Good cop versus bad cop

I’ve got to be honest. 

Since the first time I stepped foot in my first car, I couldn’t stand the police. 

Literally, two months after I got my license I was pulled over by an Alabama State Trooper. 

If I recall correctly, I was ticketed for driving 75 mph in 55 mph zone not even 10 minutes from my house.

State troopers are the worst. 

Unless you or someone you know knows them, there’s no way you’re getting out of a ticket.

Trust me, I’ve gotten out of a few tickets with the local police back home, but never with a state trooper. 

Let’s see, since I have had my license I’ve been in two car accidents, gotten five speeding tickets, one failure-to-move ticket, have been to court two or three times and have had to take a defensive driving course. 

Yep, it’s safe to say I’ve got a heavy foot.

So as you can see, I’ve had my share of run-ins with the law, all dealing with traffic violations of course.

However, it is my driving record, the consequences and extremely high insurance rates that would explain the reason why I couldn’t stand the police.

But the truth is as my career has put me to work alongside several law enforcement agencies, my thoughts on police have completely changed.

It all started with the kindness, respect and professionalism the guys at the Auburn Police Department, Opelika Police Department and Lee County Sheriff’s Office showed me.

Although I was only a staff writer for the Auburn Plainsman and an intern with the Opelika-Auburn News, the police and sheriff’s office deputies treated me as if I had been in the newspaper business for years. 

The chiefs had my phone number locked in their phones and would call me, answer or return my calls when something newsworthy was going on and set up an interview. This definitely made me feel like I was making progress in my career, but it also made me believe there are good cops on the force, too.

I understand there are a lot of corrupt ones, too.

But the officers I work with on a daily basis at the Daleville Department of Public Safety (and sometimes the Dale County Sheriff’s Office), as far as I know and can see are not like that.

If you spend some time getting to know the chief of police with the Daleville Department of Public Safety, you’ll find a good man who is making a difference with the force. If there were any bad seeds in his department, trust me, he’s already taken care of it. 


Honestly, I have sat down with some of the guys at the Daleville Department of Public Safety and they’ve told me the hardships they have faced and continue to face nearly every day as an officer. 


They’ve shared with me dozens of stories about drug-related crimes, domestic abuse, child abuse, vehicle accidents, fires and even personal experiences of things that have happened to them because someone was angry or upset with them.

The truth is, law enforcement personnel have a lot of weight to carry in their field  — sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes life or death.

I still remember the images I saw of Daleville officers trying desperately to assist volunteer firefighters in putting out a house fire on Mohawk Street, or recently, when they rushed to a man’s aid who had hit a cinderblock wall at high speeds and was in serious condition.

Those are images I’ll never forget.

See, sometimes we forget who is (usually) there when we need them or who was running toward the danger during the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Boston Marathon bombing. It was our law enforcement personnel and emergency medical service members.

The reality is sometimes the police get it right, and sometimes they get it wrong. Nobody’s perfect, but at least they have the strength to wear the uniform every day and step into the line of danger to protect a total stranger.

It’s a shame that it’s the corrupt ones who tarnish the name of the good cops out there.

Plus, it doesn’t help when people (like I once was) are giving the police a bad name simply because they are doing their job and enforcing the laws that people are caught violating.

So think about that the next time you get angry with the police, and thanks to all the officers I have had the pleasure of working with, for changing my mind.

Ariana Diaz is a staff writer for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].