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DPBA
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| Cops are human (believe it or not) just like the rest of us. They come
in both sexes, but mostly male. They also com in various sizes. This sometimes depends on
whether you are looking for one type or trying to hide something. Cops are found everywhere, on land, on sea, in the air, on horses, in cars, sometimes in your hair. In spite of the fact that "you can't find one when you want one," they are usually there when it counts 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 muscles of steel, and are often accused of having a heart to match. 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 blonde 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 fans." In real life, mostly all he gets from the public is "I didn't see nuttin'." 
When he issues 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 boogeyman, 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, let's go fishing." (That's the day he works 20 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 a cop makes a mistake, "He's a jerk, 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 of seen that." Lots of them have homes, some of them covered with ivy, but most of them are cxovered with mortgages. If he drives a big car, "He's a chisler," a little car, "Who's he kidding?" A cop sees more misery, bloodshed, trouble, and sunrises than the average person. Like the postmen, cops must also be out in all kinds of weather. His uniforms change with the climate, but his outlook on life remains about 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 sometimes is hard, espcially 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 feels the warm hand clasp, looks into grateful eayes and hears, "Thank you and God bless you, son." This is a cop! |
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