As a long-time supporter of law enforcement it's been said that Dr. Phil and the Dr. Phil show "bleeds blue."
Right now in our great country, the relationship between law enforcement and many citizens in some of the communities they've sworn to serve and protect have broken down and reached a boiling point. We have seen questionable acts of violence on the part of some of those in uniform and senseless acts of violence against those in uniform. Two wrongs have never made a right.
Police officers must avoid even the appearance of impropriety and sadly, some "bad apples" have fallen way short of being the trusted figures we are taught as children that we can trust and turn to for help.
As Americans, we should all be outraged by those failures while at the same time, we need to recognize that those are isolated, although all too frequent incidents, and are not representative of the vast majority of sworn officers in this country.
The Irish statesman Edmund Burke said it well: All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
As one blessed with a huge platform from which to speak, I cannot and will not do nothing. I would not be a good steward of the Dr. Phil platform were I to stand by silently when an innocent lives are being taken, if there is anything I can do to save even one.
I have done multiple shows calling into question abuses of power and will continue to shine a glaring light on those that cross the line. But, I also intend to shine a light on the almost one million men and women that wake up every day and willingly put themselves in harm's way so that the rest of us can be safer. The men and women who stand in the gap to, quite literally, serve and protect. By shining that light, I hope to remind us all that behind every uniform is a human being; someone's father, someone's son, someone's wife, someone's mother. We are all people, and it's time to for us to come together and bridge the gap.
From the biggest cities to the smallest towns across the U.S. there are GOOD police officers who are taking the time to get involved and get to know and help the community they serve. I want us all to meet and highlight those officers who are taking the time to "stand in that gap."
My hope is that, perhaps, fear, hatred and misunderstanding can be replaced with recognition that we are all in this together and we can choose different.
For example, the Wichita Police Department held a picnic with the Kansas Black Lives Matter Group, serving hot dogs and hamburgers as well as answering questions about how to strengthen their community. They chose differently.
The Fall River Massachusetts Police Department has its officers out on the streets playing the wildly popular game Pokemon GO with its residents. One officer in North Little Rock, Arkansas has started his own campaign to help change how people view the police by handing out toys and snacks to children in his community and posting videos and pictures on social media. They, too, are choosing differently.
I want to ask each and every one of you to 'stand in the gap' with these good officers. I want to ask you to choose differently, too.
Ask yourself this question, when was the last time you walked by a police officer and stopped to just shake hands and say hello? It just takes a second or two but it can make a huge difference.
I want you to share your positive experience with officers doing good things in your community. You can tweet me, write me, send me a video. Maybe your local officer will be featured on the show. We are going to be talking about this a lot.
I love this country and I want to see us all come together. Let's stand together and with the officers that are there to protect us.
Share your positive experience with officers doing good things in your community here.