Being a cop

"And every cop knows that every day there is a chance he or she will be faced with that type of decision. And it sucks. No cop wants to die, nor cause someone else to die."

When I was young (like many boys), I thought being a policeman would be kind of neat. I liked the way they looked. I liked the respect they received. And I liked the fact they were heroes in many people's eyes. I was never afraid of the police - I always looked upon them as friends and protectors. That being said, I knew enough that should I ever get sideways with the law, I needed to be docile and cooperative with the police.

Today, I don't know if I would want to be a cop. First off, everyday when you leave your front door, there is no guarantee that you will return. There are really are some people in the community who view the police uniform as a target. And now to make matters worse, the Islamic Terrorists have published a "kill list" with the names of some our our Minnesota law enforcement officers.

Plus, even when there is an unfortunate incident where deadly force needs to be used, the police professional is put under a microscope for days, weeks, months or maybe even longer. And the evidence never seems to be seamless and clean. There is always some doubt because of the way evidence presents itself. We saw that on the recent Netflix show Making a Murderer. Was the evidence crisp? Absolutely not. But it was enough for a jury to sentence Steven Avery to life. 

I am sure there is no joy in the lives of the two policemen who were involved in the death of Jamar Clark. If they could erase that day from their lives, I am sure they would. But after hearing the District Attorney describe the incident as well as he knew it happened, it was a kill or be killed situation. And every cop knows that every day there is a chance he or she will be faced with that type of decision. And it sucks. No cop wants to die, nor cause someone else to die.

As I have grown older, my respect for the impossibly hard job that police do has only grown larger. They truly are the thin blue line that protects and defends us all. I have never been arrested, never spent a night in jail, never had handcuffs on. And I am proud of the fact that my family have good friends in different sheriff departments.

Whenever I get the chance, I thank a police officer for what he or she does. Without the law to protect us, all we end up with is lawlessness.