"...and we're back! As advertised, we're sitting down for a chat with one of Denver Colorado's finest - Police Sargent Michael Mulchaty. Welcome to 104.3 sir."
"Thank you Mr. Hobbes."
"So how has life as a law officer changed with The Event?"
"Where to begin. It... its at once easier and harder. You don't have the same types of crime, nor the paperwork, and certainly not the same legal system. The is a lot more hands on, and man handling going on. Er - I apprehend people, and often do the punishing - weather its exile, jail, or oversee the chain-gang. I'm not coordinating with private security firms, or passing off investigation to the detectives."
"Do you appreciate the change? I know a lot of the police forces were going thrugh some rough times."
"I assure you that everything you herd about police strikes and pay cuts and shady dealings are nothing more than vicious ugly and completely true lies. Panopticon surveillance was a touchy issue, as was the use of drones, and if it could be justified to equip riot police with powered armor. Working with corporate security and arcology internal affairs could be a burden, as was the influx of immigrants from around the world due to climate shift, storms, you name it. Pandemic lock-down - don't get me started on the patient zero laws. It was a good day when all I had to worry about was kids using the sphere to avoid pursing cops with hidden notes and real time access to cameras. I turned down so many chances at a better paycheck just to avoid dealing with the more cyberpunk elements of society."
"You're not the first to reference that literary genre when reminiscing."
"I guess it kind of dates me to bring up slogans like 'information is a weapon' but it was getting kind of scary. The right radio frequencies and encryption would let you use military drones, the proper CAD blueprint would let you turn dishwasher mirco-factory into an arms producer, and the push for smart buildings on their own power supplies meant you could run independent hideouts in the middle of nowhere unseen and unknown. We certinaly weren't trying to have an underclass, but well world events kind of forced one and that is where you recruit your desperate or see crime families emerge for projection. Er - protection."
"Both really."
"Good point. Anyway - things were fast, information was wanted, supplies were wanted, people were concentrated and looking for escape. Actually, they still want it, and a lot of places are more casual about drug use now than I'm used to. I guess that is the worst part. No matter how bad things ever got before. I was part of a fraternity of like minded individuals, and a brother to all cops from the rent a guard at the mall to the top FBI admin seeking to keep people safe, and slow as they might be, the gears of justice ground towards unavoidable justice. No, wait, thats not how that goes... you get the point. Now police are really alone - no BATF for extra resources or state patrol to catch the runner on the highway. Its scary a lot of the time."
"So why do you keep up as a police officer? Without the uniform, you look the same as anyone else."
"Honestly - because the blue shirt is right there hanging in my closet. I knew some who would say its in their blood, or they have the oath to be the thin blue line between order and chaos. Yes, I also met a few, more than a few really, who would do it just for the authority or to get perks and bribes from the city states. But right now, its just a habit. Putting on pants one leg at a time and buckling the belt each morning is just proof that the world hasn't come to an end. Despite aliens and reanimates - the sun rises, birds sing, and I put on the badge."
"You sell yourself short. I, and I sure the listeners, would love to hear more from you."
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