"But then something happened, Ray, something amazing. Something...

"That white cop sitting next to me? He took a long look at my mother when she came in, just like, absorbed her, and then without even turning to me, he just put his hand on my back, up between my neck and shoulder...

"And all he did was squeeze. Give me a little squeeze of sympathy, then rubbed that same spot with his palm for maybe two, three seconds, and that was it.

"But I swear to you, nobody, in my entire life up to that point had ever touched me with that kind of tenderness. I had never experienced a sympathetic hand like that, and Ray, it felt like lightning.

"I mean, the guy did it without thinking, I'm sure. And when dinnertime rolled around he had probably forgotten all about it. Forgot about me, too, for that matter... But I didn't forget.

"I didn't walk around thinking about it nonstop either, but something like seven years later when I was at community college? The recruiting officer for the PD came on campus for Career Day, and I didn't really like college all that much to begin with, so I took the test for the academy, scored high, quit school and never looked back.

"And usually when I tell people why I became a cop I say because it would keep Butchie and Antoine out of my life, and there's some truth in that.

"But I think the real reason was because that recruiting officer on campus that day reminded me, in some way, you know, conscious or not, of that housing cop who had sat on the bench with me when I was thirteen.

"In fact, I don't think it, I know it. As sure as I'm standing here, I know I became a cop because of him. For him. To be like him. God as my witness, Ray. The man put his hand on my back for three seconds and it rerouted my life for the next twenty-nine years.

"It's the enormity of small things... Adults, grown-ups, us, we have so much power... And sometimes when we find ourselves coming into contact with certain kinds of kids? Needy kids? We have to be ever so careful..."
— Richard Price

"My main problem with cops is that they do what they're told. They say 'Sorry mate, I'm just doing my job' all the fucking time.
"
— Banksy (Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall)

""When was the last time you got robbed by a little blonde girl in a sheriff's outfit?" "
— Andrea from Police Women of Broward County

"Cops.
Just old dudes that didn't want to go into war, drink coffee all day and eat doughnuts, expecting us to admire them. they think they're so cool. Look at me i'm a cop i can shoot you! pew pew! your dead. No!!! You made it! pepper spray!!! PSSSSSHSHSHSSSSSSH! Ha, i know sh sh it's going to be ok you're only going to be in pain for a few more hours. I hate cops"
— Olivia Swenson

"When cops are on the job they love lawyers like lions love hyenas, only minus the mutual respect."
— Reed Farrel Coleman (The James Deans)

"When I had to work Shea Stadium for a Mets-Braves game – Atlanta pitcher John Rocker had recently given an interview in which he denounced New Yorkers of all Colors and preferences – I was assigned to a parking lot, where numerous drivers asked me for directions to various highways. When my first answer – “I have no idea” – seemed to invite denunciation and debate, I revised it to “Take the first left.” For all I know, those people are still lost in Queens. "
— Edward Conlon (Blue Blood)