Policemen Are Human Too:
Policemen, believe it or not, are human. They come in both sexes but mostly male. They also come
in various sizes. This sometimes depends on whether you are looking for one or trying to avoid one.
However, they are mostly big.
Policemen are found everywhere on land, on sea, in the air, on horses and 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 a phone.
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. He’s the one who rings the doorbell, swallows
hard, and announces the passing of a loved one, then spends the rest of the day wondering why
he ever took such a crummy job.
On TV a policeman is an oaf who couldn't find a bull fiddle inside a telephone booth.
In real life, he's expected to find a little blond boy "about so high" in a crowd of half a million
people.
In fiction he gets his 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 serves a summons he's a monster. If he lets you go, he's a doll. To little kids, he's either
a friend or bogeyman, 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.)
When he shoots a stick-up man, he’s a hero when the stick up man “only a kid, anybody coulda
seen that.”
Lots of them have homes; some of them are covered with ivy, but most of them with mortgages. If
he drives a big car, he’ a chiseler, a little car, “Who's he kidding?"
His credit card is good; that's very helpful, because his salary isn’t.
Policemen raise lots of kids; most of them belong to other people.
A policeman sees more misery, bloodshed, trouble and sunrises than the average person. Like
the postman, a policeman, must also be out in all kinds of weather. His uniform changes with the
climate, but his outlook on life remains the same: mostly a blank, but hoping for a better world.
Policemen like days off, vacation and coffee. They don't like auto horns, family fights and
anonymous letter writers. They have an association but they don't strike. They must he impartial,
courteous and always the slogan "at your service." This is sometimes hard, especially when a
character reminds him “I’m a taxpayer, 1 pay your salary "
A policeman gets medals for saving lives, stopping runaway horses and shooting it out
with bandits (once in a while, his window gets a medal).
But sometimes the most rewarding moment comes when, after some kindness to an older
person, he feels the warm handclasp, looks into grateful eyes ,and hears "Thank you and God
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