the good policeman/ part 2

the good policeman/ part 2

fiction
Edward w Pritchard


Like so many other professional occupations policemen have to be confidential in sharing what they do. They learn to watch what they say and over time sometimes withdraw into themselves concerning their work.

Like a soldier returning from wars a policeman is reticent to talk about things but longs like most people to be viewed as good and useful in society.

Someone asked me recently what I thought about the policeman at Ferguson involved in the shooting. Here's what I wrote before about policemen.

This story isn't about the demonstrators at Ferguson who are a part of the vanguard of silent revolutionaries against the American way of life, nor is this story below about the victim in the shooting who didn't have free will in his life and death. The story below is also not about the specific unfortunate policeman at Ferguson involved in the shooting whose uniform was bigger than his character.

Real life is not a medieval morality play, neither the good guys or the misfortunates have one dimensional characters. Most of us whatever the occupation have some good, and some bad about us. Most of us when pressed have to admit we aren't that good of a person to do the right thing all of the time.


The story below is a tribute to good policemen:

the good policeman

fiction
edward w pritchard

I was just watching, observing. A baby girl was learning how to talk and the very young Grandfather was fascinated and brimming with desire to share the miracle with the world. He told the policeman he had four grandchildren. I heard that part.

The baby girl's Mother had left her daughter with her Father while she went from McDonald's, where I was here today, to go to Target, to get a wedding gift for her friend. I heard that.

The crowd at the play area at McDonald's all had their own children of various ages. They politely listened to the baby girl saying her few new words. The baby had a lot of personality. She noticed the other kids had their shoes off and wanted to take hers off too.

The policeman had his uniform on but I don't think he was on duty. He just happened to be there at McDonald's. He spent about five minutes listening to the baby talk and drew me into the conversation, introducing me and the grandfather, neither of who he knew five minutes ago.

About two years later I was substitute teaching at an inner city school in my home town. I was in a class room on a break, a planning period, and I heard someone lecturing a kid in the hall who was cutting class and didn't have a pass. The adult lecturer was direct with the kid but caring and kind also.

When the adult lecturing the kid walked past the door of the room I was in, I saw it was the same policeman, in uniform, from the McDonald's two years ago. Later I walked up to him in the halls and said hello.