Objectivity

a more cheerful post to follow, or at least more amusing, but something I have to write about right now.

One of the hardest parts (for me at least) of this job is maintaining objectivity in certain situations. Oh, I am fair, I give people their chances, and I try not to prejudge - but when I know you are a bad guy, that's what you are. Sure, I treat you with courtesy and respect when possible, but I know what side of the gameboard you have chosen to play & it's my job to be the opposite.

And sometimes it's hard to remember - even the bad guys have families who care, people who love them, and they weren't always so.

Had a situation this week where a young drug dealer got killed. The full details aren't known yet, but the guy was definitely dirty and in the "thug life" as they say.

So the one part of my brain says, as callous as it may be, "good riddance - he got what's coming to him."

Then today ther paper has the articles discussing his family's loss.

Sure - they sugar coat it. He was an angel, did no wrong, was going to change the world, never in trouble, etc.

But, even if I ignore all that.

At one point someone bounced him on their knee. Tucked him into bed with a story. Held him when he cried and looked with pride as he started his first day of school.

I won't pretend to know where people go wrong - to know what made this young man go down the path he did instead of another. I won't pretend to be able to say it's nature/nurture, culture, environment, this or that political party or social program.

The point is - what I had to be reminded of tonight by a news story.

Yes. There are bad people in the world. People who do wrong and hurt others. And even get hurt in return in the cesspool of the world at times. And my calling is one that involves fighting them, be it literally or figuratively in order to try and protect society as a whole.

But they're still people. Someone still is going to miss them, love them and care who they are.

And sometimes being a sheepdog means remembering even the wolves have a pack.