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R-E-S-P-E-C-T
When Aretha Franklin sings about the importance of respect, she is demanding
a certain behavior or someone will most certainly suffer the consequences.
Most of us who have a wife understand the importance of the words in this
little diddie quite well! As much fun as the song is, we should not under
estimate the seriousness of the word; especially in the world of law
enforcement. Quite simply, without respect, no matter how hard they might
try; our nation's police officers will be fighting a losing battle.
The city of Cincinnati, Ohio is a prime example of what happens when the
citizens completely loose respect for their police department. And we all
have seen the consequences there. A survey by the Cincinnati Enquirer found
that 8 out of 10 Cincinnati residents did not trust the police. That is
incredible.
Respect is something that has been instilled, from an early age, that we
should all show to law enforcement officers. For the baby boomer era in
particular, a police officer's word was never questioned and when confronted
we simply replied "yes sir" or "no sir." If the police officer showed
mercy, and did not write that ticket, we offered a "thank you sir" and "have
a nice day sir." Even if we did not agree with the officer's opinion about
the facts, we never, never, never would argue with them about it. Are you
kidding me? However, something has happened over the years and that respect
has been thinned down to a behavior or a reaction from the public that does
not even resemble what we once knew. The reason for this diminished
respect, or in some cases a total lack of respect, cannot be blamed on one
side or the other. In fact, it falls squarely on the shoulders of the public
and the police.
From the public point of view, many things have changed over the last few
years that have left the public with mixed feeling about authority figures.
People are less likely to accept responsibility for their actions, even when
they are obviously at fault. While we should all stand up for our rights in
those cases that we have been falsely accused or denied our due process, it
is sad that we have attorneys who specialize in, and books that are
dedicated to, beating your case in court; even if you are guilty. The word
guilt has taken on a whole new meaning and has nothing to do with whether or
not you committed the act. When it comes to our kids, we will jump over
every hurdle in the world to keep our children from being held responsible
for the things that they inevitably do. Blame anybody, blame somebody, but
don't blame my kid! Because it could not have been their fault. Ever heard
that?
As for the police profession, they have been their own worst enemy as of
late. Every time one cop goes bad, it makes all of the rest look just as
guilty. While we know that 99.9% of all cops are completely honest, ethical,
and everything else that they should be, we only hear about the 1% that the
news loves to cover. One unethical act or criminal act by a police officer
will be headline news for a week, but a police officer who performs a heroic
act will sometimes not even make the news. Frankly, there is not a big
demand for honest cops when it comes to selling newspapers or sweeps ratings
on television. But, if this is the grade that police officers will be held
to, then they must work diligently to weed out those few who make them all
look bad. Law enforcement has made great strides to do this recently, but
there is still work to be done.
When all is said and done, we must realize that our society would be a mess
without our law enforcement officers protecting us. They are all that
separates us from anarchy and I am not sure that any of us want to go there.
We have lived together for hundreds of years and we will continue to do so.
But, we must remember what the word respect really means. Just a simple
appreciation from both sides for the other is a great start. But, it is only
a start. Respect is something that has to be earned everyday and is
something that we must work at every day. The "do unto others" motto is
something that seems so simplistic that surely it could not still work in
today's world! Even though it is based on something as archaic as common
sense, I tend to think that it can. Let's give it a whirl! What have we got
to lose? Everything!
As Aretha would say, "you better think."
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
If you are interested in having Mr. Hall speak at your next club or group
meeting, please email contact information to: SHallBadgeNotes@aol.com
080804
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