To Those Who Wear The Badge

The other day I went to an appointment wearing a shirt that reads "Blue Lives Matter." I was walking on the sidewalk minding my own business when I heard a car door slam and a voice call out "Excuse me Miss!" I turned around to find a police officer with his hand held out to me. I must have had an quizzical look on my face because he pointed to my shirt, reached out his hand to me again, and said, "I saw you and I saw your shirt and I just wanted to thank you for backing my brothers and sisters in blue."

I shook his hand and explained that I have always and will always back the blue because I know the sacrifices that they make and the dangers that they face every single day on the job. I even told him that I had been pulled over for excessive speed a month or two prior and as the officer handed me my warning I not only promised to drive slower but leaned out my window as he walked away and thanked him for what he does for our community. It wasn't because he let me go with a warning when I truly deserved a ticket. It wasn't because he was fascinated by the left foot accelerator I use to drive as a right above knee amputee and the conversation we had about it and about how I became an amputee. I thanked him because he deserved to be thanked and because this was one instance where he pulled someone over and wasn't in danger when so many times it goes the other way.

Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) are forced to make split second decisions constantly to protect and serve their community. Later, those decisions are often criticized by those who weren't there, the media, people hiding behind their keyboards on social media sites, and those who THINK they know what happened because someone happened to catch PART of the scenario on their cell phone. These brave men and women know that these things will happen and still they put on their uniforms and they walk the beat to do a job most aren't brave enough to do in order to serve and protect citizens they've never even met before.

In this world of technology that we live in where it's rare to find a person who doesn't have a camera phone, we're seeing more and more grainy and bouncy video of arrests and shootings. Here's the thing, though. You and I will never know what happened before the record button was pushed or what happened after the recording stopped. We will only ever know what we see and the truth is that our eyes can and do deceive us and video is incredibly deceptive. All we often see is that an officer shot someone or taser'd them. We don't often see or hear what was done or said prior or after.

Are there bad officers out there who are racists? Yes. Are there bad officers walking the beat every day who are jaded and angry? Yes. Are there bad officers out there who have done and seen too much and now simply shoot first and ask later? Yes. Just as with any profession, there are bad apples. There are men and women who shouldn't be allowed to wear the badge but they are not the majority and police departments do their very best to weed them out.

If you want to sit back behind your keyboard and judge the actions of the police you are free to do so in this country. However, most who do exactly that are the people who would never in a million years even consider putting on the badge. They are the people sitting at home or in a job where danger isn't something they have to face other than the unfortunate instances of a workplace shooting where a coworker goes postal. In those instances, though, guess who the social media keyboard judges are calling for and thankful to in the end? The Police. The same men and women that they bash due to a viral video circulating the internet.

I happen to know some people who either are currently on the job or were and I happen to also know family members of officers. We ask a lot of our officers and their families for far too little pay. Yet, this is the life they have chosen; a life in service to others - to people they do not know.

To those who wear the badge…I see you. I appreciate you. I support you. I am thankful that you are willing to do what I and most others can't. I know the dangers you face and that your families worry. I know that a good day for you is any day that no one you know has been hurt and you come home at the end of your shift to hug your families. I know you feel the pain deep in your chest when any brother or sister in blue, even if you've never met them, is injured or killed on the job. I know you risk your life for me every single day and I will forever support you and love you for it.