I have a friend whose daughter is in an abusive relationship. The daughter, a mother of three young children, is cloistered in her cramped home with little permission to go out without her partner — almost every aspect of her life is controlled, partially by him, partially by her lack of a job and time to work.
Her partner is currently in training to become a police officer.
Another friend of mine used to work as a psychological evaluator for potential police recruits. He was constantly surprised to hear confessions of (and sometimes bragging about) rape and abuse, only to see them hired as police officers anyway against his recommendations.
To be fair, abusers can be in any profession, and I don’t have the data to claim that they’re predominantly concentrated in certain jobs. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt; I want to believe that all those who become police officers are good people, interested in justice and fairness, who take their duty to protect citizens seriously.
With homicides at an all time high in Mexico, we need them more than ever. And as imperfect as our institutions are, they’re still a preferable buffer between citizens simply trying to live their lives and total lawlessness — and yet.
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