For one thing, I was grateful it was not me. I think I was doing about 130 mph — and the school bus behind me was tailgating, trying to pass.

        But mainly, I was just glad to see a Cincinnati cop back on Interstate 71 again. It seems like months since I've seen someone stopped in rush hour. Local interstates look like Daytona on qualifying day.

        From what I hear, it's a morale problem. Many cops feel like their community and their political leaders don't support them. They think protesters and the local press are out to sensationalize and magnify every mistake, and maybe invent a few along the way.

A thankless job

        If they try to bust drug dealers and one resists arrest, they're accused of profiling and excessive force. If they chase fleeing suspects and someone gets hurt, a cop's career could be destroyed.

        If they use nonlethal beanbags to control a crowd, they're accused of a “drive-by shooting,” and wind up stuck with legal fees that wipe out their kids' college funds and sink them neck-deep in debt.

        Some are looking for jobs outside the city of Cincinnati, because it's just not worth it to risk their lives for a house-painter income and a chance to be called “rapists and murderers.”

        There are plenty of cops who are not discouraged. They're the pros who shrug off the abuse like rain down their collars on traffic duty. Some are even spending their own time and money to make friends in poor neighborhoods, where a few so-called “leaders” never miss a chance to paint cops as the “enemy.”

        In District 2, about 21 cops recently took a group of black, inner-city kids to a Reds game. “They each paid $28 out of their own pockets for tickets. We bought them T-shirts, food, cotton candy,” said Sgt. Brian Ibold.
       

Just say thanks

        “We asked them how're you doing in school,” Sgt. Ibold said. “Do you mind your parents? Are you staying out of trouble?”

        Maybe some of those kids now realize that cops are humans, too. Maybe they will learn that the best way to avoid trouble is to obey the law. Be polite to the cops who enforce it. And never run from them.

        Most people already know this, and appreciate the cops who keep us safe. Most people don't want drug pushers on their corners.

        Tomorrow night, Cincinnati has a chance to thank the cops and show support. Community activist Tom Jones and others have organized a rally from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's Albert Sabin Auditorium.

        “We're trying to reach all of the people who have been affected by crime,” said Mr. Jones, who organizes citizens to fight crime in Avondale.

        One purpose of the rally is to change “the image that criminals are in charge.”

        That's how it looks in parts of Avondale, Over-the-Rhine and other neighborhoods, where brazen drug dealers set up street markets in broad daylight.

        Maybe this rally will be a beginning — a chance for Cincinnati, black and white, to back up the good guys and take back control of our streets and highways.

        E-mail pbronson@enquirer.com or call 768-8301.
       

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