PONTIAC, Mich. – For months, Local 4 Defender Kevin Dietz has been talking with law enforcement officers to find out what life is really like out on the beat.
On Tuesday, he's introducing viewers to an Oakland County sheriff's deputy who works to inspire the next generation of law enforcement.
In the past year, police have been criticized, questioned, protested against and even targeted by armed gunmen. Being a police officer is a dangerous job, but an Oakland County deputy said despite the anger in America, policing is a great profession that children should consider.
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Police officers put their lives on the line to protect other people. Some feel disrespected and unappreciated in today's climate because of videos from across the country questioning the integrity of police. They said the media fails to put the unacceptable acts of few in a proper perspective.
"Unfortunately for a hundred million good acts that the police personnel do throughout the U.S. and throughout the world, one bad act is what brings that erosion to our public image," Christopher Giolitti said.
Giolitti said he works the streets of Pontiac and loves his job and the people he works with.
"A 99 percent majority of police officers are good people and they have good intentions," Giolitti said.
He makes hundreds of runs each year. Some are routine and some are dangerous. On Tuesday, he stopped at a gas station after a report of a menacing person and at a family's home where a mother and daughter were having a spat.
"We put on all these different faces -- educator, social worker, counselor -- on a daily basis, and that's basically how we get the job done," Giolitti said.
It's becoming harder to hire law enforcement officers around southeast Michigan and the United States. Candidates are passing on good, steady jobs in an era in which police are being protested, picketed and, in some cases, targeted.
"People saying, 'Kill policemen and target them,' and all that kind of stuff," Giolitti said. "I mean, obviously that's disturbing not only to me but to my family and friends and everybody else."
But Giolitti said he still encourages young people to get into the profession, starting with his own children.
"My oldest boy, that's exactly what he wants to do," Giolitti said. "He wants to be a policeman. He actually wants to work here."
Giolitti said citizens are missing out on an opportunity to improve the quality of policing when they discourage good people from going into law enforcement. That's why he hopes his children become cops.
"He's a strong kid," Giolitti said. "He's a smart kid. He's a rational thinker. He's everything that a good police officer is."
Giolittie said it might seem like a thankless job, until someone reminds him that his dedication helps save lives and make the community safer. He said that part of the job is very rewarding.
There are many police jobs available. Anyone interested in looking at the available jobs can call an agency and ask for the recruitment officer.