Does Police Work Involve Special ‘Bravery,’ ‘Courage,’ or ‘Risk’ as the White House Claims?

It’s good to excel at your
job—and if that excellence involves protecting the innocent and
rescuing children, so much the better. Good stuff. But if we’re
going to recognize individuals who have done awesome things, is it
entirely necessary to lavishly spread the praise so that their
entire trade is stroked as especially courageous, even when the
actual facts suggest it’s one job among many, done by people of
varying virtue?

Well, yeah. When it comes to cops and politicians, such mass
petting apparently is necessary. Like when President Obama
and Vice President Biden pasted on their smiles to honor the
National Organization of Police Organizations’ “Top Cops” winners at
the White House.

Said Biden: 

And the President and I, we recognize the bravery that you
display simply by putting on that shield every morning.  That,
all by itself, is an act of bravery.  Strapping on your
sidearm, kissing your husband or your wife goodbye at the door,
walking out knowing — because most of you are experienced —
knowing that you don’t know with any degree of certitude what’s
about to greet you.  You have no idea — except some of it may
not be good.

The officers we have here today have been singled out for going
above and beyond the call of duty, and we commend each and every
one of them.  And from my perspective, there’s no greater
honor that a law enforcement officer could have than being
recognized and nominated by his fellow officers — because you all
know what real courage is.  You all know what kind of steel in
your spine it takes to make the decisions that the men standing
behind me have made.

We also know that there are thousands and thousands of more law
enforcement officers out there on the job today and every day who
are taking risks that are hard for ordinary people to
imagine.  They take risks to protect the community, protect
the people they don’t know, protect people they’ve never met. 
But they go out there and you all do it anyway, regardless of
whether or not — where they’re from, who they are, whether you
know them or not.

“Bravery”? “Courage”? “Risk”? So this is the White House edition
of Deadliest
Catch?

That might make sense. For years, commercial fishing was the
most dangerous trade in which an American could engage. In 1995, risking
your life to gather fresh seafood carried a score of 21.3 on the
Bureau of Labor Statistic Index of Relative Risk. Police work came
in at 3.4. Driving a taxi scored at 9.5.

Even if you limit the danger to homicide, cashiers, cabbies, and
“Supervisors, proprietors, sales” carried greater risks of being
murdered on the job.

Have the relative dangers for police work increased since
1995?

Well…There’s a change. People are now falling out of trees
more often than they’re falling overboard. But law enforcement
still isn’t in the top rank of dangerous jobs.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Fund, there were 100 on-the-job
deaths in 2013, down from 183 in 1995 (and 280 in 1974).

Which doesn’t lessen the individual bravery involved in
“Storming an underground bunker to rescue a kidnapped five-year-old
boy”—one of the feats honored at the White House. And it’s good
when work gets safer.

But, reality TV aside, lumberjacks don’t draw the same kind of
official praise as police officers. Nor do commercial fishermen. Or
airline pilots. Or roofers.

And lumberjacks and company don’t wield the same sort of power
over their neighbors, not always for the sort of praiseworthy
purposes touted at the White House ceremony. Law enforcement is
increasingly
militarized, larded with
special authority, and prone to civil liberties
abuses. Police are also
increasingly resented by ther fellow Americans for the same,
even if politicians don’t quite get that lots of folks don’t
appreciate getting pushed around by uniformed enforcers.

Then again, maybe that’s politicians like them so much—at least,
so long as they know who butters their bread.

As Obama said:

And let me start by thanking Joe Biden not only for being a
great Vice President — which he is — but also being a lifelong
friend of law enforcement.  (Applause.)  Now, he and I
have a special reason for loving law enforcement, because we have
the unusual privilege of being surrounded by law enforcement every
minute of every day. (Laughter.)  And they also protect the
people we love most in the world — our families.  So we’re
incredibly grateful to them and to all the law enforcement officers
who serve and protect families and communities across the nation
every single day.

Too Praetorian for my taste. Better to praise the standouts—and
keep a close eye on the rest.