On Humanizing Police: The Reality of The Individual Officer

Captain #RonJohnson has come out and expressed his approval for the #military style tactics used by the #Ferguson police, saying:

"When the chaos is in full effect, we can't tell if you are peaceful, potentially violent, or a member of the media. We just have to act, and we must protect our lives and the lives of the good people of this community."

To me, this is an amazing statement, and one that is uniquely indicative of the realities of how the humans react under fear and pressure -- we are, after all, human beings.

Being a military police veteran, I can relate entirely to his sentiment, and I must add to it, that we are trained to "shoot first and ask questions later." To the lay individual, this may come off as harsh, or emotionless, but what has to be taken into account is the reality that the types of environments we are trained to work in, don't care about how you feel about what's going on. 

Each of us have families, and we want to go home to see ours, just as much as you want to see #justice for yours. There has been a lot of focus on emotion, and it's implication on the reactions of both the officer who shot #MikeBrown, as well as the vandals who have done their part to tear their community down.

So what does this say about us? It says that we are all humans, and that despite how different we want to pretend we are, the reality is, we are all very similar. We all can love, hate, and let our anger take us over, and none of us are immune to that which makes us human, emotions.

Does this revelation on the part of Captain Ron Johnson speak to the possible realities of the scenario faced by the officer that shot Mike Brown?

What do you think?

Peace, love and freedom.

About Me: I am a Software Engineer w/ a Masters in Computer Science, a business man -- holding a Bachelors in Business with a focus in Enterprise Administration from Fordham University, Magna Cum Laude -- a writer, a blogger, a philosopher, a philanthropist, a veteran, and an all around thinker and do'er. My purpose is to point out that there is a reason for everything and an opinion for every reason. I am designed to interpret what I see and dictate what I've interpreted. My hope is that my words will not be seen as harsh, rather as liberating, and at very least, thought provoking. I enjoy everything from technology, to race relations, biology, genetics and economics.. for a start..