There is an ongoing battle between police and regular citizens. The inquiry into Robert Dziekanski’s death shows that the battle is not based around whether or not the police are enforcing the law, but rather how they carry out their duties.
Police brutality is a popular subject these days as it seems like more and more people are coming forward claiming violence or abuse at the hands of the police. Many demand compensation or at least some version of “justice.” Yes, police forces exist to protect us, but our interpretation of what constitutes protection is constantly changing.

Granted, no one likes to read the morning news to find that yet another knife-brandishing person was gunned down by police because they refused to come quietly. We sit back and seethe with moral outrage that the police didn’t take the time to consider the situation. But we fail to consider the fact that police officers are not robots or armoured vehicles but people with families of their own. They also need to be protected. And they have a split second to consider the response while having to deal with realizations of their own mortality at the same time.

I cannot read another account of a crying mother condemning the police for shooting her son because he jumped at them with a knife or a screwdriver or a box cutter. After all, anyone brandishing a weapon at a group of armed people whose purpose it is to enforce the law cannot really expect any less. Yes, police have a duty to protect people and avoid killing them at all costs, but it is a mutual social contract – we have agreed to follow a set of rules in society so we can all function in it together, at least somewhat peaceably.

“ It is a mutual social contract – we have agreed to follow a set of rules in society

I understand that awful things like racial profiling happen. I understand that once someone is in custody they do not expect to be beaten up by officers. I understand that police should not be given special preference when they kill a woman due to off-duty drunk driving. These are all very real issues that cannot be ignored. But when we assume that this is the norm and that police are the enemy, that’s when the problems really arise.

Personally, I feel safe in the downtown knowing that there is a police presence – because police don’t drive around trying to create or find trouble just for kicks. I feel safe knowing that someone has made a pledge to protect the well-being of individuals and my society, provided we have made the pledge in return that we will exist in a reasonable manner. And if that means that police are armed with Tasers or guns because they may have to make a decision in a split-second when we break that contract? Then I’m OK with that.

Published in Volume 63, Number 24 of The Uniter (March 19, 2009)