Cops these days can't seem to catch a break.
Here in Athens, police were charged with preventing a repeat of Halloween at time change, so they increased their street presence. When Uptown partiers headed home early to escape the cold, the Athens Police Department was criticized in this publication for the entourage of officers on Court Street. The police were damned no matter what they did.
In Wisconsin, police recently launched a $70,000 search for missing college student Audrey Seiler. When they revealed she faked her own abduction, they were lambasted for being fooled. But had they not investigated the case and Seiler had been harmed, their inaction would have been unfathomable.
In Cincinnati, police have been scrutinized for the way they subdued Nathaniel Jones, a 350-pound man who had cocaine and PCP in his system when he attacked firefighters called to help him. Jones, who fought off six police officers as they delivered 36 baton blows to his legs and torso, died after the struggle.
Everybody and their brother has an opinion on the Jones case. But they also want police protection. What were the cops in this situation to do - let a violent man walk free? Would that have been safe? We can't have it both ways.
On this campus, I've heard police called untrained, power mad and jealous of OU students, who will be making more money than them right after graduation. This is absurd and offensive.
In Ohio, police officers on average spend more than 500 hours training and must pass physical and written exams before receiving certification.
In Athens, starting police officers make about $33,000 a year. If I'm not mistaken, that's more than I'll be making when I graduate in June, so they aren't jealous of me. Of course, I also won't be putting my life on the line at work everyday.
But then, most cops aren't in the business for the money or the power. They're certainly not in it for the public adoration. They do what they do, putting themselves at risk, to protect us. And now that even more of us are toting guns thanks to Ohio's concealed carry law, their task will become a little tougher.
Next time you're pulled over, watch the officer behind you. He will probably keep his hand on his weapon as he approaches you, in case you're armed. She might place a hand on your trunk, to make sure she won't be ambushed when she walks past. Even a routine traffic stop could cost that police officer his or her life. Imagine living with that reality.
It's true that it's our right and responsibility to question our government. But considering the police officers in this city are willing to keep me safe for just $33,000 a year, I, for one, will be cutting them some slack. Thank you, officers. You don't hear it enough.
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Christy Bell
