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What is a Cop?
Cops are human (believe it or not) just like the rest of us. They come
in both sexes. They also come in various sizes. This
sometimes depend on whether you are looking for one that is hiding
something, however, they are mostly big.
Cops are found everywhere- on land, on the sea, in the air, on horses,
in cars, sometimes in your hair. In spite of the fact that "you cant
find one when you want one", they are usually there when it counts
the
most. The best way to get one is to pick up the phone.
Cops deliver lectures, babies, and bad news. They are required to have
the Wisdom of Solomon, the disposition of a lamb and the muscle of steel
and are often accused of having a heart to match. He's the one who rings
the doorbell, swallows hard and announces the passing of a loved one;
then spends the rest of the day wondering why he ever took such a
"crummy" job.
On TV, a cop is an oaf who couldn't find a bull fiddle in a telephone
booth. In real life he's expected to find a little blond boy "about
so
high" in a crowd of a half million people. In fiction, he gets help
from
private eyes, reporters, and " who-dun-it." In real life, mostly
all he
gets from the public is "I didn't see nuttin'".
When he serves a summons, he's a monster. If he lets you go, he's a
doll. To little kids, he's either a friend or a bogeyman, depending
on how
the parents feel about it. He works "around the clock", split
shifts,
Sundays and holidays, and it always kills him when a joker says,
"Hey,
tomorrow is Election Day, I'm off, lets go fishing" (that's the day
he
works twenty four hours).
A cop is like the little girl who, when she was good was very, very
good, but, when she was bad, was horrid. When a cop is good, "he's
getting paid for it." When he makes a mistake, "He's a grafter,
and that
goes for the rest of them too." When he shoots a stick- up man he's a
hero except when the stick-up man is "only a kid, anybody could have
seen
that."
Lots of them have homes, some of them covered with ivy, but most of
them covered with mortgages. If he drives a big car, he's a chiseler, a
little car, "who's he kidding?" His credit is good; this is very
helpful, because his salary isn't. Cops raise lots of kids; most of them
belong to other people.
A cop sees more misery, bloodshed, trouble, and sunrises than the
average person. Like the postman, cops must also be out in all kinds of
weather. His uniform changes with the climate, but his outlook on
life remains the same: mostly a blank, but hoping for a better world.
Cops like days off, vacations, and coffee. They don't like auto horns,
family fights, and anonymous letter writers. They have unions, but they
can't strike. They must be impartial, courteous, and always remember
the slogan "At your service." This is sometimes hard, especially
when a
character reminds him, "I'm a taxpayer, I pay your salary."
Cops get medals for saving lives, stopping runaway horses, and shooting
it out with bandits (once in a while his widow gets the medal). But
sometimes, the most rewarding moment comes when, after some small
kindness to an older person, he fills the warm handclasp, looks into
grateful eyes and hears,
"Thank you and God bless you son.
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