I generally don't comment on the police threads on Terb. As always, it is a polarizing subject, with those on both sides being adamant that their view is correct. You are not going to convince someone of the opposite viewpoint to change their mind, but those who voice their dislike of the police forces often compare their jobs to other high risk jobs. I have worked in one of the high risk occupations, and still work with people who do so on a daily basis. I have come close to losing my life due to the accidents and unsafe acts of other people while doing my job. Co - workers have died or sustained serious injuries on jobs I worked on over the past 25 years.
I think a big difference is the issue of risk/safety controllability. The iron workers, firefighters and others have safety rules and regulations that prevent them from performing any unsafe acts. They have PPE equipment, procedures and training to ensure their safety and well being. We try to ensure they have a safe work environment. The police have equipment to protect them too, but they often encounter volatile situations where the intent of the person or people they encounter is to harm them. Some of the posters here have been saying that the police are well paid and they seem to think that justifies them walking into a situation where they have to face someone high on drugs, mentally deranged, armed with a knife, gun, or other weapon. I'm sure there are many people here who make as much as or more than the police do, what has that have to do with anything? The cops must be shitting themselves as much as anyone else would in this situation, but they go forward when most of us would be going in the other direction.
I am not a blind cheerleader for the cops, I know that there are some who join for their own benefit, I have dealt with some officers and thought to myself that they were arrogant and aloof and I think many people have a dislike for them due to their standoffish attitude. That is probably something else that happens to them over time. They deal with society's dregs, are lied to on a daily basis and after some time feel that they can only trust other cops. I have gone for drinks at their club, where they can be themselves and have seen them with their guard down. Just regular guys having a drink and a laugh.
I have come to the assistance of an officer struggling to take down a combatative suspect, no matter how much training they have, they are still vulnerable in these situations. ( I just Googled to look for info on the female officer who was stabbed and almost killed in Victoria on Monday, and was offered at least 8 links to different incidents of other officers being stabbed) Again, the difference between their jobs and other high risk jobs is that people are sometimes willfully attempting to inflict harm on them.
If someone with a weapon breaks into my home, I can call 911 and have someone come to my assistance. Will it be someone who joined because he liked the uniform, the perks, or the desire to make the world a safer place? It doesn't matter at that moment, because he or she will be there to help, more than all the armchair quarterbacks in the world.
Yes, doctors save lives, fishermen and farmers feed us. Some of those things we could do for ourselves. Without police, would you want to live with anarchy? Without police I wouldn't want to re-live the wild west or worry about my safety each time I leave my necessarily heavily guarded home.
I work close to where the police officers were massing before the funeral today, and arrived before they were in formation. There were officers from Cleveland, Border Patrol, across Ontario and Canada. As far as I could see on University Ave, from College down to Dundas and beyond, standing in the cold were officers showing respect to their fallen comrade. On Labour day, there are as many or more workers on the same street, marching to show solidarity. No one thinks it is over the top for them to march. The police were doing the same thing today. Maybe they got paid, or had some of their expenses covered. If they did, it was just one day, not enough to balance or break a budget.
An aquaintance who happened to be in the area was one of the first on the scene last week after the officer was struck by the snowplow. I won't describe what he saw, but at the end, Officer Ryan was just doing what he thought was right, trying to stop a maniac from hurting anyone else. He slipped and lost his life. He paid with his life for contributing to his part in protecting society.