Belief in yourself outweighs the blanketed police hate. #youtubeshorts

All personal opinions aside, we know for a fact that the
statement “Hands up! Don’t shoot.” was not made during the
unfortunate incident involving Officer Darren Wilson and
citizen Michael Brown, in 2014. However, the media and a
lot of individuals ran with it and I’ll never forget people
yelling that statement towards me and other officers whenever
we were on scene at calls.

Was it frustrating? Yes, it was. Was it demoralizing? No. Hold
strong to the belief in what you are doing out there! People are
calling 911 and you are showing up to help these complete
strangers. You, as a police officer, are willing to stop some of
the most dangerous individuals in society. These are noble
things and no negative opinion should shake you to your core
as long as you are doing the right thing for the public.

The fact is, I know you want to be supported and when you
see people label you with blanketed statements and/or terms,
it completely stinks. I get it.

But please heed this advice if you haven’t already. If you go
through life valuing how you are perceived and what you are
doing based on others’ opinions of you, you’re setting
yourself up for a rough ride. If you keep a good head on your
shoulders and are professional, you’re fine. The haters will
never stop slandering, but you can make the decision not to
take on board what they think they see. I’m not saying be
closed off to constructive conversations, even if they’re
difficult. I’m just saying you shouldn’t put value on the hate.

You will even encounter haters within the department. I’m not
kidding.
Scott Medlin
14
Look, I’ll get to the part about department drama and toxicity
soon. I’m talking about the haters who will unleash verbal
attacks on you when you are enthusiastic, ambitious, and
happy. You will mostly get this from a few of the long-time,
veteran officers who are over it, just want to retire, and they
are unfortunately beaten down emotionally and physically.

If they give you good advice such as pace yourself during your
career, take your time when investigating, etc. then that’s not
hate. But if they know you are a happily married person and
are enjoying where you are in your career and they blast away
at you because they don’t see themselves as happy, then let it
go in one ear and out the other.

I’m not saying this is guaranteed to happen to you, but if it
does, just be polite and move on. As former long-timer serving
#police officer Justin Cotte says, “Be yourself.”