Scholarship Essay Entry – Avi B.

Policing is a crucial element in the structure, competence, and growth of the society we live in. Officers each day strive to protect, assist, and serve the everyday person to make our lives safer and more enjoyable. Whether or not they are often seen in action, they are still there night and day upholding the moral and legal regulations established by the community and society they so selflessly assist.

By taking on the responsibilities and duties that accompany the title of a police officer, I will help maintain the sense of safety and ease that already exists within my community. Policing is so much more than the car chases and gun fights portrayed by the movie industry. The complex role of an officer involves gaining trust from the people, getting to know the inner workings of a community, and altruistically and non-judgementally helping people who you do not know. I plan on doing the former mentioned complexities and more. My goal is to help establish a community policing initiative within my community that will better the already exceptional police reputation of the local department. What community policing infers is bringing the general populace and police officers to a greater level of non-essential interaction. The only time most people have a chance to interact with officers is in a time of need or despair. Other than that, officers are more or less only seen driving around in cruisers, with little day to day interaction with citizens. I would like to eliminate this circumstance to realistic level. By having officers walk the streets on foot, simply talking to people and engaging with them in calm circumstances, it would help to bring the level of understanding, comfort, and trust between the community and police officers to a more personal point.

If I would be successful in bringing a community policing perspective to the community, this model of policing in itself may help to lower crime rates and delinquency. By having positive social interactions between officers and youth, many adolescents who presently visualize the police as conformist, repressing people, or even those who have had negative experiences with police in the past may develop a newfound understanding and respect for police officers. This in all hopefulness, would help to avert youth from delinquent behaviour, or at least form some sort of bond between the seemingly distant youth and authority within my community.

My goal may not be life altering, or globally significant, but I like to think simplicity is what drives certain aspects of our already over complex lifestyles. If I were to be successful in implementing my simple goal, other communities may also adopt this model of policing, which would help strengthen peoples trust, respect, and belief in the men and women standing behind the badge.