We'll Carry On
By Dallas R. Pruitt
Winston-Salem Police Department
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
We kiss our families goodbye and most of us go out into a world that few of you will ever see or know anything about. Statistics show that over half of us will one day come home to an empty house and a note saying, "Goodbye, I can't take your job any more."
But we carry on.
We know we have a job with some of the highest divorce, suicide and mental illness rates in the world.
But we carry on.
You curse us when we stop you for speeding. You weren't there two hours ago when we covered the body of a three year old child, killed by a speeding car.
But we carry on.
We'll intervene in fights and take the beating meant for you, knowing that you wouldn't do the same for us and probably won't ever thank us.
But we carry on.
We investigate the murders, rapes, and robberies and have to watch the victims families weep in court when a judge has to release the suspect on a technicality.
But we carry on.
We see families wiped out in accidents. Then we listen as the person who did it is fined $100 for drunk driving and given a limited driving privilege so he can get back and forth to work and church on Sundays.
But we carry on.
We know that if you hit us unprovoked, you'll probably get a fine in court for assault. We know that we hit you unprovoked, we could lose our jobs and everthing we own for police brutality.
But we carry on.
The uniform is not armor. It won't stop bullets, knives, bricks or sticks. We have gone into burning buildings, burning cars and icy waters to try to save lives. Some of us lose ours in the process.
But we carry on.
We are part mediator, problem solver, professional driver, weapons expert, guidance and marriage counselor. We are part analyst, lawyer, fireman and doctor and sometimes boxer and wrestler. Does your job require this much and sometimes more? I doubt it. We know all this.
But we carry on.
We not expected to be the one thing we all are - human beings. Soemtimes, though, we forget and act like them. We get angry, we say or do something we shouldn't. Please forgive us. But if you don't-
We'll carry on.