Throwing shade or growing shade
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” — Greek Proverb.
What is the first thought when you hear the name:
Derek Chauvin?
Darren Wilson?
Jason Van Dyke?
Scot Peterson?
Now what about when you hear the name:
Barney Fife?
Sir Robert Peel?
John R Thomas?
Samuel Jimenez?
Now, if you are a cop, what is the first thing that pops in your head when you hear:
[YOUR NAME]
Every police officer leaves a legacy of sorts. It might be one of integrity and ingenuity, furthering the cause and nobility of police work, much like the famed English officer Robert "Bobby" Peel, from whom we get the endearing term used for UK police to this day. Not to mention his principles of policing. But not every name leaves a positive impact on the profession, sometimes their name is synonymous with why we are in the situation we are in as a department, or as a whole.
The media gives catchy names to corrupt groups of officers, I remember hearing about the Marquette Ten or the Austin 7. Those from the East coast might remember the name Michael Dowd and the Seven-Five, referencing the precinct where the corruption came out of. Or of John Burge and his crew that put people in jail who were innocent or deprived individuals of their civil rights during interrogations. In more recent history the SCORPION unit from Memphis, TN’s police department that led to the beating death of Tyree Nichols. No matter the name of the individual cop, the unit, or in some cases whole departments, the legacy left behind is lasting. They tarnish the badge and the profession a little bit more.
Then there are the cops who go above and beyond the call of duty, performing selfless acts of service at great peril to themselves, sometimes at the loss of their own life. The call went out and they answered. Whether that was an actual call for help, they intervened, or they went out on their shift looking to bring correction and balance to society. I think of officers like Samuel Jimenez, Rex Engelbert, Michael Collazo, Jamie Cox, the list goes on and on. Officers that faced danger and evil because that was what they knew was the right thing to do. For some of the aforementioned, their legacy, and many others like them, ended too often in tragedy for the officer and their family.
While most of our interactions as cops will be brief and uneventful, it is the moments where we are tested and pushed to our limits that will really impact the moment. Perhaps that is dealing with the same address for the umpteenth time that week and we are ready to let them have it. Instead we take a deep breath before exiting our car and really take the time to calm the situation, this time our patience pays off and the situation calms down for a while. In that moment we added to our own legacy as a cop with that family.
I know I have grandiose ideas when it comes to the concept of legacy. I have 3 boys and my hope is our family name, my last name, will mean something to them. That they won’t bring dishonor or tarnish it. Just like I’ve talked about how we carry the sins of our fathers, our individual names carry weight, not just the uniform. I’d hope that my last name, when people hear it, will be recognized for the good I’ve done. Perhaps for some individuals and their families, it will have a deeper meaning. Perhaps additional time together as a family, perhaps it will bring peace of mind, or perhaps it won’t even be remembered. Perhaps I’ll be nothing more than, “That one cop...”.
Perhaps I’ll be the villain or hero in a story being told about, “That one time…”
Being a nameless and faceless uniform in another’s story is fine with me, and should be with every cop. Our legacy in who we are and what we do in this profession should not just be remembered in writing or, if asked to perform the ultimate sacrifice, in stone. It should be completely held in the name plate on our uniform. I know when the day comes for me to retire and I can put my name plates in a shadow box with my star, my badge, and whatever rank I might earn, that there is meaning to it to me and those in my family who bear the same name too.
The reality is my kids may not grow up and want to be a cop. My future grandkids may never want to hear about my career or what it was like. Either way, my legacy is going to go beyond my badge, my profession and calling, and a few war stories. I think if academies really drilled in the idea of legacies into the new recruits we could see less stupid mistakes being made. There will always be cops who break the law, should never have been cops in the first place, or have an -ist label applied to their name. I don’t think we could ever avoid that in a profession that is nearly 900,000 people strong.
But placing more emphasis on the weight that an individual officer’s name carries, versus drilling in “don’t tarnish the badge” will really instill the proper principles that are needed, nay required, in law enforcement. Having a new officer sit daily in classes in the academy and see how their name sits under the star/shield/badge the department uses and is the support and foundation for badge, will visually drive home the point that your name comes first.
Perhaps at a graduation ceremony not just a badge gets pinned on, but the name plate gets put on first THEN the badge. Symbolizing that your name comes first, because at the end of the day when some officer’s name is enshrined in history, good or bad, no one remembers the name of the department they worked for, it’s always…