Let us Honor The Honorable

While many in the nation, from Oakland to New York, rally in protest over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, I keep wondering: What about good and morally upright law enforcement officers? As with our military personnel, we are often quick to hang the allegedly corrupt but slow to honor those who serve honestly to protect. Take a moment and think about these following statistics via the internet:

“On average, over the last decade, there have been 58,261 assaults against law enforcement each year, resulting in 15,658 injuries."

"A total of 1,501 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 58 hours or 150 per year."

"There were 100 law enforcement officers killed in 2013."

"The deadliest day in law enforcement history was September 11, 2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America."

"New York City has lost more officers in the line of duty than any other department, with 697 deaths. Texas has lost 1,675 officers, more than any other state."

In fact, while citizens have been rallying in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York, in just the past month, a dozen law enforcement officers have been killed across our country by the criminal element or accidents incurred while in the line of duty.

The truth is that most of the time across the country, injuries occur between police officers and the general populus not because the officers have a power problem but because civilians are breaking the law. If they obeyed the laws of the land or paused to respect authority a little bit more, the injuries to both civilians and law enforcement would be diminutive.

Let me apply the words of our Savior whose birth we celebrate each and every Christmas day reminding us of the sacrifice he and many of our law enforcement officers have made: "Greater love has no one than this: that one lay down his life for another."