The other morning I was scrolling through Facebook and I came across an article about a man who shot at officers during a no-knock search warrant being acquitted (not charged in the case). You can read the article here. Now I have mixed emotions about this case. He says he thought they were intruders and fired shots before they identified themselves as police officers. Once they identified themselves, he put his gun down and apologized. Now I do not think that he should have been charged if what he said was actually true. But then again, if it were my husband who was shot at, I might feel differently. Anyway...this post is not about the article but about the comments made regarding the article.
I read through probably hundreds of comments just like most of these. There were VERY few (maybe 3 or 4) that actually weren't negative about the officers. It just really hit hard that people would make comments such as "I hope he actually shot at least one officer. They deserve it...." Wow. Really? What if that was your husband or wife? You probably wouldn't be saying that. The other one that really hit me hard was "Time to start shooting back at the bastards." REALLY??? Seriously?? Wow....I have NO words. Some of the other comments I saw were way too harsh and vulgar to even post on here. The whole time I am reading these (why do I even do that to myself?? HaHa!) I cannot help but want to post back, "DO YOU EVEN KNOW THE OFFICERS? NO. THEY HAVE FAMILIES, FRIENDS, LOVED ONES....THEY ARE PEOPLE TOO!!! WHAT IF SOMEONE SAID HATEFUL THINGS LIKE THAT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY? WHAT IF SOMEONE SAID THEY WISHED THAT A FAMILY MEMBER OF YOURS WOULD GET SHOT?" (Yes, it is all caps because I would be yelling at them.)
I cannot help but think of the "Don't like police officers? Well next time you are in trouble, call a crackhead." quote. This is really the only job where you are hated for what you do...and 90% of the job is helping people and protecting people. And yes, I completely understand that there are a few bad apples out there that are in law enforcement...trust me, I have encountered a few of them. But not all are that way. 95% of police officers are there to PROTECT and SERVE. They are SERVANTS, not power-hungry men and women. When you are running away from trouble and danger, they are running TO it. They risk their lives EVERY TIME they put on that uniform, get in that car, and drive away from their families. This is one of very few jobs that when I send my husband to work, there is a chance that he may not make it home. There is a chance that I will get a knock at the door and it will be the sheriff or chief telling me what a wonderful man my husband was and that he laid his life down for his brothers and the community. It is very difficult for me to hear and watch and read the negative things people say about officers. Sometimes, I cry when I read things like this....others I get red in the face ready to attack, but I remind myself that these are people who have probably had one too many run-ins with officers, may have spent many days, weeks, months, years, in jail for committing a crime. These are people who have NO respect for authority. I hate that the majority of the people "hate" my husband (and his brothers and sisters in blue) for what he does daily. Honestly, most officers hate writing tickets and arresting people. Hubs says all the time that he doesn't want to write tickets, make an arrest, or anything like that....unless he is doing it to protect someone. Most officers are that way. They aren't wanting to "harass" innocent people. They are wanting to get the "bad guys" off the streets that are harming others, whether it be drug dealers, child abusers, rapists, murderers, drunk drivers, etc. These are the people who more than likely "hate" my husband and every other police officer. These are the people who can harm others and even themselves.
It is hard being married to a law enforcement officer. The crazy schedules, late nights, lonely holidays, etc. That is hard. But what is even worse is the fear that my husband may not come home, because of one of these people who are harming others. Remember that that next time you want to say negative things about police officers. They are people too...just like you!
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