Cops lives matter, too

The cold-blooded assassination of Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth this past weekend as he was filling up his patrol car at a local gas station ought to be a wake-up call to all Americans. Goforth, a husband whose 5 year old son and 12 year old daughter will never hug their father again, entered law enforcement later in life and was described as a ‘gentle giant’.

His senseless death, however, doesn’t stand alone. Regrettably, Texas again leads the nation this year in deaths of police officers on duty.

While the national media hotly debates whether “black lives” or “all lives” matter, it conveniently ignores the consequences of carelessly fanning the flames of hostility against local law enforcement. We saw those consequences in December when two New York police officers were murdered execution-style while sitting in a parked patrol car in Brooklyn.

When law enforcement is targeted for their uniform – for their commitment to protecting our families, our businesses and communities – we are all targeted. These remarkable men and women who swear to protect and serve simply want to make a difference, to keep us safe, to catch the bad guys and put them behind bars, to make sure our families can live our lives safely and without fear.

Their work day is so much more dangerous than ours it is unimaginable. We don’t fear for our lives every time we enter a colleague’s office or show up for work. Yet law enforcement risks their lives every time they approach a car pulled to the side of the road or knock on a home door to answer a 9-1-1 call.

Their every decision in the heat of gunfire and violence is scrutinized and questioned. We have a bad day at work. They don’t return home from work – ever. Most of us wouldn’t last a morning in their shoes.

I’m tired of our law enforcement men and women being painted as the bad guys. For the vast, vast majority, they are simply everyday heroes who work each day just one violent criminal away from death.

At the vigil for Deputy Goforth one citizen pleaded “We need to be a community. We need to stick together. We need to be here for our officers fighting for them just as much as they fight for us.” Amen.

Cops lives matter, too.