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What are a police officer's duties? Wouldn't you think that public safety is a top priority? I learned on the evening of April 6 that this may not always be the case.
I took my 4-year-old niece to the Reds game. Because of the frigid temperatures, we left in the top of the 5th to head home. We were parked in a parking garage a half mile or so away from the stadium.
As my niece and I were leaving the game, I got to thinking about muggings in downtown parking garages. So I decided to avoid any worries and ask a police officer for help.
There were two on-duty police officers standing in the stadium and catching some of the game (which is probably not in their job description). I approached them and explained to one that it was dark out and my niece and I were attempting to walk to a parking garage alone at night. I voiced my concerns about the recent muggings as well. I told him that if he couldn't help, even a security guard would put my mind a little more at ease (and there were plenty of those standing around that night as well).
The reply I got from the officer was a smirk, followed by, "Ma'am, we don't do that." I thought, well what do you do then?
By the grace of God, my niece and I got to my car safe and sound that evening, but the first thing I did when I got home that evening was open up my dictionary. The definition of police force is "an organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws." The verb form, to police, is "the regulation and control of a community, esp. for the maintenance of public order, safety, health, morals, etc."
So basically the officer that I spoke to that night did not do his job at all. He did nothing to maintain my safety, or my peace of mind. Sure, the odds of me getting mugged probably weren't great. However, I would think that if a law-abiding citizen asked for his assistance, he would do all he can to help.
For a city that is worried about its reputation and is trying clean up an abundance of crime, its police force (or at least one of its members) surely are not doing all they can to help.
Katie Ryan is a national sales assistant for a local television station.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dearest Katie, 