After reaching his breaking point, a police officer made an emotional video, in which he exclaimed, “I am tired!” before expressing exactly what has left him so exhausted. It’s since gone viral for good reason.
Major Kelvin Dingle, an operation commander at the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Public Safety in Atlanta, decided to turn on his camera when he was feeling frustrated one day. With video rolling, Dingle made an impassioned admission, expressing his exhaustion over the anti-cop attitudes frequently seen all across America.
“I wake up every morning and kiss my family goodbye, knowing that there’s a possibility I won’t come home,” Dingle admitted on camera as he sat behind the wheel of his car. “I am tired of every time I wake up in the morning there’s someone else polarizing the fact that maybe law enforcement is just not a good thing!” the emotional officer continued.
“All of us are not bad! I am not as they are! Most of us are not! There are bad people in every career! I’m so goddamn tired! Tired! Tired!” the frustrated officer continued in a firm, loud voice that escalates to a yell as he pointed a finger and even shook his fist, making his pain and disappointment palpable to the viewer.
After raising his voice and releasing some obviously pent-up emotion, Major Kelvin Dingle’s voice then becomes a whisper, further echoing his feeling of defeat as an officer. “I’m so tired. I give everything. I give everything! I’m tired,” he admits softly before ending the clip, The Blaze reported.
Damn. You have to listen to this man. pic.twitter.com/hU1IMWtpxA
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 2, 2021
Dingle’s message must have resonated with others as it quickly went viral after being posted to TikTok, where it seemed to strike a chord with viewers. “This absolutely breaks my heart. I am SO grateful for you and appreciate all you have sacrificed. I feel so blessed to have men like you,” one social media user wrote, according to Newsweek. In an outpouring of support, others commented on his video with messages like “I’m so upset that this is your reality” and “You have so much support.”
With the popularity of his clip, Major Kelvin Dingle — who documents his experiences as an officer on his TikTok account, where he describes himself as both an “inspirational speaker” and “Christian Youth counselor” in his biography — was invited onto an episode of “Fox & Friends.” During the episode, he further explained what prompted the now-viral video.
During the interview, Major Kelvin Dingle explained that he was simply riding home and thinking about how badly police officers have been treated recently before deciding to make the video. “That day, I just, honestly, had enough. My heart was broken because of the things that I saw in just traveling home to my family, and it wasn’t always that way,” he recalled.
According to the cop, he recently noticed a big change in attitudes towards law enforcement. There was once a time when other drivers would wave hello and smile at him on the road with some even saluting him, which he said meant a lot to him due to his background as a Marine. More recently, however, fellow motorists have a different reaction to seeing him in his uniform on the road.
Dingle explained that he often witnesses other motorists “frowning at me. People are purposely doing things to get my attention. They’re flipping me off.” But, he says, it wasn’t always this way. “This is something new,” Dingle said. “It’s a new attitude,” he added and confessed that “it’s really heartbreaking to me.”
The veteran officer went on to further reiterate that this anti-cop attitude is very new. “When I got [into] law enforcement 20 years ago, it was not that way,” he said. “In the last two years or so, law enforcement has really, really been just put out there as something negative. And, we’re not. We actually took an oath to protect and serve.”
While Dingle admits that he understands the anger over isolated incidents, where fellow police officers “make bad decisions,” he explained that “the majority of us that put this badge on every day, the majority of us want to protect and serve. … We’re generally good-hearted people that want to make a difference.” And, Dingle says he isn’t giving up hope.
Major Kelvin Dingle still believes a renewed, positive attitude towards law enforcement could return to America — but it’s going to take communication and listening. “The truth of the matter is, we have two sides, and two sides need to be heard,” he explained. “But people need to listen — not to respond — but listen to understand. That’s the difference … if you can do that, I promise you there’s a solution out there. We just have to communicate … to find it.”
