It's noteworthy that this is fiction. And much as I can appreciate the sentiment, I don't think that a "good cop" is anywhere near "the best thing in the world."

Even the most well-intentioned officer will at times be ordered to do things, like break up a peaceful protest (there are other examples, but that's my favorite), that are wholly screwed up.

While necessary, it's a role that denies itself a large measure of normal, human agency.

I like the piece, though.

@1 It could be that realizing you have run into a good cop and not a bad cop is a large part of the feeling that a good cop is the best thing in the world. That's how I read it.

A good cop is a fantastic thing when you need one.

You didn't pay Sherman for this did you? He paid you, right?

Beautiful, as always

@1, I think you need to take it in context. In that moment--first, fear, then surprise, then sweet relief. There may be better things, but not when you see a cop approaching your car.

Younger officers are usually the "go get'em" types who become jaded and cynical by their fifth year. Then a few years before they retire, an amazing thing happens. They become open to seeing the good once again. The world isn't created of filth and lies. There is no "us", no "them" and the blue line is a story they had told themselves just to feel special, worthy of the nickle plated shields.

Your officer must have been near retirement.

I love how the title makes you wonder if the person doing the profiling is the cop or the protagonist.