I feel this overpowering need to say something nice about police officers.

I’ve known many cops over the years. I haven’t liked all of them personally. As with any profession, law enforcement has its bad actors serving alongside the overwhelming majority of people who go out of their way to do good things.

When I was a working daily journalist, I came to understand that police officers have this mistrust of media types. We’re too nosey for our own good, some of the police would think to themselves – if not say it out loud. My response to that view? Too bad. That’s what reporters and editors get paid to do. They get paid to be inquisitive and ask questions Joe and Jane Sixpack can’t ask themselves.

I’ve long admired the work that cops do. I’ve tried whenever possible to say so publicly. I’ll do so right here, once again.

Some years ago, I got a peek into police life as a member of the Amarillo Citizens Police Academy. How did I get that gig? I wrote a column that was mildly critical of some police officers. One of the department’s top brass called me out on that, telling me – in effect – that I didn’t know what I was talking about. He invited me to apply for the next Citizens Police Academy class. I did. I got accepted and then spent one night a week for 11 weeks seeing how the cops do their job.

We learned about such things as crime scene investigations, dispatching officers to trouble spots, how drug-sniffing dogs do their job, what happens when you get hit with a Taser. We fired weapons at the shooting range and got to ride along with an officer on patrol.

APD didn’t tell us everything. But we got enough of a look to understand more fully about the dangers that cops must face every time they report for work. “Routine traffic stops” do not exist, as they can erupt into violent confrontations without warning. “Domestic beefs” are the worst of all, the police will tell you. Emotions run white hot and those events, too, can end badly.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway I got from that academy session was the idea that police officers spend a huge amount of their time helping people. Their workday doesn’t comprise non-stop confrontation with bad guys. They are trained to lend comfort when the need arises. I’ve seen them do it and I appreciate that side of police work as much as I appreciate their apprehension of criminals.

Thank you for your service.