Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
- Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, of Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs
My name is Brad Potter, and I am proud to say that I am a Sheepdog. I come from a family with a dedicated history
of public service, prolifically so in law enforcement, where my father is in
his 43rd year as a cop (23 as a Chief), my Uncle retired as a
Lieutenant from his department after 30 years, and my Aunt retired as a Sergeant
from the same department after 25 years (That’s where they met). My Uncle and my Grandfather both served in
war zones in the military (with my Uncle having 3 purple hearts from it), and
my cousin is a volunteer firefighter.
So, I come from a great legacy of Sheepdogs. And that is a legacy that has driven me to
where I am today.
Before I go any further, here’s a little about me. I am 23 years old. I am a white police officer who works in an
area that is predominantly black and 2/3 minority in totality. I had an idyllic childhood. I come from a family that was upper middle
class, never being rich, but never having to worry about money. I never saw my parents fight, and we never
had any issues putting food on the table or a roof over our heads. I grew up always playing sports and hanging
out with friends without any real issues to speak of in life. I was President of my Fraternity in
college. I graduated from my dream
school, THE Ohio State University, with a double major in Criminology and
Political Science without accumulating any student loan debt, thanks to scholarships
and my wonderful parents. I got my dream
job right out of college. I don’t tell
you this to brag. I’m well aware of my
blessed and privileged upbringing, and thank God for the opportunities afforded
to me every day. I tell you this, so
maybe you’ll understand why I do what I do today.
I didn’t become a police officer because I like exercising power over
people. I didn’t become a police officer
because I was bullied as a kid and wanted to carry a gun around to feel all big
and bad. I certainly didn’t take this
job for adulation, and didn’t take it for the pay either.
I became a police officer, because at the end of the day, I want to
help people, and I wanted to pay forward what I had grown up with. There are people in this country that wake up
every day not knowing where their next meal will come from, without any idea
whether they will have a roof over their head when the sun goes down, with
potentially 1 or both parents gone from their lives, that don’t have access to quality
education or opportunities, and are fighting just to survive. How could I possibly do anything else with my
life when we have people that live like this?
There are far too many people that are afraid to walk down the street,
to wear a certain color of clothing, to sleep in their homes at night, or to
co-exist with family in the same house. These
are ordinary things that I and many others have taken for granted in life. So, at the end of the day, I decided to
devote my life to doing my part to changing this world, and people’s lives for
the better, one call at a time, and one person at a time. If I can give just one kid somewhere the chance to live the life and have the childhood that he deserves, then that is all that matters.
When it came down it, becoming a cop wasn’t an instantaneous decision
that I made based upon my family lineage.
No, I resisted the call to the Thin Blue Line for a long time. I knew that I wanted to help people, I knew
that I wanted to pay forward my own experiences, and I knew that I wanted an
honorable career. For a long time, I
thought that would be spent as a prosecuting attorney. After some job shadowing, that just wasn’t
for me. Then there was a time when I
considered joining the military. The
honor and nobility of putting my life on the line for my country is something
that appeals to me still to this day.
At the end of the day, I found what I was born to do sitting right in
front of my face the whole time: following in my family footsteps, and becoming
a police officer. On top of what I
expounded upon earlier, it gave me the chance to serve my community and my
country, and to work in a career that is of the most noble and honorable
pursuits. It gave me a chance to work
outside and interact with people on a daily basis, and to have what is a normal
day for me be filled with enough excitement and stories to cover years,
decades, or lifetimes for someone else. I
truly love my job, and I believe 100% that I have the greatest job in the
world.
That doesn’t mean that everything is all sunshine and rainbows. For the most part, when someone calls for the
police, it’s one of the worst moments of their lives. One of my favorite quotes about policework
comes from the TV show Flashpoint, where one of the officers who has reached
his breaking point, wonders how another still does it. The response says it all: “We’re catching
people in the some of the worst moments of their lives. Sometimes the very worst. If they don’t have us, who do they have?” We are the ones people call when things are
out of control, when someone is hurt, when someone is under attack. We are the ones that roll towards gunshot
victims, active shooters, fights, domestic assaults, sexual assaults and
everything else you can imagine. Sometimes
it works out well, however unfortunately sometimes, it doesn’t. But regardless, we will never let a cry for
help go unanswered, and we will always put our lives on the line to answer
it. Because it’s more than just a job,
it’s more than just a title and more than just a uniform: it’s who we are down
to our very core. To quote John Cooper
from SouthLAnd, “You’re a cop because you don’t know how not to be one. If that’s how you feel, then you’re a
cop. If it’s not, then you’re not.”
I have started this blog because I am very passionate about law enforcement,
very passionate about bringing the viewpoint of the cop on the beat to the
table, and very passionate about doing my part to bridge the Officer-citizen
gap. I also do it, because writing is
how I destress and how I deal with not only what I see on a day to day basis,
but with the frustration that comes with being a police officer as it pertains
to perception in 2015. I have seen a lot
of things that no one in this world should ever have to see. By writing, it helps me to process it, and it
helps me to deal with it. It’s healthy,
and it also serves a fulfilling purpose for me of giving people an inside look
at what it’s like to be on the blue line keeping order between good and evil,
and helps to bridge the gap.
Unfortunately, due to agency policy, I am unable to discuss on here any
incident that I am involved in or witness, or any incident that is related to
my department. There is also a clause
pertaining to not being able to write about “anything that would reflect
negatively upon my department”, which I do not believe will be an issue. Controversial topics must be addressed, and
those topics are often the ones that provoke stimulating and thoughtful
conversation that must be had in order to progress as a society and move
forward. As long we address these issues
with the respect and civility that they deserve, there is no topic that is
off-limits, in my opinion.
What I will promise you, is that when it comes to a controversial
incident, I will judge it based upon the facts of each situation. I won’t always support what an Officer has
done, but I won’t be afraid to state when something controversial is
justified. I will always stay true to
myself, true to the oath I took as a police officer, and true to the values of
the organization that I place my faith and trust in.
Connect. Respect. Protect. Not just a catchphrase, but a way of life.
Connect. Respect. Protect. Not just a catchphrase, but a way of life.
