Most people have absolutely no idea what excessive force means or a sense of what it’s like to be a cop.

We hear a lot about police brutality, but what about police humanity?

Police officers work in a world way beyond the realm of normal experience. They may bear witness to more human horror in one shift than many folks see in a lifetime. They are in physical and emotional peril on multiple levels every day. Their perspective and experience are vastly different from the average citizen’s. Events can go from benign to deadly in an instant, and I’m not sure people understand or really believe that. Even when a shooting is justified, that officer doesn’t walk away unscathed.

We do not yet know all of what happened on that street in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9, when Police Officer Darren Wilson shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. That lack of information hasn’t stopped the public and the press from spinning theories and jumping to conclusions.

But based on my 30 years of police work, I have some idea of what is happening now, and it’s not what has been reported in the press.

CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING A LIFE

I am certain Officer Wilson feels terrible about taking a life and is still trying to make sense of what happened. I know, from working with officers who have been involved in shootings, that Wilson is probably going through tremendous trauma – nightmares, sleep deprivation, constant reliving of the event and possibly physical illness. He is personally processing the event while in the midst of multiple in-depth investigations and grilling by various government agencies not to mention intense public scrutiny.

No police officer wants to kill anyone. Most deadly force situations are surprise attacks that happen in seconds and in close quarters. I’ve listened to many officers nationwide who have had to kill another human being.

Each one became very emotional. They described incidents happening in “micro flashes” with tremendous sensory overload, repeated in slow motion replay during and after the action. Their lives were forever changed. Many quit police work.

Here are some words from officers involved in shootings:

“I can’t believe this happened to me. I just wanted to talk to the guy.”

“I was just pulling him over for no license and then I’m fighting for my life.”

“I begged the guy to put the gun down and to stop. I had no choice. It was horrible.”

“It all happened so fast I still cannot make sense of it.”

“He was on top of me so fast.”

“I see that man’s face every night.”

Contrary to popular belief, police welcome in-depth investigations in these cases, as difficult as they may be, because the truth does emerge. Yet somehow, even after multiple professional agencies are involved and careers are on the line, there is always a reported cover-up or perceived injustice.

Are there brutal and racist cops out there? Of course, but please put things in perspective. There may be that 1 percent of that kind of officer that tarnishes the badge for all of us, and good police departments and other officers weed them out eventually. We don’t want them around, either!

Assaults on police are very common but you rarely hear about them. How come we don’t see videos of your police officers being murdered, shot, maimed or beaten played over and over in the media. Why don’t we see those? Any time an officer is assaulted or killed, it is an attack upon all good citizens.

Thirty-one percent more law enforcement officers in the country were killed in the line of duty in the first half of 2014 compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary data from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

SAFE ARRESTS ARE THE NORM

There are about 34,000 arrests that occur each day in this country and in 99.9 percent of those arrests, police do not kill individuals and suspects are taken into custody safely even when many are extremely violent.

All humans have biases, but most officers don’t care if you are green, yellow, white or black. The vast majority care about stopping criminals who are committing crime or hurting others. There are thousands of acts of kindness each day by officers.

Let’s bring the facts of this case forward and into clear focus, and use what we learn for positive change. Let’s create better understanding nationwide about your police and the realities they face each day.

Mr. Brown’s life and Officer Wilson can make a difference in our country if we can make some good come out of their suffering. Before you jump to conclusions, try to consider a police officer’s reality. It may not be what you think.

— Special to the Telegram