Why do cops seem so mean?

I have been hearing a lot lately about how “mean” cops are and how the cops are sarcastic at inappropriate times, laughing at other people’s tragedy and pain. When others would cry, give up or cower away from situations the cop will laugh, make fun or run to the danger. I believe the answers are in the two following explanations.
First, as with most cops I know- I was always going to be a police man. From the time I was a little boy I knew this was what I was going to do. There was something in me that always drew me close to this type of career. This is a noble profession which in time changes you in many ways.
Once cops are in this type of work it brands itself on them-searing their soul and causes them to see the world differently than before. This causes them to view the world through filtered lenses. The more profound and intense their experiences are with the circumstances of this profession the hotter the brand and deeper the searing on their soul. The deeper it goes the more affect it has on the filters they view the world through. This searing is a form of protection and important for them. They can’t allow it to take them to a place where they are past feeling. This does however create a level of separation from the inhumanity they see every day.
That doesn’t mean everything is all bad. There are many good experiences in this profession. There are the lasting relationships which are built over time or in an instant. My life is intertwined with fellow officers because of making life and death decisions together, being long time zone partners, training new recruits together or just coworkers who become good friends.
Now, understanding how this profession can affect a cop’s view of life I can tell you more about the other reason they seem “so mean”.
The second reason cops seem “so mean” deals with society being made up of three different types of people. They are described as the sheep, the wolves and the sheep dogs.
The sheep are happy with things the way they are. They spend their day with their heads down eating the grass. They take no concern to the dangers of their world and follow each other around the pasture. They would not harm anyone. They are kept in the pasture by the sheep dogs that corral them and nip at them when they get too close to the woods. The sheep do not see the wolves in the trees. They do not understand the need for the sheep dogs and hate that they are “so mean”.
The wolves are in the woods along the sides of the pasture. Sometimes they make their way into the fold of sheep. They would hurt anyone and take anything. They are aware of their world, always on the hunt and are a danger to the fold. They hate the sheep dogs.
There are sheep dogs who watch the fold. They protect the sheep from the wolves. They are vigilant and aware of their world. They keep the sheep in the pasture by nipping and barking at them. They would give their life for the sheep.

The sheep are people in society. The wolves are the criminals. The sheep dogs are the police. The sheep do not believe the sheep dogs are necessary. They do not appreciate the sheep dogs until the wolves appear.

This analogy can explain why police seem so mean. They are mean because they see the wolves in the woods along the edge of the pasture and are constantly protecting the sheep.

The next time you come across a mean cop try to remember the position of the sheep needing the sheep dog and imagine the wolves are coming.