When police officers get up to go to work, they say goodbye to their family and friends, never knowing when they will see them again. They have to get up in the morning, not knowing what that day holds for them. They aren’t there to make people’s lives miserable, but to protect and serve them. They don’t see a speeding car and pull it over for the enjoyment. The satisfaction of the job and what the job entails shows the need and the effectiveness of police officers in the community.

Police officer Brad Sipple of the Muskego, Wisconsin Police Department defined the goal of his job as “to protect and serve the community.  To be nice to people when they’re yelling and ready to fight you and to be ready for anything. To lead by example and be there at all hours of the day, and be ready to sacrifice yourself for the safety of others.” Officer Sipple is an Air-Force veteran. His decision in joining the military and the police force were fueled by his love of serving the community and helping others. “My favorite part of the job is the satisfaction of taking people doing illegal things off the street,” said Sipple, or as his three-year old daughter put it, “He puts bad guys away.”

Most people forget or don’t realize that police officers are there for our protection. A police officer’s job is to serve and protect the community in which they serve. This is accomplished  not only by taking criminals off the streets, but also through programs such as D.A.R.E. Officers can even go as far as to have specialized training such as S.W.A.T. and negotiations to help better serve the public.

Police officers can receive a lot of negative attention. Not all police officers are good; there are some who are bad, but more often than not you will see great police officers. Officers that will do everything they can to protect their community and the citizens who live there.