Denzel Washington Seemingly Shares His Support For Police In America: I Have The Utmost Respect For What They Do, I Don’t Care For People Who Put Them Down

Denzel Washington Seemingly Shares His Support For Police In America: I Have The Utmost Respect For What They Do, I Don’t Care For People Who Put Them Down

Actor Denzel Washington is no stranger to playing a police officer in his films. One of his most iconic cop roles was portraying Alonzo Harris in the cult classic ‘Training Day’. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Denzel Washington took the time to address the criticism the police system in America has been receiving from the public lately. He also seemingly supported police officers. He said,

“I have the utmost respect for what they do, for what our soldiers do, [people] that sacrifice their lives. I just don’t care for people who put those kind of people down. If it weren’t for them, we would not have the freedom to complain about what they do.”

The Oscar-Award winning actor also reflected on a one-on-one experience he had with a policeman while shadowing him to prepare for his role in the 1991 film ‘Ricochet’.

“I went out on call with a sergeant. We got a call of a man outside his house with a rifle that was distraught. We pulled up and did a U-turn past the house and came up short of the house. He told me to sit in the car, which I was gonna do. I wasn’t getting out. He got out. As he got out, another car came screaming up and two young people jumped out screaming. As it turned out, it was their grandfather. This policeman defused the entire situation by just remaining calm.”

He continued,

“But it showed me in an instant how they can lose their life. … He didn’t overreact. He could’ve pulled his gun out and shot the people that came up driving real fast. He could’ve shot the old man that was distraught and a bit confused, I think he was suffering a little bit from dementia. But in an instant it taught me, and I never forgot it, what our law enforcement people have to deal with moment to moment, second to second.”

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