ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Police oath

When someone becomes a police officer, they take a special promise called a police oath. It's like making a really important promise to always do their best to keep everyone safe and help other people.

The police oath is a set of words that the police officer says out loud. It goes like this: "I promise to faithfully and honestly serve and protect the people. I promise to follow the laws and do my best to keep everyone safe. I will treat everyone fairly and be kind to them. I will always try to help people who need it and make sure that everyone feels safe."

By saying these words, the police officer is promising to do some very important things. Let's break it down:

1. Serve and protect: This means that the police officer promises to help and take care of the people in their community. They are like superheroes who are always ready to come and help when someone needs it.

2. Follow the laws: The police officer promises to obey the rules and laws of their city or country. They have to do what they are supposed to do and make sure that everyone else follows the rules too. They are like rule enforcers to keep everyone safe.

3. Treat everyone fairly: It is important for police officers to treat every person the same, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or how much money they have. Fairness means treating everyone with respect and being nice to them.

4. Help people in need: Police officers should always be ready to help people who are in trouble. They come quickly when someone calls for help and do their best to make things better. They can help when someone is lost, when something bad happens, or even just when someone needs a friendly face to talk to.

5. Make everyone feel safe: A police officer's job is to make sure that people feel safe in their community. They do this by patrolling the streets, checking on things, and making sure that bad things don't happen. When people see a police officer, they should feel calm and protected.

So, when a police officer takes the police oath, it's like making a special promise to do all of these important things. They promise to always be there for their community, follow the rules, be fair and kind, help people in need, and make sure everyone feels safe. It's a big responsibility, but it helps keep our communities peaceful and happy!