Raising a voice in support of police

It's been pretty popular to point fingers at police the past few months. And very often with good reason.

There was the shooting of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Mo. Then the chokehold death of Eric Garner in New York. Grand juries looked at both cases and decided not to bring charges.

Those decisions sparked widespread protests and a backlash against police officers that was felt across the nation.

I don't doubt that this country still faces serious issues when it comes to race relations. And yes, those are often highlighted in the interactions between police and citizens. If these tragic incidents and the emotions surrounding them spark a better dialog on the relations between police and the community, that's a good thing.

Unfortunately, it also can incite violence, as seen in the assassination of two officers for no good reason in New York City.

This isn't about any of those things.

This is about the overwhelming majority of cops who just doing their job, a job that puts them in harm's way every day. Consider what happened yesterday in Drexel Hill.

Police attempting to serve a warrant on a man who had been posting threats against police and FBI agents online came face to face with the kind of life-and-death situation that too often comes with the badge.

The suspect first rammed his car into the SUV of the Clifton Heights police chief. He then tried to run down several other officers. Police then opened fire on the suspect, killing him.

Miraculously, no one else was injured.

We can thank the officers from Upper Darby, Haverford and Clifton Heights for that.

We're quick to point blame at them when their actions are questioned.

The opposite is a little more rare.

Maybe we can start this conversation for thanking them for what they do every day.

Comments

Don said…
I am thankful for an overwhelming majority of officers, and I am in awe of the challenges they face just trying to do their jobs. Way to go, Blue!
Anonymous said…
Phil, perhaps we should separate our condemnation of bad acts and our condemnation of institutions. The police are, like every other group, composed of people. Some are good, some are less so. Acts of violence against innocent people are wrong when they are committed by the police or by individuals. Creating a we-they-culture separating the police from the rest of our society does us no good. The police receive praise when they do well( Michael Chitwood certainly gets enough press_) We should condemn the acts not the groups