This is what I observe and how I feel about first responders. Particularly police officers. The job has changed over the years. The risk reward factor seems out of balance. What would we do without them ? Really ?

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    When I was growing up back in Louisville Kentucky my father was a city bus driver. My uncle owned an auto body shop, and it seemed to be open 24 hours a day. The local police officers working the night shift use to hang out and have coffee, tell war stories, and “watch over the place”. As my brothers and I grew up my middle brother decided he would become a firefighter. He showed courage and passion for his calling in life. He retired a Captain after about 27 years in uniform. Many times he was called to lay his life on the line to save someone he’d never met. I always looked up to him for that. Many of my friends were police officers back then in Louisville. They were a well oiled machine and managed for the most part to stem the tide of crime, work traffic accidents, and basically make life really good for the people of our city. 

   I moved to the Atlanta area in 1986. Again I met a lot of law enforcement officers over my years here. In the 80’s it seemed like a great career. A career with a purpose, respect, and community. They hit the streets every day and did what they do no matter what it takes or costs them. A soldier on the front line in battle could not be doing any more than they do. The concept of becoming a law enforcement officer was dangerous but something one does because it had to be done. 

   Flash forward to 2011. Wow has things changed. If you decide to be a police officer you must accept the fact that politics will control your career, that you move up because of who you know not what you do,  that the respect many in society had for your authority has vanished because of ignorant public policies, and the public in general is painted a picture very unflattering of you. Public schools are not allowing anything in them that may teach what it means to be a good citizen, judges no longer are on your side, instead they have an agenda. Usually pandering for votes in the next election, and a judicial system that sometimes does the unthinkable. To turn on their own. The liability of becoming a law enforcement officer has become incredible. 

   What would we do without these people on our front lines ? We would no longer have a society, we could not live with any type of safety. Security would be us barring up our homes and standing guard 24/7. Why do we not appreciate the fact that we have these amazing people that are willing to do a thankless job for way below what they could make in the private sector ? I’m amazed at the public perceptions of true community heroes. 

   I live next door to a great family. My neighbor, Jeff is a police officer. He drives his patrol car home every night. As a family man I love having that car that close to my family’s home. This morning my wife and I walked outside and Jeff was cleaning spray paint off of his car. Someone in the middle of the night wrote words that I will not repeat in the press release. They also spray painted the minivan in his driveway. It sickened me. We live in a middle class area, near our kids schools, and peaceful. A coward came in the middle of the night and defaced these cars for what ? Showing off ? Someone angry ? Jeff has accepted a position in society that if the person that did this had their life threatened then Jeff would stand between this unknown person and danger. He’d do this without an agenda, without reason other than it is what he signed up for and what he does. Amazing. 

   I just want to take the time to say “Thank You” to all those on the front lines of society that put it all on the line every day for perfect strangers. We should say thank you. It’s not just a job these people do. It’s a passion. Why else would they do it ? I say it all the time. It is a thankless position and I for one would like to change that. 

Ken Stepp 
Director of Operations 
American Angel Works 
Rosebud Advocacy 
877-577-1486 
info@americanangelworks.com