I recently Googled the following: unappreciated professions. It returned these hits: tour guide, fine arts dealer, nurse, librarian, elementary teacher, high school teacher, funeral director, translators and even animal control officer. Some of these I expected to see, teacher and nurse. Others were surprising, tour guide and fine arts dealer.

What didn’t surprise me however was the fact that members of law enforcement weren’t mentioned on any of the lists that I viewed. Arguably, the most unappreciated entity in city government is usually the police department. Like the mayor, they are expected to work miracles: “make the streets safer", “lower crime”, when in actuality, citizens do that by following the simple laws setup to maintain some semblance of order. When people are respectful, accountable and use a little common sense, it makes for a much safer, pleasant city.

I've actually wanted to write about the MPD for some time, mainly because it seems that you rarely ever hear anyone that has something positive to say about them.  There is, of course, the unsettling fact that there is a very small percentage of the MPD who are racist, sexist, individuals who abuse the power they’re entrusted. But I truly believe that the average policeman or woman is someone who entered the profession to “protect and serve”. They’re brave individuals who made the choice, in spite of all the bad press the MPD has received, to help even those who don’t want their help.

There is definitely a higher level of trust that is given in professions like this. Like a doctor who is expected to help, not harm us, we expect a police officer to assist in times of need. We expect teachers to teach our children, not abuse them. But when trust is broken, we have to keep perspective that the acts of the few don’t represent the whole.

That’s why I’m writing this, as a reminder that we ALL need to keep perspective when we think about the police force, and the tough job of trying to keep our city safe. So how are we supposed to do that?

Try these for starters:

1. Be nice to officers – Say hi to them. Ask them how they’re doing. Say thank you. When I speak to a cop, they always smile and take a moment to talk to me. Half the time they look surprised that someone actually acknowledged them.
2. Avoid generalizations – Nobody likes to be stereotyped. I always remember an excellent quote from a Madison, WI police woman: “A single officer shouldn’t be held accountable for every instance of police misconduct any more than a single snowflake should be blamed for a blizzard.” There are bad apples in every bunch, but there are even more good ones that deserve attention.
3. Behave yourself and when you don’t, don’t expect to get away with it – If you’re speeding, expect a ticket. If you get caught stealing, you get convicted of theft and go to jail. You disturb the peace, expect some sort of reprimand. It amazes me at the number of people who get angry when they’re confronted by the police, when THEY were the ones in the wrong.

Perhaps most important, we need to remember that each person on the police force is an individual. They are someone’s wife, husband, brother, sister. They are not “the police”, “po-po” or  “5-0”. When you look at people as individuals, instead of “them”, you might be surprised by what you see.

In conclusion, if you’re a member of the MPD reading this, I just want to say THANKS for keeping Milwaukee safe. It’s a difficult, unappreciated job and I for one want you to know I appreciate what you’re doing!