Show t i Law enforcement officers duties F Hy ny Clarence M. M Kelley FIJI Fill Director Our society asks a great deal of its law enforcement officers We expect that they will not only enforce the law but wear the hat of the curbside psychiatrist the social worker legal adviser minister and sometimes doc doc- tor Few if any officials in our society are given the breadth of discretion and heavy responsibility that our police are asked to carry carryon on matters affecting the daily lives of million Americans Chief Justice Warren E E. E Burger thus 1 summed up the roles Americans have thrust upon their police officers in an address to the graduating officers of the FBI National Academy in September Before I leave the post of Director of the FBI I would like to speak about an and to the law enforcement enforcement enforcement enforce enforce- ment officer that the Chief Justice described ed the officer that plays so many roles the first on the scene of trouble trouble the the patrol officer The patrol officer is literally the Biblical shield and buckler of our society We expect of him people have told me honesty courtesy ability intelligence intelligence in in- discipline training understanding and humaneness All of these virtues are required all the time of police officers plus the ability to act quickly often with inadequate information information r mation but always with wisdom In Chief Justice Burgers Burger's words Law officers of of- fixers on the firing line often have only i minutes minutes or or even seconds seconds to to make decisions on their conduct that perplex experienced judges for weeks i These decisions affect not only society's safety but can mean life or death to the officer himself police officers were killed last year another 34 died in the line of duty in the first half of this year It is an immense source of pride to tome tome me that so many able and dedicated officers officers of of- are in the ranks ready to take charge at horrifying accident scenes ready to chase down the dark alley after a burglar ready to stand up to the armed robber ready to help the weak the injured and the helpless And not for sure for the financial reward reward reward-a a survey in a west coast city last year showed police were paid less than municipal painters bricklayers carpenters truck drivers and plumbers Yet in the Chief Justices Justice's judgment police officers' officers duties are enough to tax the energies the patience and the skills of the ablest people in the country coun coun- try There are limits to patience police officers are human as well as humane A criminology professor turned turned turned turn turn- ed policeman Dr George L. L Kirkham wrote that he learned so many things about myself on the streets of that police beat learned beat learned that I had a limit to the frustration and disrespect that I could endure learned that I got tired of handling other peoples people's troubles night after night The experience of walking even a few miles in a cops cop's shoes was a h humbling one The men and women on patrol are the bulwark of Jaw Ilaw enforcement I am proud of my years of association with you your |