by Jack
Veterans, you have done a fantastic job and made tremendous sacrifices, sometimes during very trying times and worse, during war. We will and we should, always be grateful for your service. However, there is another group has been coming under increasing criticism and scorn. I hope that it’s just a passing thing, because they are every bit as dedicated and courageous as our young men and women who serve in the military.
Their numbers are less than a third of our military’s and yet their on-duty deaths are three times higher. I’m talking about the thin blue line; its our last line of defense and if it falls its over for this nation. Like soldiers, they wear a uniform, they carry a gun and they never know when they are going to be faced with life and death situations. They are in so many ways just like soldiers, except they defend you where you live and these soldiers are never off duty; they are required to be ready to go into action 24 hours a day if the situation demands.
The mainstream media has been pretty rough on law enforcement, blaming all of them for the less than .05% that fail their solemn oath. And certain political activist groups have gained a lot of attention for foolishly demeaning and castigating the police long before the facts were known.
I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the oath officers must abide by, it reads:
“AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.
I WILL keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.
I WILL never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions. With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities.
I RECOGNIZE the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God1 to my chosen profession…law enforcement.” END. I wonder, how many of our legislator’s could live up to these standards?