This week is Police Appreciation Week and I believe we should all take a minute to not only thank our local officers but also say a prayer for their continued safety as they keep us safe.
Recently, there appears to have been a lack of appreciation shown to our men and women in blue. People often focus on the negative or assume the negative in every situation.
I have often wondered when society started defending the criminals, instead of those who serve and protect. It should be simple enough, listen to the police officer’s commands.
Sure, there are bad apples in every profession. Some politicians, lawyers, doctors, movie stars have all been involved in some sort of scandal at one point or another.
But as the old cliché says, “you can’t let one bad apple ruin the bunch.”
There’s always two sides to every story and, honestly, I’m less inclined to believe a habitual offender’s story.
However, I know there have been instances of police brutality in our nation’s past, both recent and long ago. The past cannot be changed, but we have the option to learn from the mistakes of our predecessors.
While I don’t agree with the actions of a rogue officer, I certainly cannot condone the murder of our police officers, which has become too commonplace.
Then you have the commentators, who presume to know everything about a certain profession and proceed to share their thoughts on how to do it right.
For the most part, many of these observers have probably never put on a badge and risked their life to save someone else’s. How many of us can say that we have dealt with a seasoned criminal in a tense situation?
Maybe some have, but cannot understand how to offer constructive criticism. We all have the right to our opinions. It’s the delivery and lack of informed research accompanied with those statements that I find to be a bit lacking.
This week, and I hope every week, we should show our appreciation for Picayune, Poplarville and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department’s law enforcement officers. Thank them for putting their life on the line to keep you and your opinions safe.