I Want to Be a Cop
by Ray Rexer

I want to become a "Pig"! Peers have laughed at, criticized, even insulted me because of it but I want to become a "Pig." "A cop? What's wrong with you?" friends have asked. "Stay away from me." I reason that most feel that law enforcement is far from an ideal career for a college-bound high school senior to choose. I don't. Why, today when police are so much needed, are they so much more resented?

The policeman of today is a bitter and bewildered person. He helplessly watches as public confidence in him slides away, while respect for law and order simultaneously loses grip. Years ago to be a policemen was to be respected. A flatfoot could see envy in the eyes of people he passed as he walked his beat, carefreely swinging his nightstick. Today as a policeman, with his partner, walks his beat, he sees fear in the eyes of passersby and hate as the word "Pig" is formed by bold, young mouths. He walks cautiously, keeping a nervous eye on the people and intermittently touching his side where his security lies snuggly in its cold leather nest.

Why are the police condemned so much today? It couldn't be because of their long hours, low pay, or danger involved in their daily work. A disheveled youth sees the blue, silver-buttoned uniform as an established freak show. He sees in it, and its wearer, all he figures he is rebelling against. Restricting him, ordering him, or confining him. He doesn't seem to notice that a cop also serves him, guides him, as well as protects him. Because a policeman's job is repressive, he brings out the "Leave me alone" and the "Why aren't you guys out chasing real criminals?" attitudes, basically.

Shouts of anger, such as "Fascist Pig," aren't uncommon for a policeman to encounter. The police simply cry back, "Sticks and stones can break my bones..." So now the police encounter sticks, stones, bricks, or firebombs. Violence such as this requires more police action. If peace and tranquility were sustained, then fewer policemen would be needed. If fewer policemen were around, the "now" generation would encounter fewer restrictions, less ordering, a decrease in confinement, and an increase in their general freedom. All that, just for peace.

Despite well-known detractions, a job as a cop has its attractions also. I do not plan on spending the rest of my life in a rut, dug by doing the same thing day in and day out. There is a certain element of romance and excitement in the life of a policeman. The mystery of getting involved, and the pleasure of helping fellow human beings brings out personal satisfaction. This is what appeals to me in becoming a "Pig."

Garber High School Dimension 24 May 1971 Vol. 3, #21, p. 4