A personal essay on how I appreciate cops so much (especially coach Greg Lowe, former Oakland PD head), and in defense of cops in general:

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Yes, cops are also human

People forget:

Cops are also human beings with their own personal lives. They are not un-emotional AI’s which gain delight from cruelty. 

My story

My dad (physically and mentally abusive to my mom) was like a demon in my family. The best thing that happened (SCARS):

When my dad called the cops on my mom (the irony), the cops actually interviewed me and my sister and figured out that my dad was the abusive one, then handcuffed my dad, took him to jail, and got him away from my family. 

Had the cops never intervened, my mom and family (me and my sister) would still be under the tyranny of my father. 

Even this one small incident… to me, is enough to justify the cops and police. If the cops didn’t exist, no way Jose would my family’s situation have improved. 

But what about the bad cops?

1 bad cop can tarnish the legitimacy of 10,000 cops (the sad truth). But… should we forgo fire just because some people in the past have used it to burn down homes? Should we forgo the internet and wifi and smartphones because there are a few people who do weird degenerate stuff online?

For me, I would prefer the good of 1% than not have it at all. In other words:

Even in a world of many bad cops (let’s say in theory), a few good cops will justify the existence of the police. 

ERIC