About twelve years ago, I arrested a kid for shoplifting. There was a mall in the area that had a heavy shoplifting problem, so my precinct had a no tolerance policy towards it. As I was sitting with him to fill out the juvenile arrest packet, he and I started talking. He wasn’t a bad kid; just made a dumb decision. We started talking about cologne and he said he always wanted a good cologne. I told him I had a few used bottles and to see me in a week. I told him if he went a month without getting into trouble, I’d give him another one of my old bottles. He went a month without getting into anything and we talked some more and I gave him a bottle. I’d see him from time to time while patrolling and we’d talk more. I wound up giving him my personal cell number and told him to call me when he needed to talk. He called every now and again and after I left that particular precinct, we’d check in with each other. Eventually, we stopped talking. Happens… I got a random text a few days ago from him, letting me know he’d moved to Virginia, had a family, and was continuing to stay out of trouble. He’s a mechanic now. It’s been heavy on my mind ever since, especially since I struggle with wondering if I’m making an impact to anyone. For my cops out there, not every person you arrest is a horrible person. Sometimes, they just need someone to talk to. For my cops haters out there, not every cop is one of the “bad ones” you see on tv. We’re people, too. We all have more in common than we think. Don’t let the ruling class divide us.