Law enforcement has progressed by leaps and bounds in just the last eleven years since I've been a cop. Training and recruitment have improved, and the young glassy-eyed recruits entering the field today have more education and credentials than ever before. Most law enforcement agencies across the country have enthusiastically embraced the computer age and professionalism is at an all-time high. Salaries are higher than they have ever been and the citizenry is finally accepting us as highly trained professionals. So, things look pretty rosy right? Well, not really.

In an effort to better ourselves, in many ways we have dropped the ball. In our never-ending quest for public acceptance and political correctness we have shot ourselves in the foot in many aspects. Many departments are putting prospective police candidates through so much micromanaging scrutiny that it is a miracle that anyone makes the grade and is accepted. More cops will retire in the next few years than at any one time in our nation's history. State police agencies have had to scramble to stay afloat and attract qualified people to join their ranks.

And these departments have attracted so many officers from county and municipal police forces that these agencies now have openings they are wondering if they will ever fill. Some officers who are also weekend warriors have recently been activated to duty, creating even a larger gap in our nation's thin blue line. And a lot of cops were sucked up by the air marshal program, which claim-ed its own police deficit. And yet we still insist that these recruits, as well as our veteran officers, be something above average, superhuman and incorruptible.

No one is superhuman, even though in my opinion most cops are above average in the "human" department.

I'm not suggesting that we lower our standards, just be a little more flexible. I saw an employment ad the other day that among other things required its police applicant to have 'never, ever been arrested for anything.' Not just 'not convicted,' but 'never arrested.' Well, a traffic ticket is a technical arrest. I know many good officers had a D.W.I. or a disorderly conduct charge when they were younger. I thought we were recruiting from the human race, not some superior race. Everyone makes mistakes and prospective cops are no different. Why don't we look at those situations and their unique and individual circumstances a little.

Here in the great state of Texas, the state will issue a peace officer license to those who have met all of the required criteria and who have not been convicted of a class A or B misdemeanor in the past so many years.

As arrest without a conviction doesn't count. Aren't we still innocent until proven guilty in this country, or does that only apply to the street pukes with slimy attorneys? Some departments are putting prospective applicants through F.A.T.S. (firearms training simulator) training. Isn't that a little stiff? They don't know the law yet concerning 'use of force,' and they haven't had any defensive tactics training yet. We are supposed to gauge their possible future actions and acceptability by these techniques.

In our quest for the better, more community-oriented civil servant, we are in many ways defeating ourselves. I still want a partner or a back up who has enough bark to wade into the fight when I'm getting the crap beat out of me by resistant subjects - someone who's willing to get his or her share of the bruises. I'm not sure these new "perfect" recruits who have never 'been in a scrape' due to their superior character are going to be there when the feces hits the fan.

Some of the best cops I have had the privilege of working with in the last decade wouldn't be cops if they had to be hired under some of today's inflexible and rigorous minimum standards. And that would be a terrible waste because the world would be a lot less safer place without them.

- David L. Wood is a deputy sheriff in Edwards County, Texas.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites