The "cop attitude," does it really serve the public?

Shortly after I became a police officer, I was working a late shift and was walking down the business district checking doors when I noticed a man staggering out of the bar towards his truck.

The gentlemen was staggering and walking very slow, using his arms to balance himself.

I walked over to him and asked if everything was OK.

He jerked his head up and quickly told me in a loud voice, "They went that way." He pointed down the street as he said this.

I asked him who went that way.

He replied, "Whoever you're looking for."

I told him I was not looking for anyone.

He then said, "Yes you are, come on, I'll help you look for them."

He again started slowly making his way to his truck.

I asked him if he had maybe been drinking a little too much to drive home and he told me he "barely" had anything to drink. He then began fumbling with his keys and to my surprise, handed them to me and asked me to help him find his truck key.

At this point, I told him we needed to sit down and rest, and I helped him to a nearby bench.

I then asked him if I could help him get a ride because we "couldn't find his keys" and waited with him until a ride showed up to take him home.

While we were waiting, he told me one of the saddest stories I had heard in a long time. This guy was going through some really hard times.

There are several roles a law enforcement officer can take when working in the public. Patrolling the neighborhoods and finding people stealing, selling drugs and committing other similar types of crimes is somewhat straight forward; the intent to commit a crime against someone else is present before the crime was even committed.

But we also protect as well as serve, so can that mean helping someone before they make a bad decision? I was shocked at how many fellow officers I told the story to that said they would have waited for the guy to get in the truck and then pulled him over and arrested him.

You can get into law enforcement to make a difference in the lives of people, or just to catch people and arrest them. The guy came into the police station a week later and thanked me for stopping him.

One of the things we try to watch out for when hiring new deputies at the Sheriff's Office is what I like to call the "cop attitude."

That is the attitude that I can do whatever I want because I have a badge and gun, and that is not what we want in law enforcement.

Some think they carry a gun and badge so they can tell people what to do, when we really carry a gun and badge so we can protect the innocent and serve the law-abiding citizens while helping to make a difference in as many lives as possible.