Police officers are constantly under scrutiny public scrutiny, and often substantial negative attention is directed at them. The sense of hatred towards members of the police force is often used as an excuse as to why it is okay to invade the privacy of officers.
In order to better understand this issue, it is important to take a look at the reasons why people look at police officers in this manner:
- Cops uphold government laws – many Americans that do not support the government in office, feel that cops are upholding the government laws that go against their own personal beliefs.
- Cops are dishonest – the media focuses on stories where cops have allegedly planted evidence on suspects on a frequent basis. Of course, there is always another side to the story, but the dishonesty of cops makes a much better story.
- Cops are on ‘power trips’ – there is a stigma that cops join the police force so that they have the opportunity to excessively exert their power upon others. While certainly there are circumstances where cops do need to be forceful, most do not choose the career for this reason.
- Cops deserve mistreatment due to their treatment of others – individuals that have committed crimes, often feel as though the cops involved in their case deserve mistreatment for inflicting physical or emotional pain on another person. These people simply take the behavior of any cop too personally. Of course, cops in these circumstances are simply upholding the law, but this fact doesn’t stop criminals and their loved ones from using Karma as an excuse.
Perhaps there are instances where cops have shown the above behavior, but overall, the traits that the public applies to them does not describe the law enforcement population accurately. Police officers are simply doing a job.