rob and murder again, we
get angry just like you. We wonder why they are put back out also.

We're of every race, sex, religion, nationality and even sexual
preference known to mankind, yet if we strike back to defend ourselves,
we're called racist and prejudiced. Do you know who we are?

Most of you have no idea what we go through every day and night. You
have no idea what kind of decisions we must make in a split second.
Decisions that may forever change someone's life, family or future.
Decisons that a jury will have hours or days to decide whether we were
correct or not.

Many people would love to cause us pain, injury or even death. Some wish
we didn't exist at all. We're cursed, ridiculed, shot at, cut, beaten,
ambushed, and murdered in cold blood by some. Would you ever imagine
that we're here for those people also? Would you believe that we are the
only thing that stands between you and them?

We see things that would horrify most of you. Things that you think only
exist in large cities. That's a common misconception. We see death,
broken bones, dismembered bodies and cut throats. The list is too long
to really go on. These things are everywhere. A lot of the things that
you see only on TV or at the movies are all too real to us.

We see innocent little children that have no choice but to live in
dirty, smelly, roach infested homes because their parents would rather
sit on thier butts and live on welfare in a government funded housing
complex, or a house that is not fit for human habitat, than to get out
and get a job. Parents that would rather spend more, if not all of there
money getting high on drugs, than taking care of their children, and
raising them in a clean environment. Some of the parents are only
children themselves.

As I said before, we're human and have feelings. It hurts knowing that
these children may never get to see and do things that other children
with loving, caring, hardworking parents are doing. I wonder if any of
them will ever get to see that magical wonderland called Disney World.

Yet our job is one that looks appealing to some of you. Especially when
you see us stopped for lunch. We've heard some of you say things like,
"I wish I had a job that would pay me to sit around and eat." Of course
you don't think that the very next minute we may be fighting for our
lives, or yours.

When you see us riding down the road and you, not kowing where we're
going, or what we're about to face say, "I wish I could get paid to ride
around all day and write tickets." My friends, I wish that was all we
had to do. Do you know who we are? I think you do.

You don't see us ride through your neighborhoods late at night trying to
protect you, your family and property from the thieves who could care
less about how long and hard you worked for everything you own. You may
not know this, but they are roaming your neighborhood at night too while
your are fast asleep. They're looking for anything of value that is easy
to get. Things that you carelessly leave unsecured or laying in your
yard. No neighborhood is comepletely safe.

When something is taken from you, you call us. Some of you will complain
and wonder where we were when your property was taken. The sad, but true
story is that we are extremely out numbered by the bad guys. We can't be
everywhere at once and they know that. I wish there were more of us. You
should know who we are by now. If you don't you will soon.

Now the types of crime and people that I have mentioned aren't the only
ones that we come in contact with . We also come into contact with you,
the citizen that never does anything wrong. We're all to familiar with
you and the remarks that you make when our paths meet for whatever
reason. Whether it is running a stop sign, a red light, speeding, or
DUI. If we had a dime for every time we heard you say, "I pay taxes! Why
don't you leave me alone and go get the drug dealer standing on the
corner?" "There are people out there that are doing worse than me!" Or
the famous "I pay your salary!" We would be rich!

We know that those of you that make an honest living do pay taxes. So do
we!

If we concentrated only on the drug dealers, how many innocent people
would be injured or killed if we were to ignore the people that travel
extremely too fast, or the people who get behind the wheel while
intoxicated? That number is already too high and is still climbing. I
can't help but wonder how many lives we have saved by stopping the
speeders and the drunks. Could one life have been yours or one of your
family members?

We know that there are people doing much worse than you, but the bottom
line is, there are many laws that must be enforced, from minor traffic
violations all the way to hard-core crimes such as rape and murder.

To the remark, "I pay your salary." All I can say is, "Well, were doing
our job, boss"

If for some reason you still don't know who we are, we are the Police
Officers, Sheriff's Deputies, State Police, FBI, and everything
in between. We are many but we are still too few!

As I said in the beginning, we are ALWAYS here for you. If you need us,
call. Even if you don't, you don't have to be afraid of us. Remember that
we are on your side. You can talk to us anytime you see us sitting on
the side of the road, or in a parking lot, or walking in a store. If
some of you would just get to know us, I think you would find out what
I've tried to explain. That we are just like you. We just have a
different job.

By Sgt. Richard "Rick" Brown a.k.a. "slug"
Lanett Police Department 
Lanette, Alabama