Often in the media, cops are seen as unfair, unforgiving and uncompromising. They are seen as having a “my-way-or-the-highway” mentality. What people do not understand is that those depictions are very hasty generalizations. You hear numerous songs from rappers about how cops profile black people for crimes they say they did not commit, or killing them because of the officer’s “white privilege.” Here is my question to those rappers and other people: What were you guys doing in the first place to make them suspect you?
Contrary to popular belief, police officers as a whole are NOT out to get people in trouble. In fact, I would argue that most officers want more people out of prison since most jail and prison facilities are backlogged. Yes, there are those bad apples that abuse their authority. However, the majority of police officers take their oath to protect and serve seriously. Most police officers are just responding to calls and doing their job, it is the suspects that are not being compliant and playing the race card.
Such was the case in the 2014-2016 shootings of young black men. Contrary to the popular belief, among the cops racially profiling young men like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Alton Sterling and many more, there is one common denominator: They either were committing a crime or resisting and being non-compliant with the officers. Yes, it is an unpopular opinion, but it is the reason why so many people end up severely injured or dead.
Think about some of the movies that center around people in low-income communities. Regardless of intention, they know they’re committing crimes, so they cannot complain about unfair treatment by cops who are only doing their jobs; although, it is unfortunate when one gets the bad apple that loves to harass others. In that sense, the person has a preconceived notion that all police officers are like that one, dirty cop. In their mind, that one cop is the representation of the whole police community, which, again, is a hasty generalization.
This is why it is refreshing to see videos of police officers that work with those who comply with them and make everyone’s lives easier. There are even videos of cops getting involved with the community by way of fundraisers, playing sports and dancing with the people in the neighborhood, etc. You are able to see the better side of the police department, the side that should be seen, the side that doesn’t get as much credit as it should because of the bad stigma put on them by the racial profilers and the abusers that ruin it for the rest of the community.
The point is that not all cops are “pigs.” Many of them want to resolve their calls and the issues they’re tasked with as painlessly and smoothly as possible. They also have body and dash cams, which are required by law for the officer to have on at all times, so if there’s any foul play, the cameras will catch it (and if it isn’t then it should be). So when you get pulled over by a cop, make their life and yours as easy as possible and just comply with their requests. Even if you get a bad apple, just comply. They’ll have to answer for their actions.