Tuesday morning something bad happened. A man basically had been plotting the death of several of his neighbors. He shot one man while he stood in his yard, he shot several times into an occupied house,he set an occupied house on fire and burnt it to the ground,and he shot a deputy that I work with.
It is gut wrenching to be woken up with a phone call telling you that someone very close to you has been shot. (The deputy is fine..very lucky and blessed but fine--he was saved by his bullet proof vest--all he has are bruises and cuts). Now this man is on the loose.
You can read the news story about this incident here...http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=9530219
Almost every surrounding jurisdiction is now out there in the woods, in the middle of nowhere,in the rain, in the cold tracking this man. And that's where they have been since Tuesday at around 9 a.m. There are of course deputies that I work with everyday, there are State Trooopers, There are police departements, there are D.E.A. agents, there are US Marshalls. I would venture a guess that we have somewhere close to 200 law enforcement officers working this.
They have been out there everyday vigilantly tracking this man. They have barely slept,barely eaten,barely even had the chance to sit down and rest. They are cold, they are wet, they are hungry, they are missing their families. But they are out there anyway. They are doing this for us. All of us. Because that's their job. But to them it is soooooooooo much more than a job.
Last night when several of them came here for a little rest, one of them (no names) looked terrible. NO OFFENSE :) He was soaking wet, covered in mud,bloodshot eyes the whole nine yards. I looked at him and asked if he was ok. His response?? A huge,huge smile and the words "I Love This stuff!!!" He knows that he is doing his best to protect everyone who may be in this mad mans path of destruction.
These guys are my heros!!! In this day and age people don't really care about people anymore. And if they do it is usually because they are trying to get something out of it that benefits themself. It amazes me that I work with these guys. They are risking everything for the greater good. And of course to somehow avenge our deputy that got shot.
My purpose in this blog is double faceted. First life is precious. No doubt about that. You never know if you will have your next breath. Appreciate everything. No matter how big or how small. This makes me realize ten fold that family is really all that matter. Your blood family or the family you have made for yourself. Jobs are important, for sure BUT they are replaceable. Cars are important but you can replace them. Houses are important but you can replace them. Everything you have can be replaced EXCEPT your life. That is why I find it ironic that most people live their life as if they have another one in the bank.
The second part just plain ole pisses me off. The neighbors of this mad man are upset and understandably so. I would be too. I am pissed off for them. BUT they are on the news spouting insults towards the Sheriffs Office that they should have done something more to prevent this. Folks there is only so much that they are able to do. Basically justice isn't for the "good" people it is more in favor of the bad ones. Sad definitely but true.
People are arrested, and re-arrested for the same crimes and are repeatedly slapped on the wrist and let back out. Just like in this particular case. But like always people are looking for a scapegoat, and in this case we are taking the fall. And it just bothers me to no end.
THE GREAT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
Well, Mr. Citizen, it seems you've figured me out. I seem to
fit neatly into the category where you've placed me.
I'm stereotyped, standardized, characterized, classified,
grouped, and always typical. Unfortunately, the reverse is true..
I can never figure you out.
From birth you teach your children that I'm the bogeyman,
then you're shocked when they identify with my traditional
enemy.. The criminal!
You accuse me of coddling criminals:
until I catch your kids doing wrong.
You may take an hour for lunch and several coffee breaks
each day, but point me out as a loafer for having one cup.
You pride yourself on your manners, but think nothing of
disrupting my meals with your troubles.
You raise hell with the guy who cuts you off in traffic, but
let me catch you doing the same thing and I'm picking on you.
You know all the traffic laws...but you've never gotten a single
ticket you deserve.
You shout "fool" if you observe me driving fast to a call,
but raise the roof if I take more than ten seconds to respond
to your complaint.
You call it part of my job if someone strikes me, but call it police
brutality if I strike back. You wouldn't think of telling your dentist
how to pull a tooth or your doctor how to take out an appendix,
yet you're always willing to give me pointers on the law.
You talk to me in a manner that would get you a bloody nose
from anyone else, but expect me to take it without batting an eye.
You yell something's got to be done to fight crime,
but you can't be bothered to get involved.
You have no use for me at all, but of course it's OK if I
change a flat for your wife, deliver your child in the back
of the patrol car, or perhaps save your son's life
with mouth to mouth breathing, or work many
hours overtime looking for your lost daughter.
So, Mr. Citizen, you can stand there on your soapbox and
rant and rave about the way I do my work, calling me every name
in the book, but never stop to think that your property, family,
or maybe even your life depends on me or one of my buddies.
Yes, Mr. Citizen, it's me...the lousy cop!
The author of this article was Trooper Mitchell Brown of the Virginia
State Police.
He was killed in the line of duty two months after writing the article.
***Please say a prayer for the family of the people who were lost. Please say a prayer for the deputies that are still out there searching.
