Innocent Victims - Where Are They?

**Xiphos** · 04-22-10, 06:06 AM

Oh man I could have written this. This guy has nailed it.

Beat and Release: Innocent Victims - Where Are They?

The worst day on this job is the day you realize you really aren't helping as many people as you thought you would. The majority of crime victims are victimized because they choose to live a specific lifestyle, e.g. drug users who get robbed or murdered while trying to purchase their drug of choice. Or the dealer who gets murdered by the competition. I could go on and on with the examples, but why bother? It won't change anything. Most of the time, WE won't change anything - or anyone.

I came to this realization many years ago when I was a young, idealistic investigator. It didn't take long for me to discover that the first order of business when assigned a case was to check out the victim. A lot of the time they had outstanding warrants. I would have them come in and give me a statement regarding their case, then hook them up on the warrant, clearing two cases in one fell swoop. After a short time I managed to get over the fact that there were very few truly innocent victims anymore. I know that doesn't sound right to the average person. We should rejoice because of that fact. For those of us who are dedicated to a long career helping others it proves to be a disappointment. I simply supplanted the disappointment with a fascination of what one person could do to another, or to themselves.

That fascination is now wearing thin. Don't get me wrong, I'm still having fun runnin' & gunnin', but I will be glad when this part of my life has run it's course. At first I thought I would teach, having lectured at several universities and local technical colleges and having taught at the high school level for over ten years. Now I am not so enamored with the idea. On the day I retire I think I will be inclined to delete all the crime scene photos, lesson plans, videos and PowerPoint presentations. It will be time to move on.

I have never been to war, but I think I have some idea what it feels like to be war weary. Anyone who makes it through twenty to thirty years in a medium to large size city probably feels the same way. I kept an eye on the past generation of old school retirees as they left the department. Most of them served when being a police officer meant something to both the officer and the public; at a time when they were heroes to little kids, not villains painted with the brush of lies and assumptions. A lot of them died before their time, longing for a feeling they could never get back, no matter what they did in retirement. I don't plan to be one of those statistics.

I may not even attend my own retirement ceremony. Just hand me my plaque and my flag on the day I turn in all my gear and we will call it even. Thanks for the memories, good, bad, horrible and unspeakable. Thanks for the icy hand embedded in my chest, wringing out my heart, trying to ensure I don't care about anyone or anything. It isn't getting the job done, but I can feel it in there trying. Thanks for the opportunity to experience the brotherhood, to know what it feels like to actually put my own life at the precipice in exchange for that of a fellow officer, or for a citizen. Thanks for the wild ride, but the time to un-ass is swiftly approaching and I'm planning to leap onto the platform, head down the stairs and never look back.

**Ducky** · 04-22-10, 08:12 AM

The above article breaks my heart. I think, maybe, the innocent victims at the end of it all are the cops themselves.

**pac201** · 04-22-10, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Ducky

The above article breaks my heart. I think, maybe, the innocent victims at the end of it all are the cops themselves.

So very true...how unfortunate and sad too.

**MacLean** · 04-22-10, 12:14 PM

It isn't the bad guys that kill the joy, it's the public and the bosses.

**Five-0** · 04-22-10, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by maclean

It isn't the bad guys that kill the joy, it's the public and the bosses.

Lord knows some of the most sane interactions I have are with the people I put in jail. At least in that interaction there is usually an understanding between the two of us.

**Pudge** · 04-22-10, 12:53 PM

Originally Posted by Five-0

Lord knows some of the most sane interactions I have are with the people I put in jail. At least in that interaction there is usually an understanding between the two of us.

Yep. It seems alot of them know the game and know they and us are merely players. It's almost like the "good game" handshake at the end of sports when we were in school.