Murder, robbery, sexual assault, kidnappings, and the seemingly never-ending flow of illegal drugs into our culture are just a small tip of some of the burdens that we ask our law enforcement to save us from on a daily basis. We ask them to do it for what many consider to be a shameful salary in comparison to the work they do, and all the while, we ask them to do it in the face of constant criticism.

Why do police officers do their jobs?

As many of us sit in the comfort of our home, we have to realize that out on the streets, police officers are there watching over us and making sure we are safe. Knowing what could lie in wait for them, we have to ask ourselves “Why do they do it?” They cannot possibly do it for the pay. Law Enforcement officers in the USA are among some of the lowest paid public servants in the country. In many areas, their income levels remain below the national poverty levels. Surely it is not for recognition. The news reports over the last few years are filled with slanderous allegations of corruption and threats against all of our police officers. It isn’t just for self fulfillment. While the job certainly entitles an officer to be very proud of what they do, it just can’t be the sole reason one would endure the hazardous environment they work in each day.

If you ask most any officer, they will tell you very plainly why they continue to do the job they do. They do it because of a desire they have had since they were young to help society and to help put a stop to the pain, suffering, and grief that engulfs many Americans every day. They do it because there are people in trouble, and they want nothing more than to help relieve them of their problems. Officers will tell you that despite the dangers of their jobs, the low pay rates, and the constant complaints of criminals and criminal proponents of our culture, they still feel as though they have the best jobs in the world. They are proud of the work they do, and proud of having the ability to make a difference in the lives of fellow citizens. They will tell you that the satisfaction of taking another criminal off our streets can be unmatched by anything else, and as long as crime continues to be a problem in our world, they will continue to wake up every morning and anxiously return to work the streets to ensure our safety.

Are law enforcement officers making a difference?

Crime in the USA seems nearly out of control. With the constant barrage of reports from our media, it seems as though our police are fighting a losing battle. But, is it really a losing battle?

Each year, the Federal Bureau of Investigations publishes the reports from a Uniform Crime Reporting Program that was first established in 1929. These publications provide an in-depth look at the effectiveness of how well our society is being policed.

According to the Uniform Crime Report of 2009, the latest publication, our law enforcement officers are not only doing their job well, but they are succeeding in reducing crime at nearly every level. According to this most recent report, violent crimes were reduced by 5.5%. Also in this publication, property crimes were reduced by 4.9% and arson saw a downtrend of over 10%! One disturbing trend seen in recent publications is a significant rise in the number of crimes committed in association with illicit drug abuse and sales. This data implies that while the overall fight against crime has been a substantial success, police are now fighting a losing battle against the sale and use of illegal drugs that overshadow the real effectiveness of our law enforcement. If we as a nation could somehow get a firm control over drug abuse in the USA, the hard work that police have put into their jobs would be brought clearly into light. This would cast undeniable evidence that our police are effective and the training and hard work they have gone through for so many years is paying off.

Recognition for our public servants

Each day, our police officers step onto the street with the threat of violence and assault against them. Aside from this, new threats have been publicized against our law enforcement officers by drug cartels based outside of our own country. There is a very telling tale in these threats. Our law enforcement officials are now seemingly doing their job well enough that the criminals responsible for passing illegal drugs into our country are scared, and they are scared enough that they are forced to threaten violence against our officers, in order to continue their criminal activities.

We as citizens of the USA have a lot to be thankful for. Our law enforcement is among the very best in the world, and despite what it appears on the surface, they are doing their job effectively and with proficiency. It is time we put a halt to narrow-minded thinking that we will never get a grasp on crime. Over the years they have proven that they can do the jobs we ask, and as long as they can receive the support needed from the very citizens they risk their lives for, they will continue the uphill climb in reducing crime and making our country a safer place for us to carry on our daily lives.

Today would be a great day to thank an officer that you know. Just let them know that they are appreciated, and that they still have our support.

If you or someone you know is thinking of entering a career in law enforcement, consider some of the online schools that offer law enforcement degrees. Options are available, and those that have always wanted to step up and help prevent crime, can take advantage of those options.

I headed in the direction of the pursuit and got into a position about two miles from where the lead vehicle was calling the chase. “Shots fired…he is continuing to fire at police vehicles…use caution.” I placed my vehicle sideways in the road with enough room the fleeing driver would have to use the shoulder of the road to get by if he wanted. The radio cracked again, “high powered semi-automatic weapons…he is firing high powered rounds…use caution!” I radioed my position to the lead chase vehicle and was told to get some cover, he had rammed other vehicles and had fired on police already. I took a position a few feet behind my car, drew my Sig Sauer P220 and aimed toward the oncoming lights. I could see red and blue flashing lights directly behind the SUV that was being chased. From my position, I couldn’t fire at the vehicle without endangering the officers directly behind it. I quickly re-evaluated my position and realized I needed more cover.

The driver of the SUV aimed his vehicle directly at my car and I retreated to the ditch, trying to get away from my car in case he struck it. As I got to the ditch, the SUV suddenly swerved around onto the shoulder trying to get around my vehicle. That is when I saw the barrel of the gun pointing right at me. It was the barrel of a black AR-15. I didn’t hear the sirens, I didn’t hear the rims grinding on the road from where the SUV had hit stop sticks and lost all tread off the tires. And the eyes, eyes that looked as if they were charcoal, there was nothing in them. I saw no feeling, no remorse, nothing but hate. Those eyes were evil, and it is something that I will never forget.

As the SUV went by me and I began to see the parade like procession of police cars going by, I got up from my wonderful ditch and got back to my car. I heard one of the chase cars ask for someone to check an officer who was stopped a few miles from my position, who had taken fire from the SUV. I headed that direction and found the squad car sitting on the side of the road with the officer in the driver seat. I asked him if he was alright and he never looked at me but affirmed that he was indeed alright. I then noticed the bullet hole in the car door that had gone through the head rest of the driver seat. The officer looked at me and said he had reached over to the passenger seat to get his rifle when he took fire. That one little act saved his life.

I then went to a location that other chase vehicles advised they thought the SUV had stopped and let someone out. I proceeded to that area and exited my car near a cemetery and church. I noticed the church had been fired upon also, but there were no cars in the area and the church was dark with the doors locked. I walk around the area listening and watching, when I heard a noise coming from behind me. I saw a truck and I advised the driver not to move and to show me his hands. Not wanting to get shot, I heard a loud, fearful voice call back to me, “dude, it’s me – Hot Dog, I am here to back you up.” Hot Dog was the nickname of one of our town marshal reserves, and man was I ever glad to see him!

We cleared the area and went back to the scene where the chase ended. Both subjects in the vehicle were dead from gunshot wounds. The police and Coroner’s Office would later determine that the driver shot the eight-teen year old female passenger who had been shooting at police while the driver tried to get away, and when he saw that was not going to happen he shot her and then shot himself.

I wondered out loud to the lead officers who saw the entire chase, why the guy didn’t fire at me when he passed my car on the road while I was in the ditch? I got my reply. “He did!” He was pulling the trigger as he passed me but the officer directly behind the SUV had seen that the gun didn’t fire. He then saw the driver trying to get the gun un-jammed. A later check of the weapon found it to be “stove piped”, it had a fired round jammed in the chamber and it would not eject. The driver had fired the last round from it when he shot the police cruiser where the officer had leaned over the get his rifle, and tried to shoot me but couldn’t.

I thanked God that night and called my wife, who sometimes listened to the police scanner we have at home, this night she had not been listening. I let her know that everything was alright and I would be home soon. I couldn’t help but to think of the problems I would have had explaining how her anniversary present was destroyed because I was out “playing police officer” as it was so affectionately called by friends and family.

By Rick S.

This is used in fields for planting crops, but the criminals have figured out that they can use it for much more than that. So one night my buddy and I were patrolling along and I pulled my squad car through a Co-Op (a place where farmers take crops and pick up items for farming like Anhydrous Ammonia). I got out of the car to check between the tanks, where the people who steal anhydrous like to try to hide, and found myself in a very large cloud of very toxic vapors from this chemical.

First of all, if you have never smelled Anhydrous Ammonia, it is like sticking your head inside a cats litter box and trying to breathe with the cat peeing on your head. Not the prettiest of analogies but you get my meaning, and not only does it smell completely horrible but it also makes the lungs burn. When I say it makes the lungs burn I mean that! It feels like you have just taken a breath of straight fire, completely filling your lungs and telling the air to “never mind, this guy doesn’t need you anymore!”

So I have walked into this cloud of toxic vapor and about this point I am starting to panic, I remember my buddy in the squad car is a paramedic! Sweet, I am saved! So I wave my flashlight at the car to get his attention and then I tried to run out of the vapor cloud, moving away from my buddy. Did I tell you when this stuff hits your lungs it also tells your brain, “yeah don’t worry about thinking right now because you just walked into a vapor cloud and you’re going to die”. So now I am calling for my buddy and running away from him at the same time. I ran for what seemed like twenty miles (only about twenty yards, but it was a long twenty yards…) I finally got out of the vapor cloud and ran around a large building only to return to my car and find my buddy nowhere to be found. About five minutes later, he came around the same corner where I had just come from, huffing and puffing. He looks directly at me and tells me he “hates my guts”.

Now you have to understand this man has been my best friend for many years and I had just called him to come help me and he came to my rescue without question and for that I am eternally grateful, but the look on his face was priceless. “I came to help you and you tried to kill me!” And I just started laughing, knowing that we both just survived the ordeal. He kept saying over and over, “I can’t believe you tried to kill me”, and I would just giggle. He would ride every once in a while after that but refused to get out of the car, telling me, “Nope, go on out there and get killed. I’ll tell your wife you were stupid!” To this day he still thinks I was working for his wife trying to kill him.

Thanks for the memory brother!!

By Rick S.

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