Friday, August 29, 2014

Cops Are Heroes

3rd in the series
1st book in the Riverboat Mysteries


2nd in the series
 
Author, Sandra K. Marshall is the author of The Riverboat Mysteries set in the Midwest.
 
Author's like to write stories using cops as heroes.  It is a very dangerous job, but they have been in the news in a very negative way lately.  Police officers go through extensive training, and it's ongoing.  They have to get so many hours in every year, and there are classes that are mandatory for all law enforcement.

 
Officers in class
For instance, police officers are required to take classes on recognizing an autistic person and learning what to do when they meet them.  Another thing they're dealing with is mentally ill people who are committing suicide by cop.  This is something that happens more frequently than anyone hears about.  Not only that there are hundreds of cops who commit suicide because they can't deal with what they have done.  No one wants to kill someone especially a police officer.  Their job is to protect you. 

There are bad cops, too, and you don't often read about them in books.  Those who write stories using cops as heroes need to dig deeper because there are so many more layers to these men and women than usually appears in the media. 

These people suffer from their actions just like all of us. Have you ever read or written a story using a cop as a hero, or bad guy?
 
You may find me at these sites:
Twitter @AuthSKMarshall
 

13 comments:

  1. Great post, Sandy. There are definitely more good, dedicated cops than bad ones. We should all remember that.

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  2. Most of my uncles and cousins are cops. I'd like to think that they do the right thing when it comes down to the wire. That said, a position of authority with the lawful use of deadly force does attract sociopaths. The key is screening out dangerous recruits before bringing them on the force. My belief is that more female officers are needed. When was the last time you heard of a female officer gunning anyone down?

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  3. Thank you, Cara. Yes, there are way more good cops than bad.

    Tina, I think cops tend to be more protective of female officers than the men and because of that they aren't as fearful. Our oldest son was a cop for many years and retired from the sheriff's department. He, also, was a hostage negotiator towards the end of his career. After retiring from the airline industry, my husband went to school to be come an reserve officer.

    I agree the job does attract sociopaths, and some mentally ill from the military, too.

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  4. Tina, I forgot to say one more thing. Cops are human, and most of them try to do the right thing, but mistakes can be made just like in any other job.

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  5. I have a love and hate relationship with cops. Mainly because some are ticket-happy and eager to move up, the ones where I live,....

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  6. I agree with Tina that more female officers would be great for both sides. I think the process of demanding so many tickets a day would be beneficial. Give officers more time for the bad guys....

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  7. K.T., I think a lot of people have a love-hate relationship with cops. How often do hear people saying, "Where's a cop when you need them?" The problem is they can't be everywhere.

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  8. I think more female cops can be helpful just like in any other job, Jean.

    As far as the tickets, I want cops to stop jerks who are constantly switching lanes going 80 or 90 miles an hour. Especially, when they switch four or five lanes, and don't even use a signal, so the poor person behind them can't help but hit them when they slam on their brakes because there's a car in front of them. Grrr!

    It would be nice if cops didn't have to give tickets and could just spend time catching the really bad guys.

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  9. I respect the position of authority but sadly my personal experience has never been good -- from being overtly propositioned when I was obviously young at 13 and again at 17 when I was told this: "honey you have the power to help your boyfriend to get out of his ticket, if you know what I mean." I did know what he meant. When I started to cry, his partner came to see why and was outraged on my behalf. I was "pulled over" to be asked out when I was in my 20's and married and was told my "husband didn't need to know". And I was told "not my problem" when I asked where my car might have been towed in a city I was visiting for the first time. I respect the position, I know there are good guys. In my personal experience I've met the dregs. But they'd be dregs no matter what work they did.

    Riverboat Mysteries sounds like a great concept. Best luck, Sandy. :)

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  10. Rose, I'm so sorry you've had such bad encounters with cops. Those kind need to be weeded out. It just makes me so mad to hear about those kind.

    Thank you for your comment.

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  11. Wonderful blog. I think that police officers are some of the bravest people. They take their lives into their hands each day but I do understand that there can be bad cops too. We are all human.

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  12. Cops deserve praise for doing a dangerous job. Thanks for your insight!

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  13. Melissa and Marianne, cops do a necessary job, but there aren't enough of them to cover everything. I'm always sad when I hear about the bad apples.

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