Dear Officers,
You wear a badge that represents authority, service, and protection, a badge that should symbolize trust and justice. You swear an oath to uphold the law and to protect the citizens of this country, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or social standing. Yet time and again, we see evidence that this oath has been betrayed.
Stories every week on police brutality highlight what so many in this nation already know: For too many Americans, especially Black and brown citizens, law enforcement does not represent safety but danger. The people you are sworn to protect are dying in your custody, facing violence in your interactions, and living in fear of the very individuals meant to ensure their safety.
You call yourselves the defenders of law and order, but when a convicted felon, who incited an insurrection against the Constitution you swore to defend, calls for your loyalty, too many of you rally to his side. When Donald Trump, a man who flouts the law at every turn, declares himself above justice, where is your outrage? Where is your duty? Instead of standing for the rule of law, you become its violators when you allow your uniforms to be used as political props and your power as a tool of oppression.
This is not about a few bad apples. The system itself is rotten. When officers close ranks to shield those who brutalize and kill, when unions defend misconduct with greater fervor than they defend integrity, when departments turn a blind eye to systemic racism and abuse, these are not isolated failures. They are deliberate choices.
The truth is this: The badge no longer commands the respect it once did, not because the people have failed you, but because you have failed them. The trust between law enforcement and the communities you serve is shattered, and rebuilding it will take more than words. It will take accountability, transparency, and reform.
It will take you standing up against injustice within your own ranks. It will take you choosing the Constitution over politics, choosing humanity over violence, and choosing service over power. It will take humility to admit that the system is broken and courage to help fix it.
The badge can still mean something. It can still be a symbol of honor and duty, but only if you earn it. Start by holding your colleagues accountable when they cross the line. Start by speaking out against abuses of power instead of covering them up. Start by remembering that your job is not to wield authority but to serve the people.
You have the power to be the change this country needs. You have the power to restore faith in law enforcement. But that will require more than wearing the uniform; it will require living up to the ideals it represents.
The choice is yours. Will you be the guardians of justice, or will you be the enforcers of tyranny? History will remember what you decide.
Sincerely,
R.L. Lawrence