I’ve spent considerable time recently considering the status of law enforcement in this country. For four decades I’ve served in policing, mostly in central Ohio. I’ve made friends and acquaintances with law enforcement officers and leaders around the world.
Obviously much has changed; technology, cultural and societal changes, laws, community expectations, social media and the 24 hour news cycle to name a few. But I’ve recalled also what has remained the same. What has been consistent throughout my career is that this job has at times been very difficult. Really difficult!
It is an extraordinary job performed by ordinary people on a daily basis. Taking an oath to our Constitution and protecting people’s freedoms in a free society is not always an easy endeavor. Policing a free society, to whom we have a social contract is a huge responsibility.
I’m old enough to remember the original Black Panther movement in 1966. Race relations in this nation unfortunately, is not a new challenge and is ongoing. We need to continue to confront it and parties on all sides of the issue need to acknowledge the emotions that accompany it, but deal with it as objectively as possible.
When I began my policing career in 1980 we were discussing tactics and training in the aftermath of the 1973 Newhall Massacre in California where four California Highway Patrol Officers were killed in a single incident.
I’ve often cited the 1981 deaths of San Diego Police Officers Ebeltoft and Tiffany and the two rules of war; 1) That young men die and 2) That you can’t change rule number 1. Walking the point for freedom in any environment is a high risk endeavor.
In 1986 the FBI confronted two serial bank robbers in Miami, one a former resident of Delaware, Ohio and when the shooting ended that day seven agents had been shot and two killed.
In 1991 I took the stand in municipal court weeks after the Rodney King incident and a local defense attorney asked me in front of the judge if I was going to “hit” him if I became upset.
I remember vividly watching ATF agents shot and retreating after a failed siege upon David Koresh’s cult compound in 1993. Four federal agents died that day and several more were wounded.
One of my best friends from the LAPD was on a day off in 1997 when two heavily armed gunmen engaged that agency in a rolling shootout with rifles that began as a bank robbery in West Hollywood.
I watched from the breakroom at the Delaware Police Department the two planes assault our Twin Towers and later learned that 71 police officers died on that fateful day and it was only 2009 when four police officers in a coffee shop in Washington were ambushed by a single assailant and all killed.
Most recently we lost five of our finest in Dallas, three in Louisiana and the two ambushed and killed in New York City. These are only snapshots of the ultimate sacrifice that has been made by our Guardians for the communities they serve. The pain their loved ones have endured could not be measured in the buckets of tears that have been shed.
There has always been evil in the world and it would prevail were it not for men and women in law enforcement. To my brothers and sisters in this profession we will get through this, but not without some pain, sacrifice and change. But remember; they call you heroes because of the extraordinary courage you show in times of danger. I’m reminded more than ever this is a “calling” and not just a job.
We have overwhelming community support. I’ve seen it firsthand recently when officers are stopped by random citizens and told they are appreciated. They appreciate you and they know what could happen to our society if it were not for your service. STAND STRONG, WALK TALL and serve with dignity, respect, honor and courage. The 24 hour news cycle and the haters on social media don’t represent the overwhelming majority of those who know the daily value this profession brings to their communities. Never give up! Proud to be serving with you in this difficult time… be tactical.
This post was originally published on July 24, 2016 on Sheriff Martin’s blog.
