The Growing Pressure Of Patrolling The Streets
CANTON (CBS) - As outraged as the public might be about what happened in Millis this week, imagine being another police officer. On social media, local officers are expressing their outrage over the hoax shooting incident.
It could give the critics of police more ammunition.
Canton Police officer Rob Quirk tweeted, "I feel horrible for the REAL Millis police officers left in the wake of the disgraceful actions of this reserve officer. Throw him in jail."
The Holliston Police Department said that even though the report turned out to be a hoax, "Not one Officer hesitated, delayed, or questioned their opportunity to assist."
"For Police Officers, this is instinctual," Holliston Police said in the statement on their Facebook page. "We don't second guess, we don't question whether we should help, we don't over analyze. We simply respond to help someone in need. Our families and friends are often left knowing little to no information about the scene we are headed to."
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields talked with Canton Police about the growing pressure of patrolling the streets.
"I like the idea of a challenge," Officer Tim Taylor said. "And it was a job I always wanted to do growing up as a little boy."
He's been on the Canton Police force for only two years, but already, Officer Taylor has figured out the job is different these days. Now, his social skills can be as important as his physical ability to subdue someone.
"You know it's about getting out of the cruiser and when you get to a call or a scene, get out start talking to people see what happened, how it happened," Officer Taylor said. "There's always so many sides to every story."
Ferguson, Missouri, some say a social issue, more than a police issue, but perhaps that open wound shines a spotlight on the nation's unrest that makes policing more difficult than ever.
Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz is also the head of the Metro Law Enforcement Council.
"You have to be a social worker; you have to be a psychologist, you have to be a member of the clergy, you have to be in good enough shape, you have to be cerebral enough to understand what the issues are," Berkowitz said.
And while some say the police officer hoax in Millis gave all cops a black eye, Berkowitz says just the opposite is true.
"Hey we're out there we're doing our job and even when it's one of our own, we're going to be transparent enough to go after that guy and that guy is going to be charged," Berkowitz said.
One veteran police officer said he welcomed the extra scrutiny, saying it only made them better cops. At the same time, he acknowledged the job has gotten tougher.
