Dedication to ALL Police Officers
& the Murdered Dallas Police Officers
Paul Harvey wrote this in 1970 but it is still apropos today!
What Are
Policemen Made Of? By Paul
Harvey
Don't credit me with the
mongrel prose: it has many parents-at least 420,000 of them:
Policemen.
A Policeman is a composite
of what all men are, mingling of a saint and sinner, dust and
deity.
Gulled statistics wave the
fan over the stinkers, underscore instances of dishonesty and
brutality because they are "new". What they really mean
is that they are exceptional, unusual, not commonplace.
Buried under the frost is
the fact: Less than one-half of one percent of policemen misfit
the uniform. That's a better average than you'd find among clergy!
What is a policeman made of?
He, of all men, is once the most needed and the most unwanted. He's
a strangely nameless creature who is "sir" to his face
and "fuzz" to his back
He must be such a diplomat
that he can settle differences between individuals so that each
will think he won.
But...If the policeman is
neat, he's conceited; if he's careless, he's a bum. If he's
pleasant, he's flirting;if not, he's a grouch.
He must make an instant
decision which would require months for a lawyer to make.
But...If he hurries, he's
careless; if he's deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an
accident and infallible with his diagnosis. He must be able to
start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be
sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued.
The police officer must know
every gun, draw on the run, and hit where it doesn't hurt.He must
be able to whip two men twice his size and half his age without
damaging his uniform and without being "brutal". If you
hit him, he's a coward. If he hits you, he's a bully.
A policeman must know
everything-and not tell. He must know where all the sin is and
not partake.
A policeman must, from a
single strand of hair, be able to describe the crime, the weapon
and the criminal- and tell you where the criminal is hiding.
But...If he catches the
criminal, he's lucky; if he doesn't, he's a dunce. If he gets
promoted, he has political pull; if he doesn't, he's a dullard.
The policeman must chase a bum lead to a dead-end, stake out ten
nights to tag one witness who saw it happen-but refused to
remember.
The policeman must be a
minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a
gentleman.
And, of course,
he'd have to be genius....For he will have to feed a family on a
policeman's salary.
