“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” As I turned to the evening news August 9th, 2014, I heard the sounds of an event that would soon change a nation. I was fifteen, when the famous shooting in Ferguson, Missouri left one man dead, one man accused of the worst, and one nation changed. For the first time in my lifetime, riots began breaking out, military force was used on American civilians, and a controversy that suddenly mattered to me, emerged. That August summer night, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine how these six shots changed the way American law enforcement would police, and the way the American public would view their local law enforcement. I decided to further examine how minorities perception of police after Ferguson affected the way law enforcement is viewed across the United States and how this image affects the way law enforcement police.

I wanted to know how the unpopular portrayal of police officers in the media of events such as Ferguson has affected the police officer’s ability to effectively do their job. Recently I interviewed Officer Robert Reed, former chief of police for the Joliet Police Department. Officer Robert Reed has been working as a law enforcement officer for thirty-six years. With all the recent reports of police officers and law enforcement being racially biased I wanted to know if Chief of Police Robert Reed had ever been accused of immorally racially profiling someone. His answer:

“Yes, I was out on patrol one day on the interstate at about one o’clock in the morning when I saw a car driving the wrong direction. I pulled him over and approached his car, in the middle of the interstate. The man in the driver’s seat then accused me of pulling him over only because he was Indian. A statement which was completely shocking considering that not only was he driving the wrong way on the interstate, but that it was one in the morning and completely dark. Even if it was light out I wouldn’t be able to see the race of the person in the driver’s seat through the head rest.”

I then asked if he had any comments about the “racial profiling” controversy. Former Chief of Police Robert Reed stated the following. 

“A part of police work is using race to profile criminals. It is a tool. Profiling is not to be something that is abused, but it is an effective and efficient tool.”

Another enquiry I needed perspective on was how has law enforcement changed since Ferguson. His answer:

“Since Ferguson, people have lost respect [for the] law enforcement [profession]. Now, every police action is recorded by the public [and] published on websites whose sole purpose is to destroy the profession. Since Ferguson, policing has [also] become more dangerous. There are websites educating the public on how to kill police officers. Since Ferguson, police around the country have been more hesitant to react to situations. But the irony I see is the same people who disrespect law enforcement are the same people who want police protection.”

My next inquiry was the about the persona of “bad cops.” I asked him about his response is about the “bad cop” image in the media. This was his response:

“There certainly are ‘bad cops.’ There is no doubt about it. There are bad people in this world. There are bad people in every profession, and there are certainly bad people in law enforcement. But they are a minority, a very small percentage.”   

I wanted to know what Officer Robert Reed felt would help restore police/civilian relations?

“I think that if people were more educated about what it is that police officers actually do, relations with the public would benefit. Most people cannot imagine being in the position of having to make the instantaneous decision of whether or not to shoot. You don’t get the time to think about the situation the way lawyer would react or the person who will be reading about the incident in the morning newspaper would react.”

He further elaborated on what it is like to be a police officer saying:

“People just don’t understand what it’s like to be in life or death situations. When you hear screaming coming from inside of a house, you don’t have time to sit, and analyze and think and consider all the possibilities. You have to trust your instinct. You must make life or death decisions in an instant. When you pull someone over, and they open their glove compartment and you see a gun they didn’t inform you about, you must react instantly. You can’t ask them what they intend to do with that gun they have in their hand. Then every time you pull out your gun, your actions will be analyzed for the next couple months.”

Hearing this side of the story introduced to me a new perspective on the work law enforcement do every day.”

After the interview with Officer Robert Reed, I began to see how the construed views of Ferguson affected police relations nationwide. The events single corrupted police department changed the way not just minorities, but everyone across America. The 2014 event caused not only minorities, but also the general public to negatively view their local police departments. Hearing perspective of law enforcement from a law enforcement official introduced to me a new perspective on the police do every day. Ferguson is an example of the imperfection that exists in law enforcement. Through the insights of officer Reed, we see that police work is affected not only by the perception of the officers, but also the perceptions of officers held by the public. With national media coverage of events such as Ferguson, communities around the country are brought in to the conversation about race relations and policing practices. The police department in Ferguson was corrupt and was a poor example of a department. American law enforcement officers continue to hold a high standard of justice to the communities for which they serve. Despite the events of Ferguson and the resulting changes in public perception of policing, I believe that police work continues to be a respectable profession.