I am a police (p) officer in NZ, and I am currently facing multiple Crown charges and will lose my job soon. Before you judge me, please hear me out.
I want to make it clear that I am not a criminal, and I have never knowingly broken the law. My situation stems from being friends with someone who has a criminal history and previous gang associations from years before we met. We never discussed that part of his life because it was in the past, and that is where it belongs.
Since then, this person has completely turned his life around. He is a manager at his workplace, helps pay for his siblings’ education, mentors young people, and actively encourages others to make better choices in life, in particular our youth. Despite that, because P know we are friends, I am now facing multiple ridiculous charges, such as not declaring, in an internal application, that I was allegedly close to someone they believe does not align with “p values.”
Surely there are officers who have friends, family members, cousins, siblings and so forth, with troubled pasts or gang connections.
The other day, I was randomly speaking with another person who also had a criminal history, and he said to me: “I wish we had more cops like you who genuinely care and believe people can change.” That stuck and hurt my heart a little, because I do genuinely believe people can change. I believe people should not be defined forever by the worst parts of their past, especially when they have worked hard to rebuild their lives. The hurt part came from the situation I'm currently in, as I'm going through all of this for believing in someone for the better.
Throughout my career, I have received positive feedback about my policing, and nobody I have directly worked alongside has ever raised concerns about the way I do my job. Yet now my reputation is destroyed, my career is likely over, and there is even a possibility I could end up in prison.
I am not posting this for sympathy or legal advice. I simply want to share my story because I believe there needs to be more discussion around rehabilitation, redemption, and whether we truly believe people are capable of change.
And honestly, even knowing what I know now, I would still be friends with him. He is a good person.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.