Six officers die; no rioting, no protesting, no cries for justice

On Feb. 10, 2016, two deputies with the Hartford County Sheriff's Office in Maryland were dispatched to a restaurant to deal with a subject. Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey found the subject at a table and sat down beside him and tried to talk to him. Without warning the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Deputy Daily in the head. As the man ran out of the restaurant, he came into contact with Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon and shot him.

Even though Deputy Logsdon was shot, he returned fire along with other deputies, killing the suspect. Deputy Logsdon fought back even though he was wounded, and even though he completed his job by stopping the armed man, he died shortly after. Deputy Logsdon had a wife and three children. He was also a U.S. Army veteran. Deputy Dailey left behind two children and was a Marine Corps veteran. This week the law enforcement world was devastated as life after life was taken violently from this world. Last Wednesday, four law enforcement officers died and three of the four were shot to death. On Thursday, two more were shot and killed. Just this year 10 officers have died and eight of those 10 were killed by gunfire.

Someone once said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than one's self." We honor heroes by making plaques, writing their names on a wall, carving a statue in their image, or simply by not letting their memory die.

The truth is, this world would be a much better place if we did not need heroes. Some people across this country are intent on making a divide between law enforcement and citizens. They scream injustice, they burn buildings, they rob stores in their own neighborhoods, they protest and spit on the police and burn the American flag to make a point.

Tonight there will be a total of 16 children who will go to bed without a parent because someone decided it was okay to kill a cop. There will be no crowds of angry people shouting that a cop was killed for no reason, they will not spark a media fire storm, and the president will not be at their funerals. They will write their names on a wall and most people will never think about them again. After all, it was only their job right? Deputy Dailey was simply trying to talk to the person when he was shot in the head. Deputy Logsdon was shot and still continued to do his job and make sure the suspect did not get away to kill someone else. The people they protected will be spending time with their families this weekend, but the families of those six officers will be spending their time at funerals saying their last goodbyes. Calling someone a hero is the most honorable thing we can do in their memory, but the fact that we have six more people to call a hero is appalling.

There are no words to say to someone who lost their father, mother, husband, or wife in a situation like this. It should not happen, but it does. And even though they know it happens, the men and women in law enforcement will still rise each day, put on their badge and take the place of those who have fallen before them. Making sure that our streets are safe, and that the danger stops with them and not on your door step. I would like to say thank you to the families of those officers and deputies killed in the line of duty this week.