Respect

I went to the dog races today and noticed that the flag in the center of the oval track was hung at half mast. No-one had to ask why. It was out of respect for the Florida police officers who lost their lives this week.

I think most of us take for granted that our police officers will always come to our aid but we usually don't consider how often they are placed in danger in every working day. Cops (and I say this in a respectful way) enter the profession because they want to make a difference. They want to help in ridding society of the bad guys and they accept that their lives are at risk in every shift they work.

Cops are a special breed. They certainly don't become cops for the money because there is no way they are paid sufficiently for the good they do. They deal with the worst of society and it often makes them cynical to a fault, unable to trust anyone except another cop.

They see an element of society that most of us will never have to contend with if we're lucky. They are stronger than we are in, oh, so many ways because they've chosen an occupation that demands stamina of body, mind, and soul, and one that sometimes costs them their lives.

When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, their fellow officers from every corner of the country (and sometimes other countries) flood the funeral in a massive symbol of support for their own. They know. They know better than anyone else what their job entails and what they stand for. There is pride, strength, and respect in their numbers. We can recognize this but we can never truly understand the depth of their feelings unless we're one of them.

Every time a police officer loses his or her life while protecting society, we all lose. It's up to law abiding citizens to make it clear to police officers that we appreciate them and respect them. I doubt they hear that kind of talk very often, at least not often enough.