You have to admire men and women who choose being a law enforcement officer for their profession. It can be extremely dangerous work. Most of us don”t have to be on a heightened level of alert throughout our entire work day. Police officers never know what is going to happen next, so they have to be vigilant at all times.
It is also tough because police officers don”t always receive the highest level of respect from all members of the community. There seems to be a point at which childhood adoration often turns into teenage and adult apprehensions about “the man” or “the law”, even from law abiding citizens.
The general public has often bought into the stereotypes of police officers, which include frequent stops for doughnuts, their love to harass innocent citizens and quickness on the taser, nightstick and gun. Most police officers are good cops who are doing their job to the best of their ability and dealing with all the danger is just part of it.
We”re excited about the police officer trading card program that is now in place in Clearlake. Currently, there is a contest going on for Clearlake kids up to 13 years old. The first to collect all 36 cards will receive an autographed set of the cards and lunch with the Chief of Police, Allan McClain.
This is an excellent way to get the youth of Clearlake to have respect for and learn more about the police officers of the community. Sgt. Brenda Crandall said, “It is also an opportunity for the members of the department to interact with the youth in the community in a positive way.”
The trading card program is a positive step toward building better relationships between residents and the police department. Focusing on youngsters heading toward their teen years, when attitudes sometimes begin to sour toward authority figures, is a smart approach. Over time, we hope the program produces good results.
