Do Cops Really Love Doughnuts?
Most stereotypes are based on some form of the truth; however, it is often a few bad apples that give a bad reputation to an entire group. Over time, police officers have picked up a few stereotypes of their own. Cops often receive judgments such as being insensitive, having quotas, and even having a love for doughnuts. Officer Ryan Wolgamott, hopes that people will think before they judge. Wolgamott agrees with the idea that at times officers can seem blasé, but hopes that people will stop to consider the reasons why. There have been many times where he has pulled a person over for a traffic violation and they had told him that, that citation would ruin their lives, “Many of those people do not know or seem to care that I conducted a death investigation the day before where similar diving behavior killed a small child”. Wolgamott knows in his heart that it would be disrespectful to the mother who lost her child for him to not take action.
In response to the “insensitive” stereotype, Officer Branden Esch believes that there are certain people who should be in fear of the police: criminals. Esch is a strong believer that his job is to protect and serve the community. Esch fully understands that criminals are people too, “They are someone’s brother, mother, friend, or child. I keep in mind how I would want my family and friends treated in this situation”. However, in addition to the compassion he feels for all kinds of people, he also believes in punishment for those who have earned it, “If you are one of those criminals who is victimizing innocent people, then yes, I am out to get you. I am more than out to get you, I will stalk you like prey, and I will make you my mission.”
The media has done a good job of fueling unwanted stereotypes, according to Officer Wolgamott. There have been some high profile incidents over the years involving the use of force, which in his eyes, were entirely justifiable. In Wolgamott’s opinion, those certain situations were blown out of proportion by local media due to lies told by alleged witnesses, “The community in general seems to believe the story of the criminal over the word of the officer, which is just sad to me”. Fortunately, cameras in the cop cars have helped refute a number of bogus claims.
Both Officer Wolgamott and Officer Esch, have high hopes that the public will acknowledge the compassion that they and the rest of the police force have for the community. The Eugene Police Department gives its officers what is called, “Diversity Training”. This teaches them everything from dealing with mental illness to dealing with people of varying cultural and religious backgrounds. Much of the training includes gaining a general understanding of particular groups of people and how to handle their situations in the most respectful way possible. Officer Wolgamott recently attended a weeklong “Crisis Intervention Training”, which assisted the officers in learning to respectfully deal with the mentally ill, “This type of training helps the entire community out by giving us another tool to peacefully resolve a potentially dangerous and dynamic situation.”
Officer Wolgamott goes out on patrol with the mindset of, “When I am in contact with people it usually turns out to be among the worst days of their lives.” Whether it is a victim who has been beaten, robbed, or lost a loved one; or a criminal who is about to have their freedom taken away from them. Wolgamott believes that police agencies, especially EPD, try to hire officers that naturally have the ability to communicate efficiently and sympathetically with people.
New officers at EPD go through about a year of training, in addition to the four-month academy and the 6-8 months of additional training in Eugene before they can start working the streets. Furthermore, EPD provides about 80 hours of training annually to all of its officers. Training that is geared towards safety, learning and keeping current on the laws and crime trends, and how to effectively help the community. Wolgamott firmly believes that all of the guidance the officers receive helps them to not only effectively correspond with people they come in contact with, but also works to ensure the public’s safety.
From another perspective, an Officer from Las Vegas has similar opinions. Officer Scott Matlock agrees with the notion that cops are there to help people, not to cause problems for them. However the demographics of Las Vegas may result in a few different stereotypes of the officers. One major cast on the police department is naming them as racist and/or prejudice. According to Matlock, although this unquestionably happens in most places, the accusations may be intensified in Las Vegas due to the high volume of African American and Hispanic citizens.
Matlock also described the stereotype of the “crooked cop”. He believes that in places where officers have a lower salary, this stereotype can often reign true, as officers will steal money and drugs from drug raids and money laundering scandals.
When asked what he believes is the difference between being an officer in Eugene in comparison to Las Vegas, Matlock believes that the two departments more than likely deal with different levels of misconduct. Both cities undeniably deal with similar crime, such as burglary and traffic violations. However, Matlock imagines the two departments most likely put different levels of importance on them. For example, a burglary in Eugene may cause a great deal of commotion, while a burglary in Las Vegas is a daily occurrence. Matlock estimates that Las Vegas has over 500 per day. Las Vegas also has a high rate of gang violence, leaving offenses such as speeding violations irrelevant at times, “We have more important things to deal with than an unused turn signal, that is why everyone drives like a maniac here.”
Officer Scott Matlock
Different cities may deal with more or less criminality than that of their neighbors, but that does not change the fact that all officers are also human beings as well as our fellow citizens. Matlock feels as though he is wrongly judged every time he steps out in his uniform, but hopes that his hard work will project him as an honest person with a great deal of integrity. Matlock describes his job as somewhat of a double-edged sword, “On one hand being an officer is the greatest job in the world, but on the other hand it can be the worst.” Matlock describes the excitement of going to work everyday while also expressing how difficult it is to be in a profession where you are nearly always hated or feared.
As a community we must remember that a stereotype is just that, a stereotype. Officer Wolgamott is well aware that people view him in an unfortunate way at times but has faith that there are others who respect him as a person who happens to be wearing a uniform. He believes that officers become jaded because of the unfortunate things they have to deal with on a daily basis. There are people who try and hurt or even kill officers just for doing their jobs. “I have an amazing wife and three wonderful children. My goal is to make it home to them alive and in one piece,” said Wolgamott.