A woman calls the police because someone in her home has threatened to hurt her. The officer who arrives has to find out what happened while keeping the people inside safe. He may encounter someone who lies convincingly or attacks without warning. Meanwhile, the woman who called needs him to understand the danger before someone gets hurt.
Christians should care about the woman who called and the officer who answered. We should also care about anyone who faces an accusation, including a person we find difficult to like.
Scripture gives us reasons to care about everyone involved, even when their interests appear to conflict.
Police work can serve our neighbors
Romans 13:1–7 describes civil authority as an institution God established for human good. The magistrate has a responsibility to punish wrongdoing, and Paul recognizes that carrying out that responsibility can require force. Modern police officers exercise part of that civil authority, although their particular responsibilities differ from those of judges and other officials.
A Christian can therefore serve faithfully in law enforcement. Protecting someone from violence, investigating a theft, or finding a missing child can express love for the people God has placed nearby. The work often requires patience with people who offer little gratitude and courage when another person would understandably prefer to leave.
Christians should recognize that service. We should encourage officers who do their work honestly and support them when faithful decisions bring criticism.
We should also understand that protecting a neighbor sometimes requires intervention against someone else. An officer who allows a violent person to continue hurting others has failed the people who needed his help. Christian concern for mercy includes concern for those who will suffer if no one acts.
Scripture addresses the temptations that accompany power
When soldiers asked John the Baptist what repentance required of them, he addressed their conduct in their occupation. He warned them against extortion and false accusation and told them to be content with their wages (Luke 3:14). He did not instruct them to abandon military service. He required them to stop abusing the opportunities their position gave them.
John addressed soldiers whose duties differed from those of modern officers, but the abuses he condemned remain familiar. An officer can intimidate someone who has little ability to resist, and people may believe his account simply because of his position. Difficult work and poor compensation can also become excuses for taking something he has no right to take.
An officer’s Christian faith should show in the way he writes a report or treats a prisoner. It should also make him willing to confront a colleague whose conduct puts someone at risk.
An officer may need to use force against someone who presents a danger. An insult presents a different problem. When someone deliberately provokes him, he has to recognize the effect on his own judgment and resist the desire to make the encounter personal.
Christians owe officers fair judgment
We owe an officer a fair hearing when someone accuses him of wrongdoing. The accusation may be serious and credible, but we still have to examine the evidence.
Proverbs 18:13 warns against answering before hearing, and verse 17 reminds us that an account can sound convincing until someone examines it. Those warnings apply when we hear allegations against officers, just as they apply when officers investigate allegations against others.
A recording may establish something clearly. It may also leave questions about what happened beforehand, what an officer could see, or what information he had received. We should examine the available evidence and acknowledge what remains uncertain.
The same care must continue when evidence reveals wrongdoing. Christians should not excuse a dishonest report or unnecessary violence because the officer belongs to a profession we respect. The people harmed by misconduct need justice, and faithful officers need colleagues whose conduct they can trust.
An officer who admits an error and accepts correction may face serious consequences. Concealing the error can expose other people to further harm and draw colleagues into the dishonesty.
A church should know how to care for its officers
First Timothy 2:1–4 directs Christians to pray for rulers and others in authority so that people may live peaceful and godly lives. We can apply that instruction specifically when we pray for officers: that God would preserve their lives, give them sound judgment, and keep them honest under pressure.
A congregation can also offer ordinary, practical care. Shift work may complicate attendance and family routines. A difficult call may leave an officer distracted long after the shift ends. His spouse and children may carry worries that other church members seldom consider.
Friendship, meals, pastoral care, and a willingness to listen can help. An officer should have people he can speak with honestly, including about anger, fear, or a decision that troubles him. He needs fellow Christians who will encourage faithfulness and address sin when necessary.
Church leaders should remember the limits of an officer’s role, too. His experience may help a congregation prepare for emergencies. He remains a member of Christ’s body who needs worship, instruction, and rest. Constantly treating him as the church’s security department can make it harder to notice those needs.
Christ governs the officer’s conscience
Respect for civil authority belongs within our obedience to Christ. Acts 5:29 establishes that when human commands require disobedience to God, we must obey God.
That applies to the officer as well as the citizen. A supervisor’s instruction cannot make a false statement truthful. Professional loyalty cannot justify concealing another person’s wrongdoing.
Christians outside law enforcement have responsibilities here too. We should defend an officer when evidence shows that an accusation is false, even if defending him attracts criticism. We should be just as willing to acknowledge misconduct when the evidence establishes it.
I would like to see more Christians enter law enforcement prepared to do the work well. Their churches should take an interest in how they are doing once the initial encouragement wears off. Years of fatigue and repeated exposure to cruelty can affect a person’s outlook, and an officer needs people who will notice when he begins to withdraw or treat everyone with suspicion.
