Law Officer Volume 3 Issue 6 Dear Bullethead:
I think I'm turning into a racist. I'm a white cop working in a large northeast city where we have serious gang problems. On my beat, it s Asian gangs. They're vicious and scary. I know my attitude is probably starting to show. I can't interact with an Asian male under the age of 35 without feeling suspicion and resentment. I deal with these punks daily. They steal property, vandalize and kill. They have no sense of the value of life, and I find myself beginning to generalize and stereotype. Funny thing is, I recognize what's happening, but I can't seem to turn it off. It's like I've been conditioned. How do other cops deal with this?
—Problem with Prejudice
Dear Problem:
Today is an easy day, cause this one is a breeze. You hate Asians now, so you need to work on the other side of town for a while so you can start hating white people. After about a year, move to the Hispanic side of town, and then move again to the African-American side of town. In a few short years, you'll hate everyone and you won't have to feel bad about hating just one group.
Actually, this works out great because you won't have to save for retirement. You'll end up a miserable old jerk that got passed over for promotion a bunch of times because it's obvious to everyone you're a racist jackass. You will suffer from ulcers and live in a one-bedroom studio because your spouse will have left years ago. Your kids might come by, but not too often because you stink of booze and hatred. (Oh yeah, hate is easy to smell.) Shortly after you retire, you will drop dead, and although a few people will show up at your funeral, they'll breathe a sigh of relief at not having to deal with you anymore.
Wow, I almost feel bad. Here you open up to me, acknowledge a problem and ask for help. Without skipping a beat, I blast away with a nice five-punch combination aimed right at your grill. I hope you're wearing headgear cause I'm not done.
I watched someone go through this. He worked in a specialized unit in a huge department. When we met, he liked all cops and most citizens. After four years, I realized he liked only cops and not citizens. Soon he liked only cops of a certain race; next it was only people in his unit. Finally he trusted only his partner. No joke, this guy hated everyone but his partner he would come to family functions, but we just ticked him off. We worked at different departments, but he offered mentorship early in my career. After a while it was easier to avoid him than to see him. He was just a negative pain in the ass. I know his kids (adults now) and they hardly see him never recovered from the divorce. It's a bummer because he was a nice guy in the beginning and could have passed on a lot to young cops.
First, let's take a look at the Asian gangs you hate so much. Asian gangs aren't too big where I work. The Hispanic and black gangs, on the other hand, run deep, and we also have plenty of white gangsters. I could substitute any other race for Asian in your description of how the gangsters act and it wouldn't make a difference. So, it must be that gangsters in general are vicious and scary, steal things, vandalize and hurt people. That's why we go to such lengths to drop these loser chumps into the pit and keep them there. I'm guessing the people you are starting to hate are people who do those things. In your area, Asians largely represent this group, but like I described in the beginning, if you move around and end up hating everyone based on the gangsters you deal with in the other beats, you're going to have a miserable life and career.
In an effort to get you back between the lines, now let's talk about the whole population vs. your customer base. The basic ratio is about 90/10, and this isn't just old Bullethead making up some number. A bunch of people with a lot more than just an attitude and a forum unlike me have studied this and come up with those numbers. What it means: 90 percent of the crime gets committed by 10 percent of the people. That means about 90 percent of the people aren't crooks. Remember: For each of those gang slime, there are lots more good people who happen to be the same race, and unless the cops do their job, they end up victims.
Hit some community meetings and meet the people trying to make things better. The good people are there, and you really need to find them. If you can't find the nice people, you weren't cut out to be a cop. Get over your hate or find a new job, cause this may be a great job but it isn't worth turning into a bigot and dying early and alone.
Got a question or complaint? Let Bullethead hear about it. He'll give you his opinion WITH BOTH BARRELS. Contact him via e-mail at bullethead@lawofficermagazine.com or fax him at 619/699-6246.