Esprit de Corps

The gunning down of four police officers at a coffee shop in Tacoma, Washington last month should have suspended society’s grumblings about authority.  Law enforcement has had a hard few years at the hands of negative press.   One such example is the public scrutiny the RCMP have been under with the tasering death of Polish visitor to Canada, Robert Dziekanski.  In light of Paul Kennedy, the Commissioner of Public Complaints against the RCMP's scathing report, the image police have in the eyes of the public is at an all-time low.

As the self-respect of the police profession is torn down by the actions of a few, the body as a whole suffers.  In fact, when a person dons the uniform, they go from someone who enjoys anonymity to the virtually known. With the uniform one adopts an array of perceptions of the person wearing it.  Some see a peace keeper, others see a rigid cold authority figure, and then there are those who see nothing but an object of scorn.

However, when a police officer enters a public place, they do not know if they walk among supporters, indifference or hate.  It’s not like the average Joe walking into a Walmart to buy a pencil.  You can enter the building virtually unseen with the exception of the Walmart greeter.   You can stealthily buy that pencil, walk out and be forgotten within seconds.  But when a uniform walks into the same building the people around them are drawn to the image.  

People don't really see the person behind the badge, they just see the badge for what it represents.  And, not so much the image it is supposed to represent.  For many, it was the ticket they got and are still angry about, or it can be anger at how they may have been treated when contact with authority was required.   Whatever the angst, the average member of your local police service is carrying that burden on their shoulders for every action of all who wear the uniform.  But like true professionals, most who wear the uniform did so with ideals ingrained in their personality that drew them to service.  And, they walk into that public place without showing that burden, because to them, its not just a job, it is a calling.  Because each member of that police service is keenly aware of what they represent.

How would you like to bear the weight?  

The term esprit de corp is precisely what binds men and women to the service of law enforcement.  Esprit de corp is the capacity of people to maintain a belief in an institution or a goal, or even in oneself and others.  It speaks specifically to the morale of an organization or an identifiable group.

This is clearly demonstrated when the dregs of society decide to act on their hate for the uniform.  Whether a police officer is gunned down, dies in an attempt to apprehend a criminal or is struck down by a drunk driver while issuing a traffic ticket, the act of killing a person who has dedicated their lives, and the lives of their family to public service is not only cowardly but is also an offense to each one of us.  That is because the ideals each member of a police service hold to their calling, is the sole purpose of protecting life and property.

Esprit de corp, or the solidarity of morale that police hold for their comrades was clearly displayed at the funeral of these four police officers, and is always displayed when a member of the law enforcement community has fallen.

In Washington over 900 uniformed police officers from Canada traveled across the border to show their respect, and to show their belief of what these four people represented to society.   The members who congregated to the service included 600 members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and 300 members of the Vancouver Police Service.  The remaining 700 police officers that stood beside the families of the fallen officers were from all over the United States.

And, what motivated these people to gather at a funeral of a person they did not know?  It was the belief that binds those men and women to the understanding that their purpose in life is a high calling.  It was the clear understanding that their service is not frivolous, it's not 'just a job' and it is not something that we can do without. It is the clear understanding that the job of a police officer is and always has been a dangerous duty, and that each person that wears the uniform is tackling the same task, together.  They are a unit. They are one in that calling and when one dies in the line of duty the entire body feels it.

So when you see a show of esprit de corp in the law enforcement community, stop asking  “I wonder who pays for that?” because quit frankly, seeing over 1500 police officers attending the funeral of one of their own, is a clear reminder to you and I that in spite of the fact that there are scumbags willing to kill them, they still hold true to their calling.  For that, they have my deepest respect and sincere thank you.