I don’t have warm and fuzzy feelings towards cops.
I would like to, but I don’t. I haven’t met very many police, but the ones I have haven’t dissuaded me from the idea that law enforcement tends to attract people attracted to power. A sort of people I tend to find unattractive.
Not so with mounted police.
Mounted police is one of the most brilliant PR accomplishments of our time. Stick an authority figure on a horse, and sure, they’re a little more physically intimidating, but lookit the horsie! Scientitians have proven that horsies have a factor of 12 in counterbalancing bad feelings. So even if you feel lukewarm towards cops, you still feel warm towards cops on horsies.
I think they should build on this. Branch out. Cops + animals is a winning civic love combination. Maybe not cops and trained drug dogs, but like… cops and kittens. Cops doing foot patrol with a kitten on a leash. Or bike cops riding around with a bunny in their front basket.
I don’t have all the kinks worked out just yet, but I think we’re on to something here.
See, now I think a kitten on a leash might impede the police officer’s work. Have you ever tried to walk a feline on a leash? But you’re on to something with the bunny in the bike basket.