The THIN BLUE LINE!
Sounds like the title of a movie, or just a slogan
that has been used for many different reasons!
However, the phrase is so true today-- it is a very
THIN Blue Line that people probably never see, they never noticed it, and some
might even think that it exist because of a wrong doing by some police officer
in their life!
That being said, I have had the privilege of working
shoulder to shoulder with police officers, and have had the sad duty of being
on the scene when an officer had gone down in the line of duty, and having to
record the scene for evidence.
I know what it is like for the departments chaplain
has to walk up to the house of the now, new widow, and inform her that her
husband is not coming home, he was lost in the line of duty. The horrific look
on their face, the sound of wailing that begins, and the sound of ultimate
pain!
Over the last several months, this country, has laid
to rest TOO MANY men and women in that wear uniforms of police departments, and
law enforcement agencies. Killed in the line of duty, and at times, at home off
duty!
Killed because of a senseless call to arms against
the police because someone believes that their tactics are wrong, even
comparing them to Gestopo tactics of World War II.
Don't even get me started on that! Not EVEN close
boys and girls!
The phrase #BLACKLIVESMATTERS has been strewn across
social media, and that the "Battle Cry" has risen, that now we see
#BLUELIVESMATTERS or #WOMENLIVESMATTER-- I'm here to tell you all--
#LIFEMATTERS period, doesn't matter what color skin you are, doesn't matter
what you wear, doesn't matter what cultural you come from, it DOESN'T MATTER--
YOUR LIFE MATTERS!
Armed confrontation with a police officer might
result in death, that's a warning that bumper stickers used to say in the 80's
in the Dallas area. It wasn't right, it wasn't meant as a joke, I assure you,
it was however there, and it was causing some uneasy feelings in the community.
At the time... Police Chief Billy Prince didn't see
any harm in that little slogan on the cars or in the community, however when
officers were being shot down in the middle of the street on Commerce by a
homeless man who took a gun away from the officer who had been on the force for
three years, it was too much-- the homeless person took that gun, and shot
point blank into the head of three year veteran officer John Glenn Chase, I
knew him-- I did his rookie photo for his ID card! THAT MADE IT PERSONAL!
Since then, there have been others who have lost
their lives in the heat of the battle, and were killed, the last one was in
2011... four years so far without a lost of a life in the Dallas Police
Department in the line of duty!
Facts are simple, these men and women put on a
uniform every day, they put on a badge over their heart, and they are sworn as
peace officers to protect and to serve the community.
WE call them when we are in trouble, and yes there
are times, when we feel that they stop us for what we consider a minor
infraction of the law (Speeding mainly) and have to go through the ritual of
being embarrassed on the side of the street, or in our neighborhood where they
stopped us, and be told to take care of this with in 21 days yaddy yaddy
yeadda! Truth is.. its THEIR JOB! Don't hold it against them for doing it...
and it doesn't hurt to say thank you to them or even thank them for their
service! Amazing what a little kindness would do for their attitude and YOURS!
We are all in this together, we all live in our
communities, and we must, no matter where you live, protect those who protect
us! Like one person said to an officer getting gas one day "Got your back officer"-- we
all have to watch their backs-- because lord knows they are watching ours!
Just a thought!
