(Newswire.net — October 21, 2023) — Police officers risk their lives to protect their communities. Despite their service, police have gotten a bad rap and while there are certainly some individuals who should not be wearing the uniform, most law enforcement officers are good people who only want to serve others.
People want to throw the baby out with the bathwater when they have a bad experience, but not all officers are bad. In fact, many of them do amazing things for their communities. In addition to responding to emergencies and crimes in progress, they also help people in need, rescue babies from hot cars, drive elderly people home and help them put away groceries, donate kidneys to strangers, and shovel snow for local residents.
Despite all these amazing deeds, some people remain skeptical; it’s not easy to sway public opinion regarding cops with a few feel-good stories. One organization working hard to change this is the National Police Association. As part of its mission, the NPA seeks to educate the public on police techniques and show the profession in a better light – something that is long overdue.
So, why do people hate cops so much? It’s generally a combination of negative personal experiences and influence from the internet.
Videos online encourage people to antagonize cops
It’s basic marketing that dramatic videos get the most views, and some people walk around baiting cops just to get those juicy reactions. They film and publish these interactions on YouTube, and that only increases the mob mentality’s hatred for cops and influences people who may have never had a bad experience themselves. Some of these viral videos are simple traffic stops where people refuse to roll down the window, but others are obnoxious.
For example, you may have seen some YouTube videos where people walk around doing what they call “First Amendment Audits.” Most of the time, they walk around government property exercising their rights by filming and waiting to see if anyone will ask them to stop.
At first glance, this practice seems legitimate. If we, as citizens, don’t exercise our First Amendment rights, they might fade into obscurity by being forgotten. However, that’s not exactly what’s happening here. In most of these audit videos, citizens familiarize themselves with laws most police officers don’t understand and do their best to attract cops so that they can make them wrong. The auditors often lose their cool, but since the cops are legally in the wrong, they get support from their viewers.
Although some auditors are sincere, many are not, and you can tell the difference in their attitude when they’re finally approached by police. Those who are insincere are combative and inflammatory, whereas those who are genuine are personable and polite. The latter is rare.
Most of the videos that get published are the ones that make cops look the worst. The people who make these videos pride themselves on showing off their knowledge of the law while baiting officers to do something illegal, like wrongful arrest or detain them. In some cases, the citizens aren’t even right about their perception of the law, but their audience doesn’t care.
These videos have gained massive traction in recent years and some of the biggest channels have more than 2.5 million subscribers. That means millions of people are choosing to watch videos of citizens antagonizing cops for hours on end. Of course, this practice is going to influence a negative perception of law enforcement.
Police officers are human, too
Just like everyone else, police officers are prone to getting frustrated and losing their patience. They’re trained to remain cool under pressure and keep their personal feelings aside, but they are human and that doesn’t always work.
When people treat cops with respect, they gladly return that respect. However, it’s understandable that they’d get frustrated and grow tired of being baited all the time. Hopefully, the pro-police sentiment embodied through education and outreach will have a larger influence on communities in the coming years.
It’s time to start respecting the badge
Bad cops will always exist, but most cops are good people. It’s not fair to dismiss an entire profession just because there are some bad apples in the basket. Cops save lives and enrich their communities, and it’s time for them to get the respect they deserve.