Police Officers Know Their Jobs Can Kill Them

Stepping Up For Those Who Show Up
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
July 12, 2016

When we go to work, we worry about traffic and if we are going to do something to get fired.  When police officers go to work, they worry about traffic too. They also have to worry about getting killed on their jobs.  We never manage to think of that very much. It comes with their jobs.

They usually have pretty "normal" days considering what their jobs demand. 

They may have to respond to an accident, robbery, domestic violence calls and stopping idiot drivers.  Then they may have the rare days like in Dallas when they were protecting protestors. Five were killed and nine were wounded but all were changed.

Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens’ children had already gone to bed Thursday night when the Dallas police officer was wheeled into the emergency room at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

On Friday morning, the kids woke up to the news that their father was dead.

Cedar Hill Public Information Officer Lieutenant Colin Chenault places his hand on the shoulder of police chaplain Victor Jackson during a prayer service at the Cedar Hill Government Center in Cedar Hill, Texas Friday." Dallas Morning News

They were there to protect the protestors. Parents brought their kids because they thought it would be safe for them to march against what a few police officers do because other officers were there to make sure no one got out of control.

A mother tries to calm her daughter as Dallas Police respond to shots being fired at a Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Dallas. (Maria R. Olivas/Special Contributor)

After all that is what police officers do but we do not notice that until we need them.

To blame all police officers instead of what is happening all over the country ends up heating up anger all the way around. We need to stop putting people into groups we can blame instead of the person who decided to do it.


In Orlando, hate caused a man to open fire at the Pulse nightclub. Over a hundred people were shot and forty nine were murdered.  They thought their biggest worry would be how to get home if they had too much fun drank too much.

"For those who were gay, for those who were tortured and stigmatized throughout their lives, I am just praying that now they're in heaven and they're together and that they'll know they didn't die in vain. Hopefully, they will see all the people coming together to honor them and show them love." Kristine Rosendahl

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” Maya Angelou

It was police officers showing up to prevent more from being gunned down. 

When they were on their way to the massacre, they did not know what they were going to have to do or if they would go home at the end of their shift.

Even most of the protestors appreciate the fact police officers are there because they do not blame all of them. Dallas police officers were seen in pictures supporting the protestors as well as being there to protect them. People are stepping up for those who show up to protect all of us.

“We actually felt like they were protecting us.” one demonstrator wrote.

All of us have jobs to do. All of us do the best we can everyday no matter what we have to do. So do police officers. Most of the folks in Dallas understand that. Most of the folks all across the country understand that and appreciate their willingness to keep doing their jobs.