‘Not an easy job’: Student hosts police officer panel
A panel discussion titled ‘Behind the Badge’ was hosted by Kelsea Whiting, a political science student, Nov. 21. The event, according to the Rice University Police Department’s Facebook post, aimed to “humanize law enforcement by providing an honest, inside look into the challenges, experiences and realities faced by officers in their daily lives.”
Whiting, the panel’s moderator, said she was inspired to host the panel by her father’s work as a sheriff in her hometown of Colusa, Calif.
“Coming from a small town where our officers are our heroes, I started looking at why that was, and it’s because we see our officers everywhere all the time,” Whiting, a Brown College senior, said in an interview with the Thresher. “I wanted to host this event just to get that behind-the-scenes look and show people that they’re human, just like the rest of us.”
Whiting organized the event as part of an independent study supervised by sociology lecturer Craig Considine.
One of the panelists, Nolan Regan, is a photographer and content creator who takes pictures of police officers on duty. Regan said he wanted to portray cops in a more positive light.
“Anytime you see law enforcement anywhere, it’s always like, ‘Oh, cop gets killed, cop shoots somebody,’” Regan said during the panel. “Then you see one [photo] that is actually good news … people actually start to bond with the officer.”
Other panelists discussed the stigma surrounding mental health in law enforcement. Stephen Tate, a clinical psychologist at the Houston Police Department, spoke on the toll that trauma can take on officers.
“A lot of people think that there are more officers that die in the line of duty, but actually, for every person that dies in the line of duty, there are two officers that kill themselves on their own,” Tate said during the panel. “The mental health need is great and [department clinical psychologists are] there to provide a lot of help with that process.”
The panel also touched on those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. Merced Corona, a retired law enforcement officer, spoke about losing his daughter Natalie Corona while she was on shift as a police officer in Davis, Calif.
“As a dad, you’re kind of in shock,” Corona said during the panel. “It’s kind of a double-edged sword when you’re asked to go to these functions and events where they’re going to honor [Natalie] because it opens up the old wounds. But in the same token, it’s quite an honor to be able to share her story.”
McMurtry College senior Jasir Rahman participated in the question and answer section to ask about the role of gun control and increased concealed weapons on school campuses in law enforcement.
“I think that we’ve been able to uncover a lot of malfeasance, bad apples and practices within either the criminal justice system at large or within certain police departments that need to be reformed and changed, so that we can have a more equitable justice system,” Rahman said in an interview with the Thresher. “Police officers are the people who are on the front lines. They know a lot more people who have died from gun violence. I think that there needs to be more of an active conversation in that regard.”
David Alford, assistant chief of the Baytown Police Department, attended the panel and said in an interview with the Thresher that social media increases analysis of law enforcement’s relationship with the public.
“Today’s generation is more analytical, more open-minded, to listen more and get more information before they just pronounce judgment,” Alford said. “They also have, rightfully so, higher expectations, and those expectations actually mirror ours. When I say ours, [I mean the] police departments and that helps weed out [officers] who don’t need to be here.”
Corona said that he believes law enforcement is an honorable career, and public support goes a long way.
“Law enforcement is not an easy job,” Merced said in an interview with the Thresher. “Anytime you thank an officer on the street, it goes a long way. That officer will think about that for a while.”
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