In a police officer, there’s no trait that can be seen as more important than empathy.

Beyond all
the formalities and written rules, the people originally entrusted the police with their power to
serve their best interests. While the guidelines we have in place are generally useful, an officer
who sticks strictly to them will find themselves blindsided by the important details in each
encounter. To make the decision that best serves the people and their interests, you must be
able to discern their interests, and the ability to do so is empathy. Understanding on a deeper
level how people feel is the key to doing what’s right. No law or calculation trumps human
empathy in achieving this. For example: If a machine pulled over a speeding father driving his
in-labor wife to the hospital, that machine would only know to ticket him, as it only knows the
exact law. On the other hand, an empathic person could easily understand all the interests
involved. We can create laws that apply most of the time, but even if we all agree that in this
situation the father isn’t doing wrong, the law cannot reflect these exceptions. Therefore, the
best way an officer can serve the people is after understanding them emotionally through
empathy.