There was a silence on the phone while my Dad was trying to figure out what to say to me.
“Look. You’re a rookie, son. These things happen.”
“But Dad…”
“Listen to me Jimmy. I know you’re very stubborn and you like to go by the book. I respect that. But being a cop on the street is a tough job. Sometimes you have to make hard choices, which may or may not be the right ones. I’ve done some things too in the heat of the moment I’m not proud of. Your partner was just having a bad day. Cut her some slack. Don’t ruin an officer’s reputation based on one bad decision. She probably just bruised the old guy’s ribs.”
“The severity of the injury is not the point. The use of force against the suspect was unwarranted.”
“When you get more established within the department you can speak out, but no
