Part 1 - Reflection on Officer Anna in the Classroom:
It was really interesting to hear from Officer Anna yesterday. I think it helps to have police officers come into the classroom and interact with students because it seems like a lot of teenagers have negative views of police officers, especially because of recent controversial events involving police officers. By talking to us, it helps us understand police officers' perspectives, and it shows us that most police officers have good intentions, and that they do their jobs correctly. It was good to hear that only a very small percentage of police officers abuse their power, which is contrary to what many people believe because of recent events. I think police officers should interact with people more often, especially young people because it helps teach us that most police officers want to help and protect us, not hurt us.
Part 3 - Authority:
Authority is needed to maintain order. Whether it's in a house, in a school, in the workplace, in a city, or throughout the country, different authority figures are put in place to maintain the order that allows these places to function to their purpose. Without authority figures, our society would not have any structure and there wouldn't be any consequences for breaking the law. Authority and power are different in that having authority justifies the use power. Many people have power, but having authority makes it okay to use that power. Looking at the differences in power between regular citizens and police officers, police officers have more power than regular citizens because they're in a position of authority. They determine if a person is breaking the law, and they have the power to bring consequences to a person who breaks the law because that's what the law says. It's important to know the difference between authority and power because everyone has power, but having authority is what makes using that power legitimate.
