“A
cop has a calling. It’s not about making money. Being a cop making communities
safe, caring for children, and doing what it takes to stop someone from hurting
another person.”
My earliest experiences with law enforcement
were ones of mercy, very undeserved mercy. I think I was about eleven. My
family lived on the south side of Atlanta. At the back of our home we had a
screened in back porch.
Somehow we had secured some firecrackers and
had probably a hundred of them left over. Young boys alone without supervision
is not usually a wise thing. Somehow I had the bright idea it would be fun to
light off all of those firecrackers. So I started lighting them one after
another and throwing them across the porch. I have no idea how many I had set
off, probably fifty or so. Between blasts it sounded like a helicopter was
hovering nearby so I stepped outside to check it out. There was. It was a
police helicopter and one of Atlanta’s finest was walking down my driveway with
his gun half drawn. I stepped out where he could see me and he asked me if
someone was shooting off guns. Things hadn’t quite clicked yet in my young
mind. Then, he asked if I knew what the banging noise was from, so I confessed
I’d been shooting off a “few” firecrackers. He got on his radio to give an all
clear. Then, he asked if I have any more firecrackers. I handed them over. He
briefly lectures me about not doing it again – and then he’s gone. He didn’t
ask where my parents were or chew me out. He simply told me not to do it again
and gave me a look of “boys will be boys.” His presence really got my
attention. I never did that again. He could have made it a big deal but didn’t.
He showed mercy to a young boy who never considered what he was doing might be
a problem.
There were a few other run-ins with law
enforcement before I became an adult. I’ll spare you more gory details of
adolescent stupidity. One occasion they could have arrested me but again – I
was shown mercy.
For the past fifteen years, I’ve had the
privilege of being the Chaplain for the Burlington Police Department. I’ve also
worked with Racine County Sheriff’s Department on a few occasions. While officers
must arrest those who are breaking serious laws, or putting themselves or
others in danger, what I have seen over and over again are very committed
individuals who are very concerned with public safety and welfare. These
dedicated men and women put their lives at risk each time they put on the
uniform. Even in a small town like Burlington, they don’t know if the next
traffic stop could be their last one.
They are often the peacemakers bringing
common sense when others are lacking it. I still remember my first ride-along
as chaplain. It was a major crime scene of…a barking dog. A man who was irate
(and a tad intoxicated) was coming unglued because his neighbor’s dog was
barking. Of course, he’d never talked to the neighbor about his concern. So the
officer had to go talk to the neighbor. He kindly urged him to please restrain
the dog – no muss, no fuss.
When a small child locked himself in a
running car, I was there with the officer on a brutally cold day. The toddler
was screaming hysterically on the inside of the car as the officer patiently
worked to trip the lock to rescue him. Cops are usually the first on the scene
with a suicide or drug overdose. I’ve been there when they’ve had to tell a
parent or spouse their loved one has taken his or her own life.
Though these men and women may seem like they’re
made of steel, they’re not. When a child dies or is injured, they’re the ones
who must control their emotions, even if inside they’re hurting. They just
can’t show it. They’re the ones who search for the Alzheimer’s patient who wandered
away from home. They’re the ones called to a volatile domestic disturbance.
They’re the ones who must wade into those charged emotions, trying to make
certain no one gets hurt and that they also are not hurt themselves in the
process.
The law enforcement profession has always
been a tough business. Over the course of a career, an officer will see the
best and worst in humanity…and as culture continues to devolve, more of the worst.
One moment, they may be thanked for what they do and then be spit upon and
called a list of vile names less than an hour later.
Is it any wonder cops become cynical and
confused as to what to expect and how the public they serve feels about
them—and consequently, how they feel about the public? Most officers wear
Kevlar vests to protect themselves from a criminal’s bullets. Over the years,
officers develop an emotional “Kevlar exterior” to protect themselves from the horrible
things they see and feel. They work hard to not take it home to their spouses
and children, who probably wouldn’t understand anyway. Yet, in spite of
well-developed emotional armor, it’s sometimes impossible not to let some of
this negativity slip inside and begin to take its toll.
They are frequently, demeaned, ridiculed and
lied to. In more recent times, there’s been a national questioning of their
integrity. Yet, still each day, they put the uniform back on. They’re the ones
you call if your pet or your child or your grandparent wanders off...and they
always come.
It’s a privilege for us as the Grace Family
to honor them today and to say “Thank you!” I hope our gratitude and support
echoes in their ears and minds for days, even months to come. Hopefully because
we have put some faces with their badges, when we see them out in public, we’ll
whisper a prayer for their welfare and safety. And when we can, at the very
least give them a friendly wave or a thumbs up. As opportunities present
themselves, tell them “thank you” and you’re glad they’re there and for all they
do. It will embarrass them a little and they will probably give you a sheepish
look but it’s good for them! They need to be reminded again and again, they’re
important, supported and appreciated!
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