Page Toppers

Quotes

• All men are not created equal. The finest become policemen!
• Always remember to use all fingers when waving at a police officer.
• An appeal is when you ask one court to show its contempt for another court. (Finley Peter Dunne)
• And if any mischief follow, then though shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)
• The big-type giveth, and the small-type taketh away.
• Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. -Matthew 5:9
• Bomb Squad's Motto: "If you see us running, you had best catch up!"
• Give me the donut and nobody gets hurt.
• A good cop stays a rookie at heart excited by every shift. (David Hunter)
• Heroes are the people who do what has to be done regardless of the consequences.
• A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. (Joseph Campbell)
• Homicide Squad Motto: "Our day begins when your's ends."
• Hug a police officer. It's the law!
• If you hate cops the next time you need help call a criminal.
• I'm a Bomb Technician - if you see me running, try to keep up.
• Just say no to thugs.
• Looking for trouble. That's what we do. That's our job.
• A man with a briefcase can steal more money than any man with a gun.
• May the "Force" be with you.
• One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law. (Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
• Personal responsibility is a difficult thing to ask for in a nation which has attempted to find a societal "root cause" for all things. (Shapley R. Hunter, 1992)
• Policeman: the folk-hero of real America.
• Real men wear blue!
• Revenge is an act of passion; vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged; crimes are avenged. (Joseph Joubert)
• There are three kinds of people in the world. There are wolves and there are sheep. And then there are those who protect the sheep from the wolves. (Christopher Shields)
• The trouble with the laws these days is that criminals know their rights better than their wrongs.
• A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on. (Samuel Goldwyn)
• Vice Cops - The World's Second Oldest Profession.
• We continue to be exasperated by the view, apparently gaining momentum in certain circles, that armed robbery is okay as long as nobody gets hurt! The proper solution to armed robbery is a dead robber, on the scene. (Jeff Cooper, 1992)
• Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. (Friedrich Nietzsche)
• You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive!
• Your mind is your greatest weapon, your body is just the holster you will carry it in. (Joe Van Parkman, PPCT training)

Rioting Young "Haves"

(Velma West Skyes - 1960s)

("What do they want?" Antoinette said.
One answered, "The people cry for bread.")
Hungry, repressed...Have-nots rebel,
All history shows. But sad to tell
It now is youthful Haves we fear,
And their cries are not for bread - but beer!
Not ignorant - some college-trained,
Amoral, lawless, unrestrained,
The wreck and revel, unconcerned
Since what they Have, they Have Not earned.

A Policeman Is...

A policeman is a composite of what all men are...a mingling of saint and sinners...dust and deity. Cold statistics wave the fan over the stinkers...underscore instances of dishonesty and brutality because they are news. What that REALLY means is they are exceptional, unusual - not commonplace. Buried under the froth is the fact that less than one half of one percent of policemen misfit that uniform. And that's a better average than among clergymen.

What is a policeman made of. He of all men is at one the most needed and the most unwanted...a strangely nameless creature who is "sir" to his face...and "pig" to his back.

He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals...so that each will think he won...But if the policeman is neat, he's a flirt. If he's not, he's a grouch.

In an instant he must make decisions which require months for a lawyer. But if he hurries, he's careless. If he's deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an accident...infallible with a diagnosis...he must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and above all be sure the victim goes home without a limp, or expect to be sued.

The police officer must know every gun...draw on the run...and hit where it doesn't hurt. He must be able to whip two men his size and half his age...without damaging his uniform and without being brutal. If you hit him, he's a coward. If he hits you, he's a bully.

A policeman must know everything and not tell. He must know where all the sin is and not partake.

The policeman must, from a single human hair, be able to describe the crime, the weapon and the criminal.. and tell you where the criminal is hiding. But if he catches the criminal he's lucky...if he doesn't he's a dunce. If he gets promoted he has political pull. If he doesn't he's a dullard.

The policeman must chase bum leads to a dead end and stake out ten nights to tag one witness who saw it happen, but refused to remember.

He runs files and writes reports until his eyes ache to build a case against some felon who will get dealt out by a shameless shamus or an honorable who isn't.

A policeman must be a minister...social worker...a diplomat...a tough guy...and a gentleman. And of course he will have to be a genius, for he will have to feed a family on a policeman's salary.

A Policewomen's Prayer

Oh lord, I am a woman, not a man,
I am a Mother not a Dad,
I am a wife with responsibilities that men have never had,
I need understanding from all my peers,
that I am not here to take away a man's job,
I am doing it because I care.

I took the job to enforce the law,
to do my part in the fight to have justice FOR ALL.
To be professional, to make a career, Great Lord,
help me when they say I should not be here.

I work the long hours, face all the dangers and do the same
things that they do in law enforcement matters,
Grant me the respect like the others, for I am one.

Set aside for every other one, Lord,
being a policewoman is the most challenging job I have ever done,
be with me on my daily run, as you are with us all,
I thank you for the ability to enforce the law.
Amen

A Police Officer's Wife

A special kind of woman: a cut above the rest,
That's A Police Officer's Wife, rating her best.

How many good byes are whispered, joined with a fond embrace?
As duty steals her man, for the danger he must face.

How often have meals been ruined - or tender moments disturbed,
by a call for special duty, sparking loyalty unswerved?

It's a devil of a job, for an angel like this,
Who for the love of her man, must forsake that kiss,

She can run a garden tractor; even paint a room in need,
How she can stretch a dollar is a miracle indeed.

She's mother, lover, chauffeur and nurse,
A living symbol of: "for better or for worse."

Rich is the man, reaping his rewards in life,
Who chose to be the other half of
A Police Officer's Wife.

Not Just a Symbol

The young man came forward, his face drawn and sad
And he held out his hand, displaying his badge.
The old chief rocked slowly and put his hands in his lap
And shook his head gently, and said, "What is this crap?"

The young cop sniffed, and from his eye wiped a tear,
"I've given you my best for almost one year.
But I make no difference, as I once thought I could,
There is far more evil out there than is good."

The old chief stared up into the young rookie's eyes
And tried to recall something clever and wise.
"Tell me" he said, to the once eager young cop.
"How many DUI's in a year have you popped?"

"Forty-two," the rookie replied with great pride.
"And had you not, how many more might have died?
It's not how many are arrested, now, is it?
It's how many less accident scenes you must visit."

The kid hung his head, and flexed his strong hands,
"But, sir," he said, softly," You don't understand.
"We're greatly outnumbered, the drugs are the worst,
The schools are like hell and the streets , they are cursed."

"Dealers breed like damn roaches. On the kids, they all prey,
And even when arrested, they are out the next day."
The old chief set his jaw, and tapped a red finger,
And on the young cop, his eyes sadly lingered.

"If one little kid cannot get connected,
If one pregnant junkie finds the strength to reject it,
If one lousy addict decides he can beat it,
If one crack-head in a million says I just don't need it...

Then you have removed his greatest temptation,
If only for a night, it might be his salvation,
And wars are not won by those who say: Screw it.
They are won by the men who decide they can do it.

The rookie pulled up an old wooden chair
And running a hand through his shock of brown hair,
"But what about the children and poor battered wives?
Why can't we stop it and fix all those lives?"

"Each time you set foot in that same, run-down house
Each time you go back to bust that same dirty louse,
For the children and wife, the violence has ceased,
If for only a few hours, you offer them peace."

"You cannot dictate their sad chosen path,
You cannot stop his booze-laden wrath,
You can't pack their belongings and cart them away
But you can prevent murder for just one more day."

"But sir," he said, his heart heavy like lead,
"I know there are dirtbags who wish I were dead,
But the public, the press, the politicians fling mud,
And who says thank you when we shed some blood?"

The chief pursed his lips, his answer unknown
For he knew it was this pain that hurt to the bone,
"There's no easy answers for the ache that you feel,
But appreciation and praise just ain't part of the deal."

"The respect, gratitude and admiration, too
Will not come from people who can't do what we do.
You ask for a sense of honor and pride,
My advice, my son, is to look deep down inside."

The young cop stared down at the badge in his hand
And he knew he would not resign as he planned,
For he saw the badge now as not just something he does,
It was not just a symbol...It's what he was.

A Part of America Died

Somebody killed a policeman today and
A part of America died
A piece of our country he swore to protect
Will be buried with him at his side

The suspect who shot him will stand up in court,
With counsel demanding his rights
While a young widowed mother must work for her kids,
and spend many long, lonely nights

The beat that he walked was a battlefield too
Just as if he'd gone off to war
Though the flag of our nation won't fly at half mast,
To his name they will add a gold star

Yep, somebody killed a Policeman today,
In your town or mine
While we slept in comfort behind our locked doors,
A cop put his life on the line

Now his ghost walks a beat on a dark city street,
And he stands at each new rookies side
He answered the call, of himself gave his all
And a part of America died

Angel In Blue

Page ideas from Jodi's police album

(I helped my daughter make this album for her husband one year for Christmas.)

We used the (black) Masterpiece album with mostly black, navy and cement paper and deckle scissors. Many of the photos she had no negative for so she cut a mat and mounted the photos on it with corners. Jodi did a lot of journaling on the computer and printed it on acid free paper.

(Note - If your police department has green or brown uniforms you might use evergreen ABC stickers with brown, tan and green paper. That also works for Army albums.)

We could not find any law related die-cuts so we cut out a shape similar to one of his uniform patches and another like a sheriff's badge and used them in various colors to write dates, titles and other information. We also used a small and medium size star punch to make decorations. On some of them she wrote things like "Super", Great", etc. (Color copies of badges, patches, etc make great decorations for albums like this.)

She started the book with Kevin's academy days. On one page she made a double border with the black callipen and inside that she wrote the words to the Miranda Rights around the page. There is a running joke between them about that. When they first got married Jodi wanted a cat. Kevin did not like cats but finally gave in. His only stipulation was that they name it "Ruger". Jodi thought it was odd but didn't know it was the name of a gun. A year later when they got their second cat she named it Miranda just to even the score (she was a legal assistant at the time).

Jodi included his business cards, commencement program, newspaper articles of incidents he was involved in as a patrolman, etc.

The quote she used under his photo of his academy graduation was: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

On one double page spread she used the wavy ruler to draw a road at the bottom of the pages (2 solid lines and one dashed in between). She put a police car sticker at the far right and the stoplight at the far left.
On one of those pages she put a navy colored 3 by 6 inch rectangle. She cut number shapes out of it (his beat number) using the 123 die-cuts as a pattern. She then put a piece of a map for the part of the city where his beat was under the paper so the map showed through where the numbers were cut out.

She made several pocket pages for certificates, commendations, etc. On the front of the pockets she put a summary of what was in the pocket. Then she put a page protector over the whole thing. You have to take the protector off to take the things out but with the summary you hardly ever need to.

She used "The Policeman's Prayer" on one page and "A Part of America Died" on another. (see above) I would put in the words to "The Night Chicago Died" because it is one of my all-time favorite songs - but I don't think she is going to :-(

On one page she put Kevin's first paycheck and other information about his salary and benefits. She dollar sign die-cuts.

He recently got on the swat team so she did pages for that.

She did some family pages at the end: their engagement photo (he was wearing his uniform); photos of their 3 daughters either with him in uniform or by his police car. He is now a detective and she took photos of them sitting on his desk.

It is a pretty simple album without a lot of extra color and decoration but looks really great.

Police Poems

Here are some sites with police related poems and quotes - PolicePoems.com and You have the right to remain silent.