Lousy--Till You Need One
Well Mr. Citizen, I guess you have me figured out. I seem to fit neatly into the
category you place me in. I'm stereotyped, characterized, classified, grouped,
and ALWAYS typical. I'm the "lousy cop."
Unfortunately, the reverse is not true. I can never figure you out.
From birth you teach your children that I am a person to beware of...and then
you are actually shocked when they identify me with my traditional enemy, the
criminal.
You accuse me of coddling juveniles, until I catch your kid doing something
wrong.
You may take an hour for lunch, and several coffee breaks each day, but point me
out as a loafer if you see me having just one cup.
You pride yourself on your polished manners, but think nothing of interrupting
my meals at noon with your troubles.
You raise hell about th eguy who cuts you off in traffic, but let me catch you
doing the same thing and I am picking on you.
You know all the traffic laws, but never got one single ticket you deserved.
You shout "Foul!" if you observe me driving fast enroute to an emergency call,
but literally raise hell if I take more than ten seconds responding to YOUR
call!
You call it "part of my job" if somebody strikes me, but it's "police brutality"
if I strike back.
You wouldn't think of telling your dentist how to pull a badly decayed tooth, or
your doctor how to take out your appendix, but you are ALWAYS willing to give me
pointers on law enforcement.
You talk to me in a manner and use language that would assure a bloody nose from
anyone else, but you expect me to stand there and take it without batting an
eye.
You cry, "Something HAS to be done about all the crime!" but you can't be
bothered with getting involved.
You' ve got no use for me at all, but, of course, it's OK if I change a tire for
your wife, or deliver your baby in the back seat of my patrol car on the way to
the hospital, or save your son's life with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, or work
many hours overtime to find your lost daughter.
So, Dear Citizen, you stand there on your soapbox and rant and rave about the
way I do my job, calling me every name in the book, but never stop a minute to
think that your property, your family, or maybe your life might depend on on
thing--ME, or one of my buddies.
Yes, ME, the lousy cop!
Author Unknown