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AU REVOIR POLICIERS FRANCAIS; HELLO SJPOA!
On the eve of leaving France to return to the U.S. after living
here for the past seven months, it is not without some sadness
that I bid "au revoir" to so many of the incredibly
kind French police officers and their families who welcomed my
wife and me with open arms. If the police are a family as many
attest, then it is certainly a family international in scope.
Yours is a profession that is honored worldwide. This is not
always easy to believe given the controversies that invariably
surround the difficult task of keeping communities safe from crime.
A profession where the use of force is, on occasion, inevitable
cannot escape the fact that its practitioners will not always
be popular with everyone.
But the fact remains that the vast majority of citizens the
world over recognize the necessity of a police force in civilized
society. And that gives you a certain "cachet" that
other professions don't always possess -- lawyers included, I
feel compelled to add. Indeed, no one here ever told me not to
reveal the fact that I was working with French police unions but
on more than one occasion I was expressly advised not to reveal
that I was a lawyer! Those who advised me of this were under the
assumption that there exists in France a general disdain for attorneys.
Moreover the solidarity of police officers regardless of race
or country is something few professions can claim. I remember
well an article written in these pages years ago by former SJPOA
Vice President and CFO David Bacigalupi about the importance of
the International Police Association and how it is there for you
to take advantage of. Let me now add a tardy second to Baci's
advice: if I, a non-police officer, can take advantage of the
inordinate hospitality offered by your international counterparts,
then so can you.
And I suppose that this is where the real level of diplomacy
exists between nations: not at the level of the ambassadors but
at the level of the citizens. The warmest diplomatic relationship
imaginable between nation-states is of no use whatsoever if their
respective citizenries detest each other. And conversely, not
the iciest ambassadorial impasse can stand in the way of differing
nations' peoples who have strong liaisons with each other at levels
somewhere below that of officialdom.
Indeed, this was the brilliance of Senator Fulbright who founded
the Fulbright program after the Second World War in order to facilitate
international understanding. As I learned from staff at the U.S.
embassy here in Paris, Senator Fulbright recognized that harmony
between countries comes ultimately not from diplomats but from
citizens. Thus, he felt it essential to foster contacts between
those who really matter in the international life of the world's
nations: the world's peoples.
This is particularly relevant at the present time. As I write
this article, relations between France and the U.S. are at their
chilliest in a long while given differences over the situation
in Iraq. Yet this has not affected in the slightest how my wife
and I have been treated by the French. Sure, we have been asked
for our opinion on the potential of war and how we as Americans
view such prospects, but always with the greatest respect and
understanding. As I wrote in last month's article, stereotypes
simply will not do, particularly at a time like this, and the
French with whom Wendi and I have been dealing seem to appreciate
this keenly.
It is my sincere hope that you will take advantage of the international
solidarity that your profession, in particular, possesses and
make contact with your foreign counterparts, be it through travel,
international organizations like the IPA, etc. I can't speak from
personal experience about every country in the world, but I now
know that you would certainly be welcomed wholeheartedly in France.
"ROLL THE UNION ON . . ."
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