I’m as guilty of this as anyone, but I think we should stop calling non-cops “civilians.” It implies that law enforcement personnel are military; they are not. They are civilians just like those they’re supposed to protect.

I propose that when we discuss uniformed law enforcement personnel we call them “police” and we call everyone else in the story “citizens.” The cops are militaristic enough in their equipment and their uniforms without further enforcing the idea that they are an armed and occupying force in our towns and cities. It’s bad enough our fellow citizens who are members of minorities feel that way without the rest of us agreeing to it.