As I think about the current issues facing law enforcement, especially in the United States, my mind keeps going to the fear of the unknown. The sacrifice to be in the field brings heartache, with seemingly little victory or appreciation along the way. While there are many other pressing issues, this one hits home with me. Everyone in law enforcement has a family, but not everyone is promised to see them again.
You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
-James 4:14
Think about it.
Every day, people in law enforcement leave their family often without knowing whether or not they will see their loved ones again. They venture off knowing each day holds a risk, yet they remember that they took an oath to protect and serve their community.To quote David Lynch, “There is always fear of the unknown where there is mystery.”
In our society, police are often targeted by those who are looking to get them into trouble. There are always two sides to a story, but if, in the heat of the moment, someone breaks the law, police officers must take care of the situation—not knowing what the outcome will be. Too often anything they do is held against them.
Robert Peel said it like this: “No minister ever stood, or could stand, against public opinion.” In other words, public opinion too can make or break a police force. Often the need for a law pushed by the public can create a fear of the unknown—possibly even make law enforcement suffer due, not only to corruption in the field, but to public opinion. We are in a society where the fear of man and fearing the unknown can be used to control a community. Law enforcement is often tied by the public, and the public can be very biased in their view.
What do you think?
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