I am stressed the fuck out.
On a number of fronts, I've just got a
lot of shit going on.
Today, on top of everything else, I got
to try to follow the manhunt for a cop killer in my hometown from the
safety of my new job 25 miles away.
And I fought back tears all day long.
Maybe it was because of the stress that
was already there, making things worse.
Maybe it was because for the first time
in my life, and the only, I was glad that my kids don't live with me
and attend the schools that were on lockdown.
Maybe it was because my mother felt the
need to lock herself in the house until my dad got home.
Maybe it was because the little burg
that I grew up in, tried so hard to get away from, and ultimately
ended up in was no longer just a little resort town known for its
number of taverns per square mile.
It was now a national spectacle.
Even “People” magazine was
reporting about it on their website.
Three men, still at large as I write
this, killed a police officer, stole his gun and radio, and
disappeared.
Every police department in the
surrounding area is assisting, state police are assisting, federal
departments and S.W.A.T. teams are assisting, and helicopters circle
overhead.
For most of my life, the main tasks of
the Fox Lake Police Department were breaking up bar fights and
busting high school parties in the area for alcohol or music that's
too loud. Maybe an accident here and there, shoplifting, neighbor
complaints... there are only 7 officers on the force.
Well, 6.
This isn't the town I grew up in; not
this murderous, ugly face that's on every news show in the country
today.
My grandfather was a police officer.
He was respected. He was proud to serve
the community. He was honored to do right and help keep the peace.
But that was a different time.
There are still officers like him out
there. Sometimes it seems like they are getting fewer and farther
between, but they are there. There are also officers out there that
don't deserve to be in blue in the least. Unfortunately, these are
the ones who give the police the publicity they seem to have today as
thugs and crooked, tazing or killing for no good reason.
Because of them, incidents like today
are becoming more and more frequent. More and more people disrespect
law enforcement and don't trust those sworn to uphold law and order.
The thing is, though... they're still
police officers.
They're still in a position that
deserves, and demands respect.
You don't talk back to a cop.
You don't run from a cop.
You don't fucking shoot a cop.
Maybe it was because I drove home
through my little burg today, and saw streets and bridges lined with
officers and tactical units with assault rifles drawn and at the
ready, like something out of Red Dawn.
This needs to change.
RIP LT. Joe.
